Epson Artisan 50 Color Inkjet Review
The Epson Artisan 50 ink jet printer is a mid-range printer ideal for companies who need high-quality prints, with quality comparable or superior to traditional photographs. It is thus an excellent choice for companies who need to print out photos or other high-detail images on standard and photo sized glossy paper, or for home photo enthusiasts who want something high-end and professional for their work. The quality and resolution are far above the needs of the average home user, and the cost of replacement ink cartridges makes the printer prohibitively expensive for the casual or budget conscious user. Still, it is a very high quality printer, and offers may options and advantages that will appeal to companies and home users who need relatively inexpensive access to high-quality prints.
The biggest advantage of the Epson Artisan 50 is the high quality with which it can print photos. It has a resolution well above that which the human eye can detect, and though the use of proprietary micro nozzles it can print dots of ink only a few nanometers across. This was intended to help with many of the problems inherent in capturing the way light plays across skin, hair and fur, three surfaces which are notoriously hard to reproduce visually yet are found commonly in photographs. Indeed, the high quality of the prints produced by this machine are intended to bring it up to spec with high-end digital cameras, as it is capable of exactly reproducing the very high resolution photos which those cameras can produce.
The Epson Artisan 50 is also designed with an eye towards the less-than-perfect tech user. It contains software and hardware designed to correct common mistakes and problems which plague amateur photographers. It can correct common problems such as red eyes, improper lighting and poor positioning to allow the photos to look very professional with only a few clicks of the mouse. This eliminates the sort of time consuming and manual editing commonly found in modern photography, eliminating the need of expensive photo editing software for most users. The Artisan 50 also uses high-tech ink that adheres to images perfectly each time, every time, so that they will not become cracked, stained or smudged even when handled roughly.
The last big advantage the Artisan 50 has over the competition is versatility. I can print on a large number of paper types and sizes, permitting it to handle most image jobs. While it can't print on paper larger than the standard A4 size, it can handle photo-sized paper as well as CDs and DVDs. In fact, the included software suite contains the software necessary to create professional-looking CDs, with the images printed directly on to special blank CDs or CD stickers.
The biggest disadvantage of the Epson Artisan 50 is the long-term cost. The printer itself costs $99 after rebates are applied, and a complete set of replacement ink cartridges costs $96. This makes it seem that it is almost more practical to simply purchase a new Artisan 50 every time the printer runs out of ink, and then either sell, give away or throw out the old printer. This is compounded by the fact that the Epson cartridges are not only non-refillable, the color cartridges are only sold as a package, meaning that every time a single cartridge runs out, an entire set of replacements may be purchased. This is somewhat alleviated by having the black cartridge sold separately, but overall, purchasers will find that over time they will spend many times the printer's value on replacement ink cartridges.
The Artisan 50 also lacks the ability to handle sheets of paper larger than the A4 size, somewhat negating the benefits of the extremely high resolution. It can in fact print at resolutions much higher than those that can be exhibited on A4 paper, and since many photography enthusiasts will want to print their higher quality photos at a size which truly reflects the clarity and quality of the image. This printer simply isn't big enough to print portrait-sized photographs, and there are many less expensive options for people who just want 4"x6" prints of their vacation photos. It also lacks the ability to connect directly to the camera, like many photo printers, meaning that each image must be uploaded and processed before it can be printed.
Lastly, the Artisan 50, like many modern printers, suffers heavily from a great excess of options and abilities that most users will never need or use. The high resolution and advanced color characteristics are well above the needs of most companies and home users, and this drives up the cost of the printer itself and especially the high-tech ink it uses to print the photos. Still, the Epson Artisan 50 has an overall competitive price and is an excellent option for a home or small business which needs to print photographs at a standard 4"x6" size or on A4 paper. It costs much less than many of the so-called "photo printers" on the market today, and the packaged software permits users to imitate, if not exactly match, the clarity and resolution found in professional photos.
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Tags: epson printers, inkjet printers, photo printers, printer reviews
Comment on "Epson Artisan 50 Color Inkjet Review"
User Comments:
Kevin on June 09, 2010
The problem with buying a new printer instead of a set of new cartridges is that the cartridges that come with a new printer typically have less ink than the replacement you buy. Not being able to buy cartridges individually is criminal, because I thought that was supposed to be one of the advantages of the 6-cartridge system. I bought the printer for its ability to print CDs and it performs very well. I buy non-OEM cartridges (individually) and they work okay (color not as good as original, but only $30 for set of 6)
