Design

The size of the Epson M1200 pushes the boundaries of what an entry-level printer should be. While it is large, it has an attractive and unobtrusive appearance. The pop out trays for the input and output sheets are located on the top and front, as with most home office printers. There are two LED lights on the top right for paper jams, open covers, print data being received, and power. The Epson M1200 toner cartridges are easy to change and maintain with a simple slide out/pop in design. A hinged cover makes access to any paper jams easy and quick.

Advantages

The Epson M1200 prints out pages quickly and cleanly. Epson rates this AcuLaser at over 20 pages per minute, but with full pages of text or graphics it will average closer to 16 pages per minute. All the lines, even with colour graphics, are smooth with no blur or discolouration. On computers running a Microsoft operating system, simply connecting the USB plug will install all the necessary software. A Mac OS X installation disc is also provided. For the price, it produces some of the highest quality prints in its range.

Disadvantages

After installing the operating software, Epson does seem to have problems with the printer being out of sync with the computer. Every time that the printer is plugged into the computer, it runs a secondary file. While this only results in only a few seconds of extra load time for larger jobs, it can become troublesome. It is an easy fix when uninstalling the software using the provided disc though. There is also a slightly higher cost per page, but with cheaper Epson M1200 toner cartridges available at low prices on Cartridge Save, the price difference may balance out.