EPSON WorkForce 635~ review

Are you in need of a printer solution for a small office space? Do you have a home office and need a reliable printer that can print, scan, fax and copy? Have you ever wished you could own a great printer that count print two-sided copies? If you answered, “yes” to any of the above questions, then you must look no further than the Epson WorkForce 635.

My husband and I have been using the Epson WorkForce 635 for a couple of months now and have found it to be a terrific addition to our Epson family of printers. Not only does the WorkForce 635 print fast smudge-proof copies, it prints automatic double-sided copies as well. That is definitely our favorite feature.

Another great feature of the WorkForce 635 is its ability to print not only directly from my computer, but also wirelessly and/or from my portable hard drive. At home, we like to use this printer wirelessly. That way, we can print from anywhere in our home. Even so, I do a lot of work away from home as well, always saving to my portable hard drive. I appreciate that I can hook my hard drive into the USB port on the printer and print my documents quickly and easily.


Speaking of the capability of printing quickly, I must say, the WorkForce 635 prints more quickly that any all-in-one I have ever worked with.
• Single Sided – 15 pages per minute (ppm) in black & white and 7.2 ppm in color
• Double Sided – 7.5 pages per minute (ppm) in black & white and 4.6 ppm in color
These speeds are important to me because I have a teenage son who tends to remember school projects that need to be printed as we are rushing out the door! With the Epson Workforce 635, I don’t have to worry about waiting around for a printer to finish the job. With this printer, we can move from, “Uh oh, mom!” to out the door in just minutes!

Some Highlights from the Manufacturer’s Description:
• Save time — with the world’s fastest all-in-one in both one- and two-sided printing
• Speed through critical documents — ISO print speeds of 15 ISO ppm (black) and 7.2 ISO ppm (color), two-sided print speeds of 7.5 ISO ppm (black) and 4.5 ISO ppm (color)
• Save paper — save up to 50% of your paper supply with automatic, two-sided printing
• Print twice as much — get about 2x more prints with 127 Extra High-capacity Black ink cartridges
• Individual ink cartridges — replace only the color you need
• Less hassle — built-in 250-sheet paper tray means you re-load paper less often
• Do more — 30-page Auto Document Feeder to quickly copy, scan or fax stacks of one- or two-sided originals
• Easy wireless printing — built-in Easy Epson Wi-Fi makes wireless setup, networking and printing fast and easy
• PC-Fax — fax documents directly from your computer
• Front USB port — insert thumb drive and upload files directly to your PC
• High-speed faxing in black and color — as fast as 3 sec per page; speed dial storage up to 60 numbers; fax memory up to 180 pages
• Save energy — uses up to 70% less power than laser printers
• Quickly print from your mobile device — print photos, office documents and more, see www.epson.com/mobileprinting for details
• Save up to 50% on paper with manual, two-sided printing

Bottom Line:
The Epson WorkForce 635 is a great printer for small business use- especially if one needs a solution for faxing, printing invoices, and other forms. Even so, my family loves this printer for its ability to print double sided documents and for the speed at which it prints any document.

Buy It:
For the fantastic price of only $199.99 and free shipping, you can buy the WorkForce 635 printer by visiting the Epson website at http://www.epson.com/. You can find Epson Twitter too!

Disclosure:
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.

Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Large Format Ink Jet Printer- review

I love EPSON printers. If you are a follower of my blog, this news comes as no surprise to you. :) Other brands have been used by my family, but when it comes down to it, EPSON is our favorite. Simply, I have never experienced picture quality as amazing as EPSON's in any other brand.

Another fact about me you would know if you are a reader of my blog is that one of my favorite hobbies is scrapbooking. I began paper scrapbooking 13 years ago. I was a freelance artist for Memory Makers Magazine before they called it quits, and have been published in a score of other magazines and idea books throughout the years. Most of those layouts or mini books that made their way to print were created traditionally- that is, with paper products and other tangible elements.

Unfortunately, I was injured almost two years ago. The result of the injury after two surgeries is that I still have a tear in the cartilage in my wrist that will never be able to be repaired due to the type of tear and where it is located. Therefore, I cannot use my right hand to do simple tasks that most of us take for granted- writing, using scissors, lifting items heaver than a full coffee mug, etc. So, I cannot paper scrapbook anymore.

