What's Wrong With This Picture? Nothing.
Written: Jun 19 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazing Printing Quality and Design
Cons: I work for HP (just joking)
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| steve613's Full Review: Epson Stylus Photo 870 InkJet Printer |
I know it's confusing, but pay close attention to the actual name of this printer. It's the Epson Stylus PHOTO 870, not one of the Stylus COLOR models which compete with the HP line. There's a huge difference, and if you don't understand that difference, then you might be looking at the wrong printer.
The HP DeskJet's and the Epson Stylus COLOR printers are all 4-color printers, with a 3-color color cartridge and a separate black cartridge. These are perfect for juniors' printshop greeting cards, or those kind of color clip-art printing jobs.
The Epson Stylus PHOTO line (700, 750, 870, 1200, 1270) are specifically photo printers, featuring a 6-color process (5-color color cartridge plus a black cartridge).
If you read my epinion on the Epson Stylus Photo 750, you will understand why the Stylus Photo line will not be your only printer. Maybe not even your only color printer.
If you own a scanner or digital camera, you really do need one of these printers. The biggest benefit to the extra 2 colors you get here as opposed to the HP's is in printing fleshtones. Because of the real subtle hues and color gradiations, skintones benefit from the 6-color process and truly round-out these printers ability to produce (literally) picture-perfect prints.
Now, as good as this printer is, and it is just great, you have to accept two realities going in:
1) You will have to make the proper investment in paper. Buying this printer to use with regular plain 20lb. paper stock is like buying a Ferrari JUST to sit in traffic. Epson has a very reasonably priced line of photo paper that looks, feels, smells, tastes, and sounds exactly like the Kodak paper your one-hour photo lab uses.
2) Take up knitting. Although the 870/1270 is much much faster than the preceeding models, photo printers are still "minutes-per-page" not "pages-per-minute" propositions. And you know what?? BIG DEAL. The results are more than we have a right to expect to be able to get from home...at ANY speed.
Now, one more little issue. Up till now, for the most part, these photo printers could print much nicer pictures than your 1.5 to 2.1 mega-pixel cameras could take. With the new generation of 3.3 megapixel cameras (specially the really good ones from Nikon - see my epinion on the Nikon Coolpix 990 - and Olympus), the cameras are now pushing the printers and making them work a little.
A 3.3 mega-pixel can take photos that can be printed at almost 11x17 with little or no loss in image quality (anti-aliasing). The Epson 870 will print upto 8˝ x 11, but the 1270 has you covered, with it's wide carriage it can print upto 13x44.
The Epson 870/1270 also features new longer-lasting color inks. Epson claims these inks will last 10 years or so, but that's easy for them to say. Truth is, I have pictures taken with the Epson Stylus Photo 700 from 3 years ago that look fine.
If you have the extra $130 or so for the wide-carriage version (1270), get it. Especially if you own, or are planning to purchase one of the new 3.3 megapixel cameras. Otherwise, get the same performance and quality from the Stylus Photo 870 with an 8˝ x 11 page-size limit.
Oh, and one more thing. Don't be tempted by the photo printers that print 4x6 prints. It's a major scam. Why buy something like that when it doesn't give you the option to print inexpensive 5x7's or 8x10's or collages cut & pasted to your hearts content? The 870/1270 print just as nicely as these dedicated photo printers, but give you many many more options to print in the larger sizes (especially the 1270).
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
steve613
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Member: Steven Geller
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 1 member
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