Epson Stylus Photo R310

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Epson's Stylus R310 demonstrates the quantum leap photo printers have taken recently. The R310 includes a color preview screen and offers a wealth of direct camera-to-printer options. Best of all, in addition to producing high-resolution photo-quality prints, the R310 prints straight onto blank CDs or DVDs--all for less than S$400 (US$236). Intended primarily as a photo-quality printer for the digital camera crowd, the R310 also prints text and graphics. Of course, it doesn't print text and graphics as well as an ordinary inkjet printer, and the R310's sluggish print speeds also leave something to be desired. But to digital photo enthusiasts, the many pros with this photo printer will outweigh the cons.

Design
The bread-box-size Epson Stylus R310 measures 498 x 264 x 225mm (19.6 x 10.4 x 8.6 inches) and looks like many other inkjets on the market today, with its input tray in the back and its output tray at the bottom. The R310 includes an optional 2.5-inch color LCD (S$138) for previewing your digital photos. There's also a smaller monochrome LCD on the control panel with a text menu that allows you to resize and crop photos before printing or to change settings such as brightness, saturation, and sharpness--all without a computer attached.

The setup process is seamless. The R310 uses a high-speed USB 2.0 port for its connection to a Mac or a PC (USB cable not included), and its drivers work with Windows 98 and above, as well as Mac 8.6 and above. Epson supplies ample printed documentation, such as a Start Here poster that walks you through the initial installation. There's also a quick-reference card for printing without a computer.

Features
What sets the Epson Stylus R310 apart from other photo printers is its various built-in features. Perhaps the most compelling is the built-in CD/DVD tray, which allows you to print directly onto CD or DVD media--one step beyond printing CD or DVD labels. Using the included Epson Print CD software, simply create a design, insert a blank CD or DVD disc, then print. Potential uses include personalizing holiday or vacation photo CDs and saving thousands of dollars on the cover artwork for your garage band's latest CD or DVD release.

The R310 offers an unprecedented level of connectivity and compatibility with cameras and removable media. Below the monochrome LCD, there's a smoked-plastic lid that flips to reveal a bank of removable media cards. The R310 will print directly from Secure Digital, Memory Stick, CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Microdrive, and xD cards. There's also a USB 1.0 port for PictBridge- and USB Direct Print-compatible cameras as well as Zip, CD, and Magneto-Optical drives. The software inside the printer transfers digital photos to a media card or transfers data from a media card directly to your PC or Mac. And if you add Epson's Bluetooth Photo Print Adapter, you can send and print images to the R300M wirelessly from any Bluetooth-enabled device.

When printing from an attached computer, the R310's print drivers are easy to use and consist of three tabs: Main, Page Layout, and Maintenance. Within these tabs you select paper type, borderless printing, and the nozzle-cleaning function. The Main tab also includes an advanced screen to tweak individual color levels, saturation, and the like.

Performance
In tests comparing the R310 against other six-ink photo inkjet printers, CNET Labs found that the R310 printed very slowly. Text print speeds averaged a dismal 1.8 pages per minute (ppm), significantly slower than the HP Photosmart 7960 at 4.6ppm or the Lexmark P707 at 4.2ppm. On photo images, the R310 print speeds averaged 5 minutes per page (mpp)--much slower than the dirt-cheap Canon i560 at 1.8mpp or the more expensive Canon i960 at 2mpp.

With regard to print quality, CNET Labs gave the R310 mixed reviews. When using Epson's inkjet paper, the monochrome text came out very dark to the point of looking oversaturated with ink. Tiny fonts, while legible, appeared spotty and saw-toothed. Color graphics, on the whole, looked fair, with the printer handling color matching quite well. The blended and shaded areas in our test document (both color and black and white), however, were visibly pixelated and not very smooth. But on photos, the R310 really shone. Our complex, high-resolution test document looked extremely crisp--there was only the faintest hint of dithering visible in the background, and skin tones looked smooth and balanced.

CNET Labs obtained a reasonable ink consumption cost of US$1.08 (S$1.83) per page when printing a high-resolution, complex 8.5x11 test photo. If you're printing mostly 4x6 photos, your real-world costs will be half as much. The R310 uses individual ink cartridges, so you replace each depleted color separately. Black ink cartridges currently run about US$17 (S$29), while individual color inks are US$12 (S$20) each. These ink prices are a smidge more expensive than those of the Canons but well below the prices of the HP 7960's inks.

Service And Support
Epson provides a thick user guide, with everything you need to start printing or to perform more complex printing tasks. Also included are troubleshooting tips. The Web site offers driver downloads, FAQs, manuals, troubleshooting tips, and access to e-mail and fax-back tech support.