Epson CX9400Fax on OSX

[Rhys]

I have an Epson CX9400Fax that's probably going to end up in the trash very soon - unless the software can be made to work.

I have the Epson on an XP machine set as a shared printer. I can print from the machine just fine.

I installed the Windows software on Windows machines and the OSX software on my Macbook.

It just refuses to network. I get no problems with my Canon i560 which is not supposed to be networkable. The Epson is supposed to be networkable but thus far it's so horrendous to get networking that I might just throw the blasted thing in the trash and buy something new.

Here's a screenshot from OSX - I can see the printer as EPSONSty but OSX refuses to load the driver. I can only use this printer via USB (which is utterly useless for my purposes). I get the same problem on my Windows machines.

Has anybody any suggestions as the thought of throwing the thing out and writing it off as a bad job is getting very attractive. I will never ever buy Epson again.

 

[SNGX1275]

So it does print when directly connected to your Macbook? If so I guess the print using pulldown menu doesn't show the drivers you already have installed for it?

Odd problem. I think I remember having some issues with an Epson connected to a PC with my Macs too.. That was a while ago and now I have a Canon

 

[Rhys]

So it does print when directly connected to your Macbook? If so I guess the print using pulldown menu doesn't show the drivers you already have installed for it?

Odd problem. I think I remember having some issues with an Epson connected to a PC with my Macs too.. That was a while ago and now I have a Canon

It's not my first problem with Epson. I had an Epson 400 about 10 years ago. That liked to waste paper, completely ignoring the off button - my only solution was to yank the power cord out when I wanted to stop printing.

It prints directly but won't print over the network despite being able to see the printer as in the photo as EPSONSty.

 

[Rhys]

Heh. I just heard from Epson. Apparently the networking software on the driver CD does not exist.

OK. That's enough BS from Epson. The damned thing is now on Ebay and I'm using my wife's HP all-in-one - networked.

 

[raybay]

T'is a shame to see once great printer companies like Epson and HP slither down the slippery slope. I now find I have to contact Epson Europe to get assistance and support on stuff that should have never been a problem in the past. When the software is good, the printers are not fixable, and parts are only available from England.

 

[Rhys]

T'is a shame to see once great printer companies like Epson and HP slither down the slippery slope. I now find I have to contact Epson Europe to get assistance and support on stuff that should have never been a problem in the past. When the software is good, the printers are not fixable, and parts are only available from England.

I've had two Epsons, 10 years apart and both were dire. I had a Citizen once and that was nice - easy to fix and you could get the parts too. What killed that was the feed mechanism. The print-head broke so I rearranged the pins in the dot-matrix printhead so that it wouldn't notice. That was fine for quite a while - then another pin broke and I had a replacement head.

Our HPs all work just fine. Our Canon is a champion - it's an old i560 that's had all sorts happen to it and it still keeps going, churning out great prints.

 

[raybay]

Good to know. We buy Canons, Samsung, and Konica Minota exclusively now... maintenance is that much lower, and the useful product life is so much better. We get 6 times longer life out of a Konica Minolta, than we do from any HP laserJet or Color LaserJet. We have not purchased an Epson in years, but we still see them dragged into the shop...
Then we use IBM Lenovo Thinkpads, and Lenovo desktops. They just last that much longer despite the extra cost. Still like Gateway.
The list we avoid is a long one... most printers... HP, Brother, Epson which are just devices to sell ink.... Sony, Sony VAIO, eMachines, cheap HP, all Compaqs, Alienware, cheap Dells... Toshibas, Asus and Acer laptops.
Similar problems with network gear.
The competition is not based on quality, and that is sad. They are not even geared up to compete based on quality. Nearly 90 percent of all laptops sold in the world are now made in one province in China... and many brands are made in the same factory.

 

[JBMAC]

Nearly 90 percent of all laptops sold in the world are now made in one province in China... and many brands are made in the same factory.

don't suppose you can give details? Might it be Shaanxi province by chance?

 

[Rhys]

Well, I sold the stupid thing. Got $25 for it which is a ton better than just throwing it in the trash. Lost $125 overall but when you consider the ink was $60 for a full load and the cartridges are empty, it works out at $65 loss in total. I got out of that not too badly.

I looked into other printers and decided to stick with those we already have. A wider printer would be good but I figure online print prices are so competitive that it's not worth bothering to buy one.

 

[mdenzin]

CX9400Fax nothing but trouble

While didn't call Europe for support...might have been better than Subic Bay, Philippines...the real issue is that I have replaced the unit 3 times in less than 2 weeks. I can't get past the setup stage let alone the s/w build. I have gotten as far as the date not being able to input and then fail and then the ink cartridges not being recognized and then last but not least the black unit failing to initialize. While I am not a huge fan of HP I never had these issues. I am officially done with Epson. And whoever wrote that another great company goes south is correct...this was a dog of a device.

 

[raybay]

Epson is the ultimate loser in a long list of losers... followed closely by Lexmark, Dell, and HP... where the only goal is to sell ink. Ever look at how many new models of printers are released for sell by each company... always four or more... with HP and Canon it is up to four a month some months... and the goal is only to sell ink.
Epson and HP once made the best printers ever made. An Epson from 1998 is still a better printer after 10 years of use than a new one... which lasts, on average, about a year.
There otta be a law.