New York, NY -- Reviewed in June 2010 by PC Magazine’s M. David Stone, the Stylus Photo R2880 by Epson received high marks and his praise. Due to the price, it likely will not suit an amateur’s budget and is thus more likely to find its way into the homes of graphic artists and/or photographers.
Right off the bat it sets itself apart from the competition because it offers the user the convenience of separate pigment black inks depending on which type of paper they are printing on (either matte or glossy). The only disadvantage with that is that you can only have one of the cartridges in at a time. Basically then whenever you change paper types, you should change out the cartridge. If you often switch between paper types, be warned, the printer runs a cleaning cycle which uses ink each time you change a cartridge.
Because it is a wide-format printer, it is larger than an average printer. The R2880 at full extension measures 16.3 x 24.3 x 31.4” (HxWxD) and is able to print on up to 13 x 19
sheets. That means that it will take up quite a lot of room, and because it is a USB-only connection, you need it close to, but likely not on your desk.
One of this printer’s strong points is its paper handling. The maximum input capacity is 120 sheets of plain paper or 30 sheets of photo paper. Not only can you print on normal sheets of paper, but if you mount a roll of fine art paper, the printer can give you output up to 13 x 44”. As if that wasn’t enough, there is also a single-sheet feed on the back of the machine which will handle heavier weight art paper.
Not only does it handle the paper well, but Mr. Stone also noted that this machine is pretty quick, though did not give any ppm or ipm specifics. The quality of the output is another nice feature of this printer. Stone openly praises the printer and the output produces high quality graphics and photos. This is part may be due to the R2880’s eight individual ink cartridges.
Overall, this printer is definitely worth the price. All of its perks qualified it as a PC Magazine Editor’s Choice selection. The only knock on this machine is its inability to have both black inks it at the same time.
More information can be found about this printer at PC Magazine.