Not willing to give my hobby up entirely, with the help of some excellent tutorials and online classes, I learned how to scrapbook digitally. To tell you I am hooked is an understatement. I am head over heels in love with my computer now. :) Up until recently though, I was a little frustrated because all of my digital layouts were stored in the computer or on external hard drives because I had no way of getting them into a physical scrapbook.

EPSON changed all of that for me. :) (Have I mentioned that I love EPSON?)

When I was contacted about testing an Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Ink Jet Printer, I about freaked out in excitement!! I was thinking, NO WAY!!! This is THE BEST review EVER! :) This printer i a digital scrapbooker's dream!

A little information about the printer:
The Epson R1900 sets a new standard in glossy printing. This powerful, wide-format printer offers incredible versatility so you can explore all your creative aspirations. With Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss 2 pigment ink, the R1900 delivers vibrant photos up to 13 inches wide and up to 44 inches long. Offering the highest level of media versatility of any printer in its class, this remarkable performer prints on a wide variety of media types including glossy, luster, matte, canvas and fine art papers.

Key Features:
•Get superior glossy prints with Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss® 2 pigment ink
•Print photos with greater vibrancy and better facial tones with Epson's new Red and Orange ink cartridges
•Maximize the color gamut and achieve better print quality with Radiance™ technology
•Produce gallery-quality prints faster with improved print speeds
•Print and display your work on canvas and fine art media
•Create amazing panoramas with included roll paper support
•Print professional looking CDs and DVDs
•Achieve rich blacks on any media with auto-switching Photo and Matte Black ink

My review:
The minute I got home and saw the enormous box from EPSON, I was excited! I cleared my scrappy desk and set up the printer. Set-up was quite simple and was finished quickly. Once I got the software loaded onto my laptop, I printed one of my favorite layouts.

WOW!

Seriously, WOW!

The print quality of my layout is perfect. The colors are crisp and vibrant. Honestly, the layout almost doesn't look digital. The ink was dry to the touch almost immediately, Even so, I waited an hour before I slipped it into a page protector. No smearing at all.

The next project we tackled was a newspaper for my son's school project. He used Microsoft Power Point to create a large format document, and was able to use the printer himself to print the resulting product. He said it was as simple as using his regular printer, but cooler because it was able to print a document that was 13 inches x 19 inches. He is looking forward to creating more posters and printing them with the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Ink Jet Printer.

Speaking of posters, hubby has used the printer many time since we got it to print band posters. He is impressed with the picture quality, but is more impressed with how he can print in larger formats than he can with our home printer.

Bottom line:
I am beyond pleased with the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Ink Jet Printer. I would recommend this printer to anyone who is a digital scrapbooker, someone who wants to print larger photographs, or for anyone in need of a large format printer or posters and such. The only drawback I have had with this printer is that it does go through the ink fairly quickly. Even so, having amazing frame-worthy large photos and scrapbook pages is worth it to me!

Buy It:
EPSON typically sells the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Ink Jet Printer for $549.99, but right now, you can pick it up for $399.99 with free shipping.

Disclosure:
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.

REVIEW: EPSON PictureMate Charm

It's no secret that my family loves EPSON printers. We have tried other brands, but nothing has come close to the picture quality of the EPSON. With four photographers in the family, picture quality is the most important aspect we look for in a printer.

This year, Santa brought Ian his first digital camera. He takes that camera everywhere! Not a child blessed with patience, he likes to see his pictures right away. (This is a kid with photos as the main decorating element in his bedroom.) So, when I had the opportunity to review the EPSON PictureMate Charm, I readily agreed- knowing exactly who would love this printer the most!

Ian has a lot of fun with the PictureMate Charm! He likes that he can quickly put his SD card in the printer, choose the photo he wants to print, do quick adjustment to the pictures, and in no time (literally under one minute), he is holding the print in his hand.

