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Epson’s RX 595 all in one printer has it all. It prints, it scans, and can even read memory cards and print directly to CDs.

After opening the box, I quickly set up the printer and scrounged around for a USB A male to USB B male cable (which, unfortunately, was not included with the printer) and popped in the software CD. I was a bit disappointed that my MacBook could not automatically detect and use the printer, but installing the software was for the best. Though this is probably not a universal problem, the unit I received had a problem during its initial setup with paper jams. However, after a few aggravating minutes, the jams stopped and printing was smooth as could be.

Printing

I began to put the device through many printing tests. After a numerous amount of 4x6 prints, both in black and white and color, the ink levels were still nearly full, and remain as such today; 2 weeks after I began to use this device. As for the prints themselves, the color is picture perfect (pun intended if you are so inclined :-), except the tones are a tad dark for my liking. For any size paper, the printing of photos is very good, though the printing time for photos is around a minute each, which is a little too long for my liking.

Scanning

Scanning is not anything special on the RX 595, as the all in one is easily no match for flatbed scanners, which serve that singular purpose. However, using the bundled Epson Scan software, the device falls nothing short of a serviceable scanner for digitizing whatever you have that needs to be digitized. Quality wise, the scanner is spot on, no matter how dense in color or texture the scanned item is.

Design

As far as all-in-one’s go, the RX 595 is on par for the course, in terms of design at least. The device has a black finish, both matte and glossy, all around, giving it an undeniable vibe of sophistication.  The RX 595 is just as wide as normal printers, but a little taller and deeper, and much heavier. The menus are split up into three major areas; copy, memory card, and specialty print. These three can be accessed from dedicated buttons on the device’s face, but you can print no matter what position in the menu hierarchy you are in. Using the arrow and menu buttons provided, you can easily select the paper size, paper finish, and much more. All the vital information, and more, is displayed on the device’s 2.5-inch screen, which is gorgeous for viewing images from a memory card.

Overall

The Epson RX595 is a wondrous purchase, and for only around $100, you are certainly getting your money’s worth. It uses 6 individual ink cartridges, which altogether, will probably run you around 70 dollars, but they do last quite awhile. The included software is perfect, and the print quality is pretty good for the price value of the device. The few gripes I have are the fact that paper jams did seem to occur a lot on my device, and the print times are less than stellar.

Overall, I do recommend the RX 595 for anyone who needs a solution for their printing, copying and scanning needs.