Printing on DVD media.

[AlecWest]

I just got an order of inkjet-printable TaiyoYuden 8x DVDs. Since my Lexmark printer decided to die on me, I decided to upgrade to another All-In-One printer. I've heard that certain Epson models do scanning, copying, and will print standard/legal documents, photos, AND inkjet-printable DVDs. But every time I ask a retailer about it, I get treated like I'm coming from Venus. And, I just visited Epson's website and didn't see any of their All-In-One printers mentioned as handling inkjet-printable DVDs.

If Epson makes such a model, please let me know the model number. Thanks.

[Bodyslide]

All IN One here:
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=63059193



A few of the Office Depot Stores have them available.

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?oid=58654761


This one is 140.00
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=58654762


Listed here under Ink Jets
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/ProductCategory.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=-8165

A few Specials Here:
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/BuyEpson/Specials.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes

[AlecWest]

All IN One here:
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=63059193

Thanks. This appears to be the unit I'm looking for. The others mentioned are task specific while this one does it all. However, I'll try to buy it locally ... even if it costs a little bit more ... since I like having someone closeby I can yell at (grin) if things go wrong.

Again, thanks.

[AlecWest]

Hmmmm ... problem. I visited the Circuit City site and read their reviews of the RX580 on this page:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Customer-reviews-for-Epson-Stylus-Photo-Printer-RX580/s...Review.do#tabs

This is an excerpt of the 4th review down the page:

The only draw back is it will not print dirctly on CDs, but I will gladly print labels.

Is this true??? I was looking for a printer that would do direct printing to my Taiyo Yuden inkjet-printable DVDs. I'd never use stick-on labels and would not want to print to them.

[oldandinthe way]

Whenever you get reviews by morons, some will dump on the key feature you care about. The printer prints on CD and DVDs.

Never trust reviews by the general public. Never trust reviews by people you don't have a history with. Even professional reviewers have biases and occaisionally blow it. If you don't know their biases you may be misled.

When I bought my Kodak Digital Camera, there were both professional and amateur reviews complaining the camera did not auto-focus - you had to press the shutter half way to focus. In fact these folks had not enabled auto-focus in the setup menu. I wish this was uncommon but it isn't.

[videobread]

I use the Epson R220 to print on DVD's. Epson has the most intuitive software. Epson was the only choice in the US for years. Now HP makes a DVD print unit, but the software is cumbersome. Canon makes some, but they are not sold in US. You can retrofit the Canon's, but I chose not to bother. Most people on this site use Epson. The R220 is the best bang for the buck. Staples.com sells them for $90 with free delivery. Carts are cheap and CIS systems are available. Beware of Epson's newer units with fancy new ink. The carts will just cost you more money. I'm going to buy two extra R220's and stock them. I believe they are about to be discontinued. Staples.com $90 delivered, easy intuitive software.

[AlecWest]

Whenever you get reviews by morons, some will dump on the key feature you care about. The printer prints on CD and DVDs.

Good to know, thanks. The specs said it would. But, I've always gone by a different philosophy - that sellers have a vested interest in selling and sometimes embellish their descriptions of what a device can do.

Example. I distinctly remember that, years ago, Gateway was trying to one-up Dell's two-year onsite warranty, offering a three-year onsite warranty. What buyers didn't find out until after the fact was that Gateway's subcontractor defined "onsite" as "a place of business" - meaning home PC users were screwed.

One question, though, on the printer. Does it come with the tray in which to place the inkjet printable disk - or is that an "optional" accessory?

When I bought my Kodak Digital Camera, there were both professional and amateur reviews complaining the camera did not auto-focus - you had to press the shutter half way to focus. In fact these folks had not enabled auto-focus in the setup menu. I wish this was uncommon but it isn't.

That's interesting to know since I'm about to buy a Kodak Digital Camera. And, it brings up an interesting question. I suspect that most Kodak digital camera users are ordinary folks, not professional photographers. As such, one wonders why "autofocus" isn't pre-enabled ... making manual focus the option that has to be enabled.

Thanks for your input. I'll be getting the RX580 soon unless I have to buy an optional disk tray (and then it would depend on how much it cost). And, I'll be getting a Kodak digital camera soon, too, and will remember to enable autofocus from the get-go.

[oldandinthe way]

My Kodak is a higher end camera with 10x optical zoom and a variety of features that are not important to consumers. Using the shutter button to focus used to be a common feature in earlier high end cameras, my model also has a manual focus. Part of the rational for this was extended battery life. Mine is a model with a proprietary Li-Ion battery. This was a drawback due to cost but I stocked up on spares during a Kodak store sale - they were cheaper than rechargeable AAs.

If you buy a consumer grade Kodak camera today you will probably find autofocus on, AA batteries, no provision for external flash, less optical zoom and a mix of features comparable to other cameras in the same price class.

[OneSickPup]

One question, though, on the printer. Does it come with the tray in which to place the inkjet printable disk - or is that an "optional" accessory?

I saw one at Bestbuy on display last night. It appears to have the same basic tray that I have on my R340. Here's a link to what they say is in the box:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&infoType...egory=Products

in case the link doesn't work - here is a paste:

What's in the Box?
Epson Stylus Photo RX580 ink jet all-in-one
CD/DVD tray and software
Power cord
Printer documentation
CD-Rom containing printer drivers and software (Windows and Macintosh)
One 78 Black ink cartridge (T078120)
One 78 Cyan ink cartridge (T078220)
One 78 Magenta ink cartridge (T078320)
One 78 Yellow ink cartridge (T078420)
One 78 Light Cyan ink cartridge (T078520)
One 78 Light Magenta ink cartridge (T078620)

Good luck.

[MJA]

whatever you buy .be sure to buy a printer that can use both OEM ,and generic Ink. Lexmark,and all the new Canon's are chipped now

[AlecWest]

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&infoType...egory=Products

in case the link doesn't work - here is a paste:

What's in the Box?
Epson Stylus Photo RX580 ink jet all-in-one
CD/DVD tray and software
Power cord
Printer documentation
CD-Rom containing printer drivers and software (Windows and Macintosh)
One 78 Black ink cartridge (T078120)
One 78 Cyan ink cartridge (T078220)
One 78 Magenta ink cartridge (T078320)
One 78 Yellow ink cartridge (T078420)
One 78 Light Cyan ink cartridge (T078520)
One 78 Light Magenta ink cartridge (T078620)

Good luck.

Thanks. One nice thing ... they include "regular" cartridges, not "starter" cartridges that hold much less ink.

whatever you buy .be sure to buy a printer that can use both OEM ,and generic Ink. Lexmark,and all the new Canon's are chipped now

I know what you mean ... but I'm wondering if there is such a thing as an unchipped printer cartridge nowadays? I think (but am not sure) that the Epson cartridges are chipped. However, in another forum, I saw someone say that generic cartridges will work OK - but that users will keep getting "low ink" warnings on them.

Either way, I'll be using it mostly for black-on-white documents ... with pictures and DVDs only occasionally. TTYTT, if I had the space on my desk, I'd have just gotten an RX200/300 and a simple B/W laser. In shopping online, I noticed there are some B/W lasers that have color scanners. And, I did find a color laser printer for under $300 (a Canon). But the catch there is that three toner cartridges cost more than the printer .

Thanks.