Sometimes I hate the internet ...
A friend is going to give me his used Epson 2200 ... and I was really excited ... and I read Michael's old review and got even more excited.
And then I read this thread and find out my new free printer is gonna need a custom $500 driver to work well ... ARGHHH!
;-)
You're not really going to need a new custom driver for 500.00, it's just that in certain situations, ImagePrint provides better results!
I've been using my 2200 witht various Epson drivers for years, and getting their profiels or other manufacturer's profiles, with decent results.
It's just that I'm trying to breath a little more life into mine before upgrading - yet again.
If you can get your hands on it, DO. It's a great little printer, though not a good as the ones today.
My biggest issue with it has been bronzing, especially on glossy surfaces. In B&W mode the metamursism (sp?) is also a bit of an issue, even with Gray Ballancer which I have (including the greay scale cards from Europe!).
Finally, I've cranked out some great 13x44 prints with ease with scans from my X-Pan, some printers today have trouble with prints that long.
Short answer though is grab it!