HOT DIGGITY! This is a quality unit
Written: Jan 30 '04
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Pros: Ultra-clear photo printing, smokin' fast text printing (in draft mode)
Cons: Tank replacement could get pricey, LCD display is not backlit
The Bottom Line: This is a terrific unit for all kinds of printing tasks. I have no regrets about it at all.
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| markneustadt's Full Review: Epson Stylus Photo R300 InkJet Printer |
I just bought this unit yesterday. Having been quite dissatisfied with the output from my Canon C755 Multipass unit, I decided to buy a new printer. I had read some glowing reviews of the R300 and R300M (the M moinker denoting that the unit has an LCD screen for previewing pictures). I have also been very impressed with Epson quality for quite some time. Couple that with their "DuraBrite" inks (which resist fade... another problem with the Canon) and I decided to take a chance on it.
WOW! What an improvement over the Canon! The print is clear and the color fading is nearly impossible to see). The ink drops are 3 picoliters so you can't even really see those either. Upon very close scrutiny, you can see that the pictures were produced by a home printer, but when the pictures are mounted in a frame and hung on a wall you'd never know.
The R300/R300M has memory card readers built in for all major formats (including Memory Stick! Yay!) which allows you to print out your pictures without having a computer. The R300 model relies on printing out a proof sheet first so you can select the pictures you want to print out. The R300M has an LCD monitor included so you can select and lightly modify your images prior to printing. I use a photo package (Paint Shop Pro) so for me this was not an issue. It appears that the LCD monitor could be purchased separately and added on at a later date.
As for text printing, the quality is on par with virtually any other printer out there. The one difference is when printing in draft mode. Draft mode is how they get the 15 pages per minute stat and let me tell you... they're not kidding! That's smokin' fast!
The unit also has the ability to print on DVDs and CDs if the media is ready for it. That means you can buy a stack of "printable" CD-Rs and print nice labels directly on the CD from the printer. There's a little harness you can feed into the thing.
The last feature I like is that it monitors the ink tanks so you have an idea about how soon it'll be before you have to go buy new ink. This is a six tank unit (Black, Yellow, Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta) so replacing tanks shouldn't be so bad unless you have to replace them all at the same time.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 179
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
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Epinions.com ID:
markneustadt
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Reviews written: 31
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