From the Epson website:
Overview
*2.5" LCD color photo viewer
*4" x 6" photos in as fast as 37 seconds1
*Smudge, water and fade resistant photos
*Choose from various layouts and print in black-and-white, color or sepia
*Borderless photos, remove red eye, PC free
*Compatible with any digital camera
*Everyday low print price
*Easy to use
*Optional rechargeable battery for printing on-the-go
*Optional carry case and bluetooth adapter

Ian isn't the only family member enjoying the Epson PictureMate Charm. As a middle school teacher, one of the several ways I have used this great little printer is in my scrapbook class for kids who weren't able to print at home. My older son has used it to print photos he needed for projects. In two weeks when we celebrate the boys' birthdays with family and friends, we plan to have the PictureMate Charm ready to instantly print copies of photos for eveyone.

In addition to the picture quality, what we love best about the PictureMate Charm is the portability of the printer. With it's great lunch pail design, the Charm can be taken along with us very easily. EPSON offers an optional carrying case for the printer, something I have seriously considered purchasing to protect the printer when we travel with it.

One other bonus to this printer is the cost of ink and printer paper. EPSON sells these terrific Print Packs for its portable printers which cost less than $35.00 (purchased online or in stores). The Print Pack includes ink and paper, and with the glossy pack, I am able to print 150 pictures for that $35.00 (that's less than 24 cents per photo!). I think that's a terrific deal!

The only wish I have for this printer is that a battery pack was included. To use outdoors, we have to have access to an electrical outlet, which is not always possible. The price of the battery is $49.99 through the EPSON website.

Bottom Line:
Pros-
*picture quality
*portability
*fast
*low cost of paper and ink
*user-friendly

Cons-
*battery pack not included

Overall, we are thrilled with the EPSON PictureMate Charm printer! Thanks EPSON for allowing us to review this fun product!

Epson Stylus NX400 All-In-One Giveaway Winner

Wow! What an incredible amount of entries there are for this giveaway! 447, to be exact. After taking the time to verify that the entries followed the guidelines, I have submitted the numbers to Random.org, and now we have a winner!

Congratulations go out to....

paula h!!!!

paula h said...
I need this because it would make homeschooling my kids easier. I would finish organizing my cookbooks and recipes. Some of my cookbooks only have a few recipes that I like. I'm trying to make copies of them and place them in a notebook. Then I pass the cookbook on to someone else.
February 28, 2009 1:56 PM

I have emailed the winner who has 48 hours to confirm the email. If she does not, a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks to all who have entered!

Epson Stylus NX400 All-In-One Review & Giveaway

There is a great deal of creativity in my family. Not a day goes by when someone isn’t creating something.

Ian is my builder. He can honestly make the most amazing things out of scraps of paper, cardboard from boxes, and other items that one wouldn’t typically consider using. After he designs something, he uses the computer to write a little story about what he made.

Jacob is my thinker. He is often found curled up on his floor, writing- lyrics, stories, scripts on his computer. My husband is a writer as well. He’s also a musician, so he writes a great deal of his own music. I, too, am a writer.

Another creative thread we have in common is that we are all photographers and scrapbookers. It started with a simple camera and some great paper supplies, and after seeing me create something out of all of it, the rest of the family was hooked!

I think it’s safe to say that we all enjoy sharing our projects with other family members and friends. So, there is a whole lot of scanning and printing going on here- daily.

For quite some time, I realized that our family printer was losing its golden touch. Picture quality wasn’t fantastic, the printer was slow, and we were constantly low on ink. Additionally, the separate scanner we had was ancient, slow, loud and not completely reliable.

So, when I was approached by Epson to review the Stylus NX400 All-In-One, the whole family was excited! Finally! One printer that could do everything we needed!

The Stylus NX400 All-In-One far exceeded all of my expectations! First, and foremost, it is made by a brand I trust, Epson. Second, the quality of the products it produces from scanning, copying and printing is far superior to any I have yet to try. Finally, the fact that the inks are separate cartridges will save our family a great deal of money. We realized we hit the jackpot with this printer after using if for a couple of weeks.

The Epson Stylus NX400 All-In-One uses DURABrite Ultra ink. This fact alone made this printer a fast favorite for the photographer in me. With this pigment ink, our projects dried instantly and did not smear or smudge. After printing a photo, I ran my finger across it to see what would happen and had a serious “WOW” moment when the photo did not smear. In fact, Ian printed a photo of our friend Esther who recently passed away, and he taped it to his bedroom window. Even with all of the cold and moisture we’ve experienced here in PA, that photo is still as perfect now as it was the day he printed it.

