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Got an Epson CD printer, it's junk, does anyone else make CD printers?

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jp103276

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I got an Epson R200 to print CDs and like for most users (from user reviews) it broke after just a few prints (the rollers no longer grip the CD tray to pull it in and out, most users are having this problem), and when it did work it crashed several times per print job, asked for paper when wanting to print on CDs (yes, it was configured properly), needed 6 cartridges worth of ink to clean the nozzles every week or so, the ink on prints would smudge even weeks after printing if touched, and it was a nightmare to use. This is definately the worst product I ever bought and can't beleive it's being sold as a working product, but that's pretty much whay I exprected from Epson from what I read of other Epson users. This was my first and definately last Epson product, it seems like the ones that last more than a few months are extrmely lucky.

I normally buy only HP printers since they are the only ones that haven't given me a single problem in over a decade and I need a very reliable machine, but unfortunately they don't make CD printers, but I beleive Canon has a Pixma series printer that prints CDs but the details are extremely vague, no where at all is CD printing listed as a feature, but deep down in the printers description a part says something about Canon's direct CD/DVD printing, am I right that Canon has CD printers or will I need to go back to printing CD sticker labels on my HP and sticking them on the CDs (which not only prints the same label in 10 seconds VS. 3 minutes on the epson, it made a MUCH better print quality than the Epson, and the glossy labels I used made the prints waterproof), but the labels cost $0.40 and the CD $0.30 (so $0.70 per CD), and a printable CDs are $0.40, so it would save me a lot of money if I can find a non-Epson CD printer.

So does anyone know if Canon makes a CD printer? I'd still prefer an HP but there is none and I can't possibly imagine how Canon could manage to be worst than Epson, the Epson should still be in the development stage, it's a defective product, I hope they fix it for free and pay all shipping charges like HP does, so thay I can resell it in working condition on eBay, by the way, I asked Epson for the repair/exchange instructions several days ago and still have no response, not only are they products garbage, they don't care about their customers.

Thanks
 
You could always build one from a craptacular Lexmark printer:
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/179510.php

And, they all smear, no matter what inkjet ink you use. The problem is with the disk not the ink. Newer disks may correct this problem. If you want to stop the smearing, buy a disk laminator machine, only about $3000.00, but only $0.10 a disk after that. Or buy one of the expensive thermal transfer printers (might as well buy the autoloading robot arm to go with it).

If you really want on HP that will print disks, I think you'll have to make it yourself.
 
So does anyone know if Canon has a CD pritner or not? OR is it only the european models?
 
It is officially only available outside of North America (USA, Canada, and maybe Mexico).
 
Does sound like you are the unlucky one,My R200 has printed many hundreds of Cds without a hitch,Excellent qualiy print,take a couple of hours to dry (I use a no-name,cheap printable disc) never a smudge,never a coaster.also printed photos and lots of A4 brochures,you may be right about ink usage but mine has a CIF system,so ink usage not too important.

The canon printers sold in New Zealand,Australia,and Asia do have the CD printing capability.Better luck with your new Canon.
--
Frank Perry
 
Then you dont have that problem. Of course at the moment there is no color option, but the disc are very professional looking, no smearing and no printer worries.

Jason
jp said:
I got an Epson R200 to print CDs and like for most users (from user
reviews) it broke after just a few prints (the rollers no longer
grip the CD tray to pull it in and out, most users are having this
problem), and when it did work it crashed several times per print
job, asked for paper when wanting to print on CDs (yes, it was
configured properly), needed 6 cartridges worth of ink to clean the
nozzles every week or so, the ink on prints would smudge even weeks
after printing if touched, and it was a nightmare to use. This is
definately the worst product I ever bought and can't beleive it's
being sold as a working product, but that's pretty much whay I
exprected from Epson from what I read of other Epson users. This
was my first and definately last Epson product, it seems like the
ones that last more than a few months are extrmely lucky.

I normally buy only HP printers since they are the only ones that
haven't given me a single problem in over a decade and I need a
very reliable machine, but unfortunately they don't make CD
printers, but I beleive Canon has a Pixma series printer that
prints CDs but the details are extremely vague, no where at all is
CD printing listed as a feature, but deep down in the printers
description a part says something about Canon's direct CD/DVD
printing, am I right that Canon has CD printers or will I need to
go back to printing CD sticker labels on my HP and sticking them on
the CDs (which not only prints the same label in 10 seconds VS. 3
minutes on the epson, it made a MUCH better print quality than the
Epson, and the glossy labels I used made the prints waterproof),
but the labels cost $0.40 and the CD $0.30 (so $0.70 per CD), and a
printable CDs are $0.40, so it would save me a lot of money if I
can find a non-Epson CD printer.

