I truly don't understand why people with Snow Leopard are having such a hard time with the install. It's so easy and everything works perfectly. Maybe they have trouble following direction, because it's certainly not the fault of Epson or Mac. This is a great AIO for the Mac!
First, I am not a computer techno geek guy. I know enough to get by and that's it. My wife and I each have the new unibody 13" MacBooks with Snow Leopard. We needed an AIO that would work for my home business needs, and for her normal printing and scanning needs. We bought the Epson 810 to replace two HP 2300 series printers that were consistently erratic, and continually frustrating. I was worried a bit about installing this printer with our Macs, based on some of the stories I read on here, but that fear turned out to be unfounded. The install on our Macs was a complete breeze!
I followed the directions from Epson and DID NOT use the install CD that came with the printer. Instead, simply go the Epson site under Support, then Snow Leopard, and there is the correct printer driver, plain as day. Download and then follow the directions for install. While that's going on, plug the power to the printer in, DO NOT attach a USB cable between your printer and your Mac (you'll never need one, so save the money), put the ink cartridges in, then follow the simple instructions that come with the printer to sync the printer to your wireless network. Takes about 5-10 minutes. Took me less than 5! The download and install take a few more minutes but not more than 30. The last part of the install is the Mac recognizing the printer wirelessly. There are two Epson printer names that will show up. Say yes to both. When the install is done and finished, go to System Preferences, click on Printers and Fax, and on the left side of the screen, push the "+" button to add BOTH printer Epson names as your printers, making the "IP" one the default printer. There you go. Done!
When you want to scan (which seems to confuse people in the reviews I've read on here), simply go back to System Preferences, choose Printers and Fax, hit the Scan tab, and then you'll find everything you need! No USB cables needed and the fax shows up right on your screen. I promise if I can figure it out, than anybody should be able to.
The printer itself is fairly large, so be prepared for that. But because it's an AIO, that's ok. I was finally able to get rid of my fax machine, which I've been wanting to do for some time now, so that freed up some much-needed space.
I find the print quality and speed to be good at the normal settings and excellent at higher settings, especially with the right paper.
The Epson has some basic photo editing built into it, but I have expensive software for that, so I haven't tried any of it on the Epson. It also has some other fun toys built in, like making coloring book pages, which I did try, and it's a pretty neat trick for the kids! I've printed out a few photos at 300dpi and they turned out beautifully. I'm sure they'll look even nicer at higher dpi but will also use much more ink. We won't use this feature too much but can be confident that when we do, we can print amazing photos. And as a semi-professional photographer, I can say this with confidence. The photo print quality really is very, very nice.
The scan quality and function is seamless and has a great deal of flexibility that I have yet to try, but again I see no issues and everything we've scanned so far looks great.
The fax works perfectly. Just be sure you have a filter on the phone line if you need one. And the document feeder is nice as well.
The touch screen is great and easy to navigate through, the printer is pretty nice looking, and yes, some of the plastic feels a little bit cheap, but I treat things I own pretty well, so I'm not concerned about that.
One feature I absolutely love is the ability to print on CD's and DVD's! This is so great for my business! I can completely customize each CD/DVD label for my customers, as well as jackets too! Yes, the printable CD's/DVD's cost a bit more but still way better than having to rely on a lab somewhere. Great tool and beautiful quality!
The two-sided printing takes a little bit of patience, but it's completely worth it. Saves so much paper.
Everyone complains about ink consumption. Let's face it, all printers suck ink, especially when you print a lot. And especially if you're printing tons of documents or photos. Such is life. I personally believe that the Epson print costs are inline with most of the better companies out there, and certainly much better than if you took everything to be copied or printed somewhere else. Hey, if you need to print a gazillion documents, then a laser would probably be a better choice. But for an AIO, this Epson is pretty reasonable, all things considered.
Unless this printer suddenly just breaks down and quits working on me, I have to easily give it 5 stars right now. Like a lot of people, I work out of my home and this handles all my needs effortlessly and flawlessly. I couldn't be happier. Mac users...get one today and start enjoying!
Product Description:
EPSON Artisan 810, Print/Copy/Scan/Fax/Photo/Wi-Fi
Features:
- Brilliant 7.8-Inch touch panel
- WiFi & Ethernet networking built-in
- Unbeatable quality & speed
- Color fax and 30 page Auto Document Feeder
- Easily charge a cell phone or MP3 player without tying up an additional outlet.
Special Features: Auto-Document Feeder
Available at Amazon
List Price: USD 299.99
Lowest New Price: USD 169.99
