Epson Stylus TX550W – Review – 32

Epson’s slender TX550W all-in-one inkjet manages to pack considerable functionality into its sleek black chassis. Along with USB and Ethernet connectivity, the TX550W is also able to be used wirelessly — ideal for remote locations in the home/office that do not have access to cabled USB or Ethernet connections.

Epson’s entry-level CMYK Durabrite inks are used; these pigment-based inks have a fairly wide colour gamut, but for photo printing I’d have liked a dedicated photo black on board as well. The only printer in this roundup to use a piezoelectric print head (the other two are bubble jets), Epson’s variable dot technology offers droplet sizes as miniscule as two picolitres. That suggested no visible dot structure, and so it was — I was unable to detect any form of dot using my keen eyesight, while viewing under a glass produced almost the same result. A decent scanner and good paper handling make up the feature set.

During my time with the TX550W I was unable to get the printer up and running wirelessly; luckily, my trusty old USB cable came to the rescue and I was soon cluttering up my office with print after print. Once I’d installed the bundled software onto my Mac (Easy Photo Print/Event Manager/Photo Enhance and so on) it was time to get stuck in.

Draft black text and colour printing was rapid at my timed 28ppm (limited by my poor old G4 Mac, I think — Epson quotes 36ppm), fed by the 120-sheet feeder (120 sheets of plain 60gsm).
Photo printing times were pretty good all round. A bordered A4 print (using Epson Premium Photo Paper Glossy) on the highest quality setting took around three minutes from the moment the TX550W whirred into action. Print quality was good here, although I felt the lack of a dedicated photo black made dark scenes a touch lacking in depth. However, it isn’t a dedicated photographic printer, but a home office device with photo printing ability. Otherwise the Epson produced a good blend of highly resolved and natural colours with excellent detail.

The scanner is also worth mentioning, providing good resolution at the maximum claimed 2400 x 2400dpi. I used it to scan some old silver-halide photos (remember those?), and the printed result was certainly close to the original, with only a subtle generational loss and slightly muted colour reproduction to separate the original and copy in terms of quality. So while the TX550W may not be the printer of choice for diehard photographic enthusiasts, it is certainly capable of some pretty good results for the majority of us snap-happy chappies.

EPSON STYLUS TX550W – Specs

Print Speed: Up to 36ppm (black and colour text, draft)
Print Resolution: Up to 5760 x 1440dpi
Cartridges: Black, cyan, magenta, yellow
Scanner: 48-bit, 2400 x 2400dpi
Copier: Approx 36cpm (draft)
Memory Card Compatibility: CompactFlash, Memory Stick, SD/MMC, xD
Dimensions: 450 x 342 x 182mm (W/D/H)
Weight: 6.1kg

CONTACT
www.epson.co.nz

PROS

• Great bang for the buck
• Nice detailed prints

CONS

• Difficult wireless setup
• Slightly one-dimensional blacks

Design                      18
Performance             17
Features                   17
Image Quality           17
Value for money       18

TOTAL 87/100

This article is from D-Photo 32.

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Epson Stylus Photo R2880 Review – 026

Tim Steele tests Epson’s new A3 printer, a model that employs the same technology found in some printers used in professional photo labs

The Stylus Photo R2880 is the latest A3+ printer from Epson. At $1699 it’s hardly a cheap shout, but it does deliver Epson’s ultimate photographic quality eight-colour inkset and all of the latest innovations from a company that — according to its own research — is favoured by more than 70 per cent of New Zealand’s professional photographers.

If nothing less than state of the art will do, then the subject of this review may be just what you’re after. This is a photo printer with sheet and roll capability that uses Epson’s Ultrachrome K3 ink with vivid magenta.

The vivid magenta and light vivid magenta portions of the inkset combine to widen the colour gamut of the R2880 over earlier models, making the reproduction of a broader range of colours possible. This is particularly noticeable where blues and purples are concerned. The new inkset has migrated down to this model from the Epson large-format printers such as the Pro 9880 and 11880 found in commercial laboratories, signage and commercial graphics companies.

If you need one printer capable of making everything from a postcard to an A3+ print then an R2880 will do the job. It also has the ability to print on compatible CD or DVD discs.

Every new Epson seems to produce prints a tiny bit sharper than its predecessor, more quietly and more easily. The R2880 is no exception and every print I made, colour or monochrome, looked stunning. A range of Epson papers was used for testing, in both glossy and matte surfaces.

Variable-sized droplet technology combines with the Epson’s ‘Active Meniscus Control’ for accurate placement of every single drop of that precious ink — in droplets as tiny as three picolitres. That’s a droplet smaller than the diameter of a human hair and it’s what makes a resolution of 5760 x 1440 dots per inch possible. The net result is fine detail and absolute separation from neighbouring colours.

As with other high-end photographic printers from Epson, users of the R2880 must change the black cartridge — swapping from matte Black (MK) to photo black (PK) — depending on the paper surface being used for each print. It makes good sense to print in matte or glossy batches rather than in a haphazard fashion, as some ink is wasted in the changeover process.
I liked the second USB connection on the printer that allows you to connect two computers to the R2880 at the same time. It’s ideal for those with a Mac and a PC, or a desktop and a laptop, as you won’t have to swap a single USB cable between your computers.

Independent Wilhelm Imaging Research data claims that prints made with this inkset will remain lightfast for up to 108 years for colour and 200-plus years for black and white prints. Just make sure that you stay within the family of Epson inks and papers to ensure that long-life print; use anything else and it’s a lottery.

Overall verdict

Stunning results from a stunning printer.

SPECS

• Model: Epson Stylus Photo R2880
• Price: $1699
• Printing Technology: Epson piezoelectric inkjet
• Print Head Nozzles: 180 nozzles per colour x eight colours
• Ink: Epson Ultrachrome K3 ink with vivid magenta (photo black or matte black, light black, light light black, cyan, vivid magenta, yellow, light cyan, light vivid magenta)
• Max Resolution: 5760 x 1440 optimised dpi
• Max Paper Size: A3+ sheet / A3+ width rolls
• Print Speed: 9ppm (A4 draft black text or colour text memo); 8×10-inch photo approx 91 seconds
• Interface: USB2.0 x 2, PictBridge and USB direct print port
• Paper Capacity: 120 sheets A4 plain paper (other sizes/weights vary)
• Printer Features: Borderless printing in 4×6, 5×7 and A4; Mac and PC compatible
• Size: 616 x 322 x 214mm (W/D/H – closed)
• Weight: 12kg without cartridges

CONTACT

www.epson.co.nz

PROS

• Stunning quality prints
• Long print life
• Stylish design and build quality
• Comprehensive software bundle
• Twin USB ports

CONS

• Need to change out black cartridges

ALSO CONSIDER

• Other Epson A3+ printer options: Epson Stylus Photo 1410 A3+ $799 (Uses Epson Claria inkset), Epson Stylus Photo R1900 A3+ $1299 (Uses Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss2 inkset)

This review is from D-Photo issue #026.

Tim Steele