I think one of the biggest “must-haves” for any family, and especially for stay-at-home-moms, is a good all-in-one printer! We use ours all the time and would be lost without it. I actually had to go a few weeks this summer without my all-in-one after a big storm fried mine. Those long few weeks made me realize how much we truly rely on our all-in-one printer!!!

From making copies of paperwork for school to printing pictures to send to grandma and grandpa, the all-in-one printers have dozens of uses. Sure, you could always do your printing, copying, and faxing at the library or a copy store, but if you’ve ever tried to do that with kids in tote you know how much of a hassle that is! And, with all-in-one printers being so affordable these days, why not have all those capabilities right in your own home?

Recently I had the chance to try out the new Epson Stylus NX515 and absolutely loved it!

The Epson Stylus NX515 was so easy to set-up. In a matter of minutes I was connected and printing. And the printing — SUPER FAST! Even my impatient daughter appreciated the printing speed when I was printing pictures for her to color from her favorite websites.

I was especially impressed with the quality of the prints it produced. The DURABrite Ultra Ink produces crisp documents and vibrant photos. Because the ink instantly dries I was able to take my photos from printer to frame without waiting and without fear of smudging. You can even run your prints under water and the ink won’t smudge! I tried it….it didn’t smudge!!!

The Epson Stylus NX515 also features:

• A large 2.5″ LCD screen
• Up to 5760 x 1440 optimized printing dpi & 2400 dip scanning
• Superior photo printing from memory cards and digital cameras
• BorderFree photo printing in 4″x6″, 5″x7″ and letter sizes
• Scan documents and photos directly to email
• Edit and enhance photos without needing a computer – This is a very cool feature! Not only does it correct red eye with one click but it also adjusts the exposure of the photo and can distinguish people from the scenery, ultimately giving you the best print of your photo!!!
• Acrosoft Print Creations software for creating personalized greeting cards, invitations, calendars, etc.
• Compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems

All of those features are really great but my absolute favorite feature is how you connect to the printer. The Epson Stylus NX515 offers three connection options: Ethernet, USB 2.0, and Wireless. Yes, WIRELESS!!!

With the Epson Stylus NX515’s built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, your printer is capable of connecting to your home network, allowing you access to all of your printer’s functions without actually connecting your printer to your computer. This is a huge feature for my house because, with my laptop, I am rarely near my printer when I actually need to print something. My husband and I can both access the printer from our laptops without waiting for the other to unplug and I can keep the printer safely hidden away from my toddler’s curious fingers!

I was surprised at how compact the printer actually was, as I remember not too long ago having a huge printer taking up most of the space on my desk, and was even more surprised at the price. Remember before when I mentioned how affordable these all-in-one printers are now? Well, the Epson Stylus NX515, with all of it’s great features, is amazingly affordable!!! The Stylus NX series offers four different printer options ranging from the entry-level NX115 at $69.99 to the extremely fast flagship NX515 at $149.99. Why the different printer levels? Because everyone’s printing needs are a little different. Realizing this, Epson wanted to offer affordable and quality all-in-one printers that would fit anyone’s needs and budgets!

All this to say, I am very impressed and very pleased with the Epson Stylus NX515. It offers quality prints and copies and an unbeatable price!!! This is definitely a Back To School item you must have!

As part of our Back To School Giveaway event, Epson is giving away a Stylus NX515 (retail value of $149.99) to one of our lucky readers! What an amazing way to start off the school year than with a brand new all-in-one printer! Thank you so much Epson!!!

This giveaway is part of our 2009 Back To School Giveaway Event. Simply leave a comment on this post to enter (US addresses only please) and, please, be sure to read our Back To School Giveaway rules.

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Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Contributing Editor: Stacey Lynn