We tested the inks on different types of paper- plain, presentation, and photo- satin, glossy. We also tested different brands of paper. We are most happy with the Epson paper that we used. The quality looks and feels superior to the others. Even so, no matter which brand or type of paper used, the images and words dried instantly and never smudged.


The one feature that surprised me is the Stylus NX400 All-In-One’s unique photo correction with advanced face detection capability. This is such a great tool! This printer will actually adjust your image to correct for dark or washed out photos. It can also distinguish between people and scenery and will enhance skin tones and make the scenery pop. There is also a red-eye correction feature. For people who want fast results yet desire a great image without the use of a photo-editing program on the computer, this printer is superb!

Another aspect of the Epson Stylus NX400 All-In-One that we appreciate is the fast text, copy and photo speeds. It prints up to 34 pages per minute for black and color text. It will print a 4”x6” border free photo in as fast as 26 seconds, and it copies up to 30 copies for minute in both black and color. That is impressive!

We all love the large 2.5-inch tilt LCD that the Epson Stylus NX400 All-In-One has for selecting, copying and printing photos without a computer. The boys just pop their memory card into the printer, choose the photo they want to print, and the photo prints in a little as 26 seconds! This is a terrific feature for anyone in our family, but especially the kids- they like knowing that they don’t need their dad or I to help them use the printer.

In addition to the photos we tested, we also printed book reports, charts, greeting cards (using the included ArcSoft Print Creations software), lyrics and directions. Each time, we were pleased with the excellent quality of the product and the speed at which it printed.

Scanning is simple with the Epson Stylus NX400 All-In-One. I tested this feature by scanning a page in a magazine. I simply placed the page I wanted to scan face-down in the lower-right hand corner of the scanning bed, closed the cover, and then, clicked on the EPSON Scan icon on my desktop. With the Mode in FULL AUTO, all I had to do was click the Scan button. The image went right to my Pictures file. You can see my result here. The sweetie with the big blue eyes is my niece Emma, by the way.) The only change I made to this image was to decrease the file size. Look at the amazing clarity of color!

There are so many more wonderful things I could say about the Epson Stylus NX400 All-In-One, and doing so would make this review pages long, so I will give you our bottom line. For an extremely affordable price of $99.99, you could own the Epson Stylus NX400 All-In-One. You will be amazed by the quality of this printer, and will find it to be the perfect solution for your busy family’s printing, scanning, and copying needs.

Here's the really exciting news!!

THE GIVEAWAY:
The great folks at Epson have very generously given me a second Epson Stylus NX400 All-In-One to give away to one of my living life one day at a time readers.

HOW TO WIN:To earn your first entry in this giveaway, post here telling me why you need this printer and what you plan to create with it if you win. NOTE: Everyone who enters must do this step!

If you are not a blogger, email 3 of your friends telling them about this giveaway, and cc me at colleenstearns@gmail.com.

ENTER DAILY!!!
Once you post your initial entry, you can come back daily and tell me you want another entry!

SCORE EVEN MORE ENTRIES:

1. For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway with a link back to my site and Epson (be sure to post your link here so I know where to find it).
2. Subscribe to my blog via email.
3. Click on the FOLLOW THIS BLOG link on my left sidebar. (Please note: Due to some recent changes with Blogger, those of you who already follow my blog will need to do so again. Thanks!)
4. For TWO extra entries, add my button to your blog- leave me a message with your blog address so I can check it out. :)
5. Tweet about this contest on Twitter (Be sure to follow me on Twitter too- see link in my sidebar.). Make sure to leave a link to your twitter message in your comment. You can do this once a day. Please make sure to come back each day and leave another comment with your new twitter message link.

IMPORTANT:
Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. If you earned two or more entries for a specific item (such as #1 and #4 above), be sure to leave me a comment for each of the entries you've earned.
*Enter by 9pm (EST) on Friday, March 6, 2009.
One lucky commenter will be chosen at random and notified via email, so make sure you leave a valid email address in your comment. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email. If she or he does not respond within 48 hours, a new random winner will be chosen.