best DVD printer? hows the epson 280

[natalie_l]

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<blockquote>Hi everyone!</blockquote>

<blockquote>I'm looking into getting a DVD printer. What do you recommend? Has anyone heard positive feedback about the epson 280?</blockquote>

<blockquote><br /></blockquote>

<blockquote>thanks</blockquote>

<blockquote>Natalie</blockquote>

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[steve_c.5]

<p>I use the Epson R280 myself. It's an inexpensive and very high quality printer. I use it for all sorts of CD and DVD labels and photo printing. I have since added an aftermarket continuous ink system which has saved me TONS of money on buying the Epson ink cartridges. My CIS system was about $80, came with high quality inks, and has not run out in nearly a year.</p>

<p>The only caveat I've seen with CD/DVD label printing and this printer is that colors are not quite perfect, as they are when printing on glossy premium paper, but for what it does and for the money spent, it's well worth it. You could probably tweak around with color adjustments in Epson's printer driver and get the colors more spot-on with some experimentation, though. In any case, this is MILES ahead of Lightscribe discs.</p>

<p>I recommend using the glossy, watershield, hub-printable disc media (white surface, not silver) rather than the matte surface discs. The hub-printable designation lets you print right down to the center hole. The Epson PrintCD software is VERY easy to set up and use, and once you get it set up, you can crank out gorgeous discs very quickly.</p>

<p>The next step up would be a dedicated disc printer like the Dymo Discpainter for about $280.</p>

[wedding-photography-denver]

<p>I just received mine today. It replaces my defunct R800 for disk printing.</p>

<p>So far the printer is great for the price (like 60 bucks with a set of ink and shipping from Epson) and the images look better on my disks than the 800 did.</p>

<p>Get one.</p>

[hooman_b]

<p>I have the 280 as well - love it - images on DVD look fantastic.</p>

[steve_c.5]

<p><a href="http://www.inkproducts.com/ink-store/catalog/Our-Epson-Auto-Refill-Systems-orderby0-p-1-c-3.html">This</a> is where I got my CIS system. I highly recommend it, to paying the ridiculous prices for Epson inks.</p>

[cathy_and_david_bock]

<p>I just bought an epson, had two in a row go bad on me within a month. NEVER AGAIN. Check out the HP 390a. It's a fantastic little printer, especially for the price. :)</p>

[steve_c.5]

<p>Cathy/David: I've done a search of HP's website and the web for an HP 390a printer, and have found nothing. HP does not make inkjet printers that print directly on CD or DVD discs. They have one model that has a Lightscribe burner to burn monochrome images on Lightscribe media, but nothing else. Perhaps you can elaborate?</p>

<p>Just for the sake of discussion here, when you say they "went bad on you", what does that mean? I've used several Epsons in my life and never had one "go bad".</p>

[mike_bisom]

<p>I don't know about an HP390a but we have a HP D5360 that will print to a disc. I don't like it mind you but it does! As far as the epson going bad... I have probably gone through at least 6-epson printers in the last 3-years. Starting I think it was with the R200 > R220 > R280 and so on. However, we print quite a few discs. The last time I bought the Epson, I bought the extended warranty. That was a mistake. Sure enough, the printer went south but I needed to send it to the repair facility and pay shipping back.... which for a printer of this cost is ridiculous since buying a new one is almost as cheap and you get new ink cartridges. I finally broke down and got a Primera Bravo SE. Pricey, yes. But I really like it! Finally, a note about generic ink- my understanding is that it doesn't use the same (if any) anti-coagulants that the branded ink uses. Essentially, this will end up clogging the nozzles on the printer sooner rather than later.</p>

[steve_c.5]

<p>Mike, I had never seen that model HP you noted, so it's good to know about anyway. None of their other line of printers do this, though.</p>

<p>And sure, some aftermarket inks might clog easier, but I've been using the noted CIS system for a year now with only beautiful results. And I often go 2 or 3 weeks between prints, where it just sits. It's good stuff and a MAJOR cost savings!</p>

[savagesax]

<p>I use the Epson photo RX595. It's probably a shade more than the 280.</p>

[ejder]

<p>Good luck with mine so far, had it for a little over a month now I think. Prints great on the DVD discs, which is the #1 reason I bought it.</p>

[suzyq]

<p>We have had the Epson R280 for about a year. I love it for CDs/DVDs and find it is a pretty good for prints, which was a surprise. The DVD softwear is good, and it prints quickly. Last week I printed twenty discs in about an hour. And the price is super.</p>

[rick_bird]

<p>Here are some thoughts. CNET thrashed the HP D5360 (<a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/inkjet-printers/hp-photosmart-d5360/4505-3156_7-32597788.html">http://reviews.cnet.com/inkjet-printers/hp-photosmart-d5360/4505-3156_7-32597788.html</a>). I have an Epson Photo R260. I love the CD/DVD prints. It also does great photo prints.<br>

Costco offers a much better value to print photos (13 cents each versus 25 cents each for the printer ink/paper). If I do not have time to upload the photos to Costco ( <a href="http://www.costco.com/PhotoCenter/PhotoCenter.aspx">www.costco.com/PhotoCenter/PhotoCenter.aspx</a>), I use my Epson printer.<br>

My Epson's CD/DVD tray handler is wearing out and it is getting more difficult to print CDs and DVDs. My Epson is a little over two years old. I'm looking to replace it. At this point, I may buy an Epson Photo R280 (newer model of my current printer). The Epson store has a rebate that kicks the price down to $69.95 plus $10.00 for shipping. The R280 takes the same ink as my R260, which I buy from <a href="http://www.4inkjets.com">www.4inkjets.com</a> . I may continue buying the compatible ink, or I may take your advice and pay for the CIS system. It looks great.<br>

If anyone has any other ideas on an inexpensive CD/DVD printer, please post here as soon as possible. I will probably buy my replacement printer over the next few weeks. Thanks!</p>

[snapshot1]

<p>I have had the Epson R320 for a couple years. The feeding mechanism lasted for about 50 DVD prints and now does not feed with out a push. I would like to hear more on the HPs. What about the D5400?</p>

[amy_elliott3]

<p>As a working pro who regularly delivers dvds to clients I've spent way too much time preoccupied with this over the years - tried various Epsons and the R220 (discontinued but sometimes available NIB on ebay and places like that) has been great for basic work. Good clean lines (on the right discs of course) and still working like new (though mine is dedicated only to dvd printing so hasn't had a ton of wear and tear). More expensive but the best I've ever used for images and more intricate design work on discs is the Dymo Discpainter.</p>