The perfect sub-$200 printer?
Written: Mar 25 '01
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Pros: Great for photos, easy to use
Cons: Epson paper required for best results
The Bottom Line: With the Epson Photo 870, creating high-quality prints is no longer the weak link in the affordable digital darkroom.
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| mortalcoil's Full Review: Epson Stylus Photo 870 InkJet Printer |
This printer replaced an HP Deskjet 712C that I always hated; the Epson is a far better piece of hardware in every respect:
Installation: I followed the step-by-step instructions for setting up the printer and installing the software; everything worked perfectly the first time. I did run into problems when I tried to switch to a USB cable -- I could print text but always got errors trying to print photos. Fortunately, the documentation on the included CD-ROM contained a Troubleshooting section that covered USB problems -- a complete uninstall and reinstall of the printer and drivers solved the problem. Naturally, the USB interface is a lot nicer than the parallel, especially if you're constantly plugging and unplugging a laptop to the printer.
Ease of use: For text printing, the printer works pretty much like any other. Printing photos, on the other hand, requires a lot more control, and the Epson's bundled Film Factory software does a nice job of simplifying the process without sacrificing flexibility. If all you want to do is select a photo and specify the type of paper you're using, you can do this and get far better results than from most ink-jet printers. You can get even better prints by selecting the Custom mode and specifying various options, which you can save and retrieve later, or by selecting the PhotoEnhance mode and specifying, for example, that the image contains people, to render more realistic skin tones.
Performance: I recall reading a review on cnet that criticized this printer for sluggish text printing. Because I was more interested in photo quality, I ignored this -- as it turns out, the complaint is entirely unfounded. The 870 might be slow for B&W text, but only if you set it for higher quality printing than most other inkjets are capable of. At the faster settings, which produce output virtually indistinguishable from laser prints, the 870 is certainly fast enough for most home users.
Where this printer really shines is in photo reproduction. Using 6 rather than the more typical 4 ink colors, the Epson is capable of producing photos that are of photo-lab quality and, at least to the naked eye, on a par with most dye-sublimation processes. Comparing its output to that of the HP 712 is like comparing silk to burlap.
To get the best results, however, requires using the right paper and the right output settings; a little experimentation will help you get the most out of the 870. Also helpful is the sampler of various Epson papers that comes with the printer; using non-Epson paper will yield unpredictable, even terrible results. A glossy photo paper that seemed to get the best results from the old HP didn't work at all with the 870 -- the prints came out with streaks and mysterious black specks.
Epson papers: Epson produces a confusingly broad range of "photo-quality" papers; without trying every type, it can be difficult to guess which is best for a given application. A quick overview of the most popular types:
Premium Glossy Photo Paper (S041286): A heavy, very smooth and glossy paper that produces superb prints. Unfortunately, many users have reported a tendency for prints to turn orange, due to fading of the cyan dyes. Epson was supposed to have fixed the problem, but all they've done so far is add a disclaimer to the packaging warning users to protect the prints from exposure to air. If not for this problem, this paper would be just about ideal. Around $.65/sheet.
Photo Quality Glossy Paper (S041124): If not for the controversy surrounding the Premium Glossy paper, there'd be no point to this product. It's lighter-weight, not as smooth and only slightly cheaper. It does produce fine prints. Around $.55/sheet.
Photo Paper (S041141): An alternative to the above; it's heavier, but somewhat less glossy. An reasonable all-around photo paper, which may just mean mediocre. Around $.52/sheet.
Matte Paper Heavyweight (S041257): If you don't need a glossy finish, this is the paper to get. Excellent color reproduction, and supposedly great longevity. (Because neither side is glossy, it may be less obvious which side should face up in the printer. There is very definitely a right and a wrong side. The easiest method is to take two sheets, flip one and compare its tone to the other -- the whiter side is the printable one.) A very good value. Around $.20/sheet.
Photo Quality Inkjet Paper (S041062): This is like standard inkjet paper, except that one side has been coated. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the output. Not at all glossy, but very smooth, with very good color reproduction. Perfect for everyday use. Around$.10/sheet.
Complaints: As with most inkjet printers, the ink pricing tends to be exploitative, around $19 for the color cartridge and $17 for the black. An inherent problem with multicolor ink cartridges is that as soon as one chamber is emptied, the entire cartridge has to be replaced. The Epson's software displays how much ink remains in each chamber; if the gauge is accurate, I've actually been using all the colors almost equally.
My biggest gripe is that while the Film Factory software makes it easy to print groups of photos in various page layouts, it's lacking an option to automatically stack two landscape photos on a portrait page, my preferred configuration. You can still create this layout manually, but the inability to obtain it automatically is annoying.
Still, if that's my biggest complaint, this is a very nice printer.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 179
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
mortalcoil
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 85
Trusted by: 9 members
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