Believe the hype!
Written: Jun 14 '00 (Updated Jan 19 '01)
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Pros: Perfect photo prints; large-format paper capacity, up to 13x19 inches!
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: You can now make lab-quality, huge photo prints at home.
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| scooterbos's Full Review: Epson Stylus Photo 2000P Inkjet Printer |
As many others have said, this printer produces astonishing photographs. I'm a photo hobbyist and the Epson Stylus Photo 1270 was my first computer printer; I never bothered with printers before and used photo labs instead, since despite the convenience, the images still looked like they came from a printer. The Epson "Photo" inkjets use six colors (black, yellow, and two shades of cyan and magenta) while the "Color" models use four colors (black, yellow, cyan and magenta). The two extra colors in photo printers enable these models to produce far superior flesh tones and other subtle color effects. Using Epson paper, I can't tell the difference between the output and my pictures from the lab. The only problem is that the prints are so detailed that they will expose flaws in the original, especially when sized up to 13x19.
Installation on a Windows 98 system was a snap, although you have to buy a USB cable (about $20 extra). Since it's a USB printer, it will work on newer Macintosh systems as well. If you have a Win95 system you'll probably have to use a parallel cable instead. It's very quiet. I've never used inkjet printers before so I don't know how the speed compares to others: I get a 13x19 print at 1440dpi in about 10 to 15 minutes with the quality settings cranked all the way up. Smaller prints and lower quality settings are, of course, faster. It still beats taking negatives to a lab and waiting 2-4 days for big prints.
One problem some writers have noticed is a slight "pizza-wheeling" effect on glossy paper. This printer, like just about any other, uses plastic wheels that grab the paper during printing and move it forward in tiny computer-controlled increments. The wheels make a small impression when the ink is printed on glossy paper, like tiny, faint vertical lines spaced about an inch apart. On matte paper there is no such effect whatsoever. The lines were dismaying at first, but they are invisible at any normal viewing distance (more than a foot away) or when framed under glass. Therefore, this doesn't alter my favorable impression of this printer one bit.
The ink consumption isn't too bad either; I've printed out about 30 8x10 photos and I've got about 1/4 of a "tank" left. Epson even has a website (www.epson.com) where you can order ink and paper with free shipping. You really do need to make the investment in the right papers to get high-quality output. Although the list price is $499, you can find it for less if you shop around on the Web. It even comes bundled with Adobe Photoshop LE 5.0, which ordinarily retails for about $90. What a great value!
Believe what everyone else is saying; this printer rivals anything you'll get with chemistry-based prints.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 389.95
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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Epinions.com ID:
scooterbos
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Member: Scott
Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 5 members
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