Reviews

An affordable snapshot printer with features and performance to suit families, cash-strapped scrapbookers and casual picture-takers.Positioned second in HP’s snapshot printer line-up, the Photosmart A626 is much more compact and portable than the top-of-the-range A826 Home Photo Centre. Weighing just over 1.5 kg, it has a pull-up carry handle and flip-down panels that act as input and output trays. Lowering the front panel reveals slots for CF, SD, xD and Memory Stick/Memory Stick Duo cards plus a USB port for connecting PictBridge-enabled cameras. The single, tri-colour ink cartridge fits behind a hatch on this panel as well.

An A3+ pigment ink printer that produces superior output and is ideal for professional photographers and serious enthusiasts.Photo Review has been given a ‘first look’ at a pre-production unit of the new Stylus Photo R3000, which was announced in the US on 17 January. This model will sit above the Stylus Photo R2880 at the top of the company’s A3+ desktop line-up when it’s released in early March. Claimed as the most advanced model thus far, it features new AccuPhoto HD2 image technology for smoother colour transitions and better highlight and shadow detail.

An A2 desktop printer for photo enthusiasts and professional photographers who want to create long-lasting, exhibition-quality prints.Epson’s Stylus Pro 3880 was announced early in September as a replacement for the three-year-old Stylus Pro 3800 large format desktop printer (reviewed in December 2006). Compact and competitively priced, it is designed for professional photographers and serious photo enthusiasts who want to produce gallery-quality A2 size prints but could also suit photo studios, camera shops who offer custom printing and design studios.

An affordable high-performance, large format inkjet printer for serious enthusiasts and professional photographers.Designed to fill the gap between the high-end enthusiast and professional printer categories, Epson’s new Stylus Pro 3800 has the same print engine and ink set as Epson’s professional Stylus Pro 4800 and, like its more expensive ‘sister’ can print up to A2 size. Higher-capacity (80 ml) ink tanks distinguish the 3800 from A3+ desktop printers like the R2400 and R1800.

A sophisticated and well-built inkjet printer that delivers excellent print quality for photo enthusiasts and professional photographers.Epson’s Stylus Photo R2880, the long-awaited replacement for the popular R2400 model, boasts a new ink set and some technological advances that should please its target market. But, although it provides some welcome advances over its predecessor, the main flaw that frustrated owners of the R2400 has not been corrected. You still have to change black ink cartridges when you swap from printing on glossy media to matte papers.

A mid-range A3+ printer for photo enthusiasts who require WiFi connectivity. Replacing the Stylus Photo R1900 in Epson’s enthusiast’s printer range, the Stylus Photo R2000 uses the same UltraChrome Hi-Gloss 2 pigment ink set. However, each ink cartridge contains 17 ml of ink, compared with 11.4ml in the R1900. Like the R1900, this printer has been designed mainly for use with glossy and semi-gloss media but works equally well with the right kinds of matte papers.

An excellent ‘digital darkroom’ printer for DSLR camera owners who wish to make fade-resistant, poster-sized colour prints.Epson appears to be targeting photo enthusiasts with its new Stylus Photo 1410 printer, which replaces the long-lived Stylus Photo 1290 model and delivers some significant improvements. However, it lacks some features that many photo enthusiasts would like. One positive feature is use of Claria inks, which have been developed to deliver ultra fine detail in prints plus high print durability. On Epson’s glossy photo paper, the molecules in Claria inks’ colouring agents claim to have a stronger and more stable structure that makes them more resistant to the fading effects of light and atmospheric chemicals.

A sturdy A3+ printer that will suit photographers who want long-lasting colour prints and are happy to use standard papers.Released almost three years after the Stylus Photo R1800 (which it replaces), Epson’s new Stylus Photo R1900 introduces a new UltraChrome Hi-Gloss2 ink set in which an orange ink replaces the blue ink. Epson claims this substitution results in better skin tones. The new model is slightly larger and marginally heavier than its predecessor and carries an Energy Star logo.

A portable, easy-to-use snapshot printer that delivers long-lasting photo prints for an affordable price.If you’re onto a good thing – as the old ad. used to say – why not stick to it? Epson has certainly followed this advice with its new PictureMate 215, which is a simplified version of the PictureMate 250 we reviewed in November 2006. The new model is a little squarer and 300 grams lighter – and its price is lower. Its power efficiency has also improved.

An attractive, highly portable snapshot printer that is easy to use and delivers long-lasting, photo quality prints.Looking rather like a miniature Esky, Epson’s PictureMate 250 snapshot printer has a generous handle that makes it easy to carry about plus the ability to accept an optional rechargeable battery (RRP $99). There’s some justification in Epson’s designation of its PictureMate printers as ‘portable photo labs’ because they produce prints that look and feel like ‘real’ photo prints. However, the prints last much longer. Wilhelm Imaging Research has given them a lightfastness rating of 96 years.