So does anyone know if Canon makes a CD printer? I'd still prefer
an HP but there is none and I can't possibly imagine how Canon
could manage to be worst than Epson, the Epson should still be in
the development stage, it's a defective product, I hope they fix it
for free and pay all shipping charges like HP does, so thay I can
resell it in working condition on eBay, by the way, I asked Epson
for the repair/exchange instructions several days ago and still
have no response, not only are they products garbage, they don't
care about their customers.

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Just over 100 prints on CDs now for my events....

I did find that you need to be carefull with the plastic leaders on the front of the CD carriage. If they get bent at all, the printer will struggle to grip it...but for less than $100....I can't see how anyone can complain really....

sean
------
http://www.seanmclennan.com
 
jp said:
I got an Epson R200 to print CDs and like for most users (from user
reviews) it broke after just a few prints
Click to expand...
I've had a lot of luck with the R800 and DVD printing, though my rollers

broke eventually as well. The disks looked great and were dry soon, though I usually let them sit overnight before passing them out. My first R800 printed well, but jammed after a few months of use, I think after printing 20 DVD-Rs. The R800 prints don't smudge for me.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1003&message=14276303

Check out my other post with R800 troubles.
 
something about a copyright or patent issue.

anyway, my r200 is frustrating too, but here are some tips i have found to make it work every time.

put cd in holder and load. hit print button. printer will push out holder very very slightly, pause a few seconds and then try to suck it in. if i do nothing, it will fail, but if i give it a slight nudge, it will take holder in and print with no more issues. yes, it is a pain to have to hold the darn things hand while printing, but it does work

as for smearing, it is not the printers fault, but rather your selection of dvd/cd. if you get good ones, they don't run, smear etc. i also use third party cartridges because i mostly (almost exclusively) use this printer for dvd's and so what if the color is very slightly off. in reality, i can't see a difference. the cost is almost nil with the third party inks.
--
Tim G

http://www.gangloffs.org
 
I've had a lot of luck with Rimage and Primera dye sublimation optical disc-specific printers and auto loaders:

http://www.rimage.com
http://www.primera.com

Depends on how much you'd like to spend, though. Your print quality becomes almost independent of the disc used . . . so $0.10 CD or whatever works fine. You don't have to laminate them after printing since they are already hardened onto the disc. No smudging, no drying time, extremely abrasion resistant. And lower production cost than most inkjets if you're printing photos or other labels which are graphic-intensive.

Both will make systems that will automatically load and centre the discs thus saving you time. Both companies also have systems which can use the same autoloaders to load into CD/DVD writers to do disc duplication. A lot of these floating around on eBay . . . more Primera than Rimage, though. The Rimage stuff seems heavier duty . . . Primera has a cheaper line that uses Lexmark inkjet print engines in their publishing systems but they also have a heavier duty auto load system to which you can add dye sublimation printers.
  • K
--
http://klyment.com/serendipity/ - photography-oriented journal
 
What about resistance to smearing when wet? I've noticed that DVDs printed on the R200 smear VERY easily with wet fingers -- is the R800 any better in this regard?

Also, are Verbatim full-face printable DVDs any better/worse in this regard? If they can make paper that does not smear (at ALL) when wet, I'm not clear why they can't make a similar coating on the DVDs that won't smear when wet. Has anyone had any specific experiences with with white Verbatim printable DVDs and the R200 or R800?

I see that a lot of people use a clear-coat spray to "finish" their printable DVDs, but this is simply not an acceptable solution to me. Direct printing on DVDs is supposed to make the process easier, but once you add the task of spraying them, it suddenely becomes much more complex and takes much more time than simply using an adhesive label (which, if done right, actually looks pretty good.)

On a related note, just how "dangerous" is the "weight distribution" issue with DVD labels? Some people vehemently say to never use adhesive lables, while others say that it's fine, and there are quite a few companies selling DVD labels that claim that it's not a problem. Given that I've never seen ANY actual testing of this (all the information is anecdotal, and most of it is third person) it's really difficult to tell how much of an issue this "really" is. There is some intuitive logic to the concept, but labels are very thin, and it seems like as long as it's only a small amount off center, it could still be within the tolerance levels of the drive/player. Any further information on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Larry
 
I sold them for years as a rep....they have the best product but for consumers, they are pricey. They make their own products and the new line of ink jets print very nice on Mitsu media....that's the brand that is worth the coin.

--
-tim
http://www.pbase.com/pdqgp
 
lalittle said:
What about resistance to smearing when wet? I've noticed that DVDs
printed on the R200 smear VERY easily with wet fingers -- is the
R800 any better in this regard?

Also, are Verbatim full-face printable DVDs any better/worse in
this regard? If they can make paper that does not smear (at ALL)
when wet, I'm not clear why they can't make a similar coating on
the DVDs that won't smear when wet. Has anyone had any specific
experiences with with white Verbatim printable DVDs and the R200 or
R800?
Click to expand...
I use the R800 and TKD printable DVD-R. Also, I've tried Maxell CD-R and Ritek DVD-R printables. I don't have any of the smearing
trouble that others mention with casual fingering. Though, I have no
yet tried your wet finger torture test.
lalittle said:
On a related note, just how "dangerous" is the "weight
distribution" issue with DVD labels?
Click to expand...
Good point. I've avoided the labels in my distribution, but I've received a number of DVDs with labels from other sources. So far, I have never received a disk that failed. Sure, labels may peel off with time. Though, one must consider that many DVDs are played only a few times just after purchase.

