The printer has worked ok. I would not rate its performance better than any Lexmark or HP printer that I've owned. Here are the reasons why I hate it:
- I had to have it replaced before the warranty was up due to an undocumented and unexplained hardware error; a red exclamation point on the control panel. It's sad that their own documentation and website didn't list what the cause of the error was. Nor did the support person know what it was. They did replace it, so kudos to Kodak but the experience left a sour taste in my mouth.
- The support person was obviously not a good English speaker.
- I constantly have print quality issue that result in me having to run nozzle cleans, alignments, test pages, etc. which is a waste of my time. Time is money.
- They are so proud to flaunt that their cartridges cost less, but I find that I'm having to replace them more frequently than any HP or Lexmark (and yes, my printing habits have remained the same). How is that saving me any money when I'm replacing them more frequently?
- They provide drivers for Mac OS X, but not for Linux. What? OS X is built on BSD. They could release a driver, but they just choose not to. So much for taking care of their customers.
Would I recommend this printer to anyone? Absolutely not. Stick with HP and/or Lexmark.
Well, to my surprise, Kodak stepped up for me and sent me a new print head free of charge. I had thought they should have sent one with the replacement printer, but kudos to them for doing what was right. Troubles aside, I do like the printer and it does perform well; printing, scanning and copying. And maybe I was a bit harsh about the supplies running out faster.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do wish they would release a Linux driver. They have an OSX driver and besides, HP had Linux drivers for their gear.
There is a driver available. Do a search for Kodak at sourceforge.net.
ReplyDeleteWow, I didn't know that. Thanks Jeff! I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteMy ESP7 goes thru cartridges like candy. Uses the color cartridge even in B&W draft mode. (Tech support says that's normal).
ReplyDeleteIf a cartridge is empty and you get that red "!" sign on the front of the printer, forget it. You can not use it for anything else. Won't even scan.
Been on the phone with their tech support and they are a waste. I've been told numerous occasions they were sending me new cartridges and printheads. Never received one yet.
I will never buy Kodak again because of this. Worst waste of money I've ever spent while trying to "save money on ink cartridges." Yeah, they're cheap, but you'll be replacing them 3x as often as any other ink jet. Cost savings - zilch. Agrivation - 1000%