Gints
 
Which 3rd party ink do you use with success?

Ihave an R200, and want to find cheaper alternatives tahn the Speon cartridges...

Thanks
JT
 
sting said:
Though, I have not
yet tried your wet finger torture test.
Click to expand...
Please post back if you do try it. Just lick the tip of your finger and see if the image smears when you rub it. So far, I've yet to see this NOT happen with any direct CD/DVD prints. Adhesive labels from companies like Surething, on the other hand, don't smear at ALL when doing the same test.

Thanks,

Larry
 
Jason Edwards said:
Then you dont have that problem. Of course at the moment there is
no color option, but the disc are very professional looking, no
smearing and no printer worries.
Click to expand...
I was initially excited about Lightscribe until I read the review on Tom's Hardware and it mentioned the high-contrast setting requires 28-minutes to burn the label. Not cool.
 
I have a R300 which is the same mechanism as the R200. I have had mine for almost two years and I have used it to create full-color labels on countless DVD's and CD's (well over 100). I haven't had any of the smearing issues you describe. Yes, we all know the ink is not water resistance. But, I can wipe my finger across a CD the moment it comes out of the printer and it does not smear. Likewise with color prints.

Could it be your media? I use Maxell inkjet-printable white DVD-R and CD-R media and print on the CD/DVD Premium Surface setting. For paper I use Epson Glossy Photo Paper (the cheap stuff) which I get at Costco for $19 for 120 sheets.

I have printed large DVD/CD projects which I printed 20+ discs at a shot and it has performed flawless. For photos I have printed as many as 75 8.5x11 glossy sheets at a time for a school project.

I'm not saying the printer is perfect but the horrible results you are reporting is not typical. I've recommended the R200/R300 printers to countless friends and co-workers and everyone who has purchased one has been absolutely satisfied with it's performance.
jp said:
I got an Epson R200 to print CDs and like for most users (from user
reviews) it broke after just a few prints (the rollers no longer
grip the CD tray to pull it in and out, most users are having this
problem), and when it did work it crashed several times per print
job, asked for paper when wanting to print on CDs (yes, it was
configured properly), needed 6 cartridges worth of ink to clean the
nozzles every week or so, the ink on prints would smudge even weeks
after printing if touched, and it was a nightmare to use. This is
definately the worst product I ever bought and can't beleive it's
being sold as a working product, but that's pretty much whay I
exprected from Epson from what I read of other Epson users. This
was my first and definately last Epson product, it seems like the
ones that last more than a few months are extrmely lucky.

I normally buy only HP printers since they are the only ones that
haven't given me a single problem in over a decade and I need a
very reliable machine, but unfortunately they don't make CD
printers, but I beleive Canon has a Pixma series printer that
prints CDs but the details are extremely vague, no where at all is
CD printing listed as a feature, but deep down in the printers
description a part says something about Canon's direct CD/DVD
printing, am I right that Canon has CD printers or will I need to
go back to printing CD sticker labels on my HP and sticking them on
the CDs (which not only prints the same label in 10 seconds VS. 3
minutes on the epson, it made a MUCH better print quality than the
Epson, and the glossy labels I used made the prints waterproof),
but the labels cost $0.40 and the CD $0.30 (so $0.70 per CD), and a
printable CDs are $0.40, so it would save me a lot of money if I
can find a non-Epson CD printer.

So does anyone know if Canon makes a CD printer? I'd still prefer
an HP but there is none and I can't possibly imagine how Canon
could manage to be worst than Epson, the Epson should still be in
the development stage, it's a defective product, I hope they fix it
for free and pay all shipping charges like HP does, so thay I can
resell it in working condition on eBay, by the way, I asked Epson
for the repair/exchange instructions several days ago and still
have no response, not only are they products garbage, they don't
care about their customers.

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
We print thousands of DVDs with R200's. I just had to send two printers to repair to have heads replaced "for free" as it is under warranty. I too have had problems with trays sticking but am now just in habit of giving it a little help when I reload. I use four R200's with print queue so I can quadruple my throughput.

Do you know of any printers for $400 that will produce 60 disks per hour?

You can purchase new trays for a few bucks from Espon spare parts distributor if you wear them out.

I have also take sand paper to the back of trays to add friction. It appears that the trays will become too smooth after a few thousand prints.

No smearing either. We use BeAll White Printables and Ritek White Printables.

If you consider other solutions and their costs, you cannot beat the R200 for four color printing.

We also buy $6 ink and it works great too.

We are happy as Heck with Epson.
 
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