Epson Stylus Photo R3000

Bottom Line

The Epson Stylus Photo R3000 draws many accolades for its print quality and speed. It might be overkill for everyday tasks, but if you're serious about printing photos, it's a terrific choice.

Performance

Outstanding photos. Reviewer after reviewer draws the same conclusion: Professional photographers and dedicated amateurs will find lots to like in the Epson Stylus Photo R3000. Photo quality is first rate, and even fussy experts find few nits to pick with both color and black-and-white prints. PCMag.com says that text and graphics output is similarly high-quality, certainly good enough to make this a go-to printer for professional presentations.

Ease of use is also generally well liked, with a few small caveats. The R3000 can print on a variety of media, including CDs, DVDs, roll paper for prints up to 13 by 44 inches and fine art papers. Thick paper or thin board go in the printer's front-loading straight paper path, although Digital Photography Review's Vincent Oliver finds that using it is "a clumsy operation." The tray can accommodate standard paper of up to 13 by 19 inches.

Performance is equally good whether you print on matte or glossy stock, and the eight-ink cartridge system includes blacks for both. One drawback: The R3000 does a wasteful ink purge every time you switch between printing on matte or glossy stock.

Finally, the R3000 is fast for a photo printer; PhotographyBlog.com says it output a borderless 13-by-9 print in 6:45. PCMag.com doesn't test printing times for such large-format photos, but reports that the R3000 spit out a high-quality 4 by 6 in 53 seconds, and an 8 by 10 in 1:41.

Features and Design

Useful features, but few extras. Digital Photography Review sums it up best: "The R3000 has many features without too many bells and whistles." Ink cartridges are high-capacity compared to its predecessors, although some printers like the pricier Epson Stylus Pro 3880 (*Est. $1,300) use cartridges that are even more economical long term. The inks are rated to last as long as 300 years depending on the paper type and storage conditions, says PCMag.com.

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, USB and Ethernet. PictBridge printing direct from an attached digital camera is also supported. An LCD control panel provides status updates on ink levels and a wide range of advanced media options that allow printing on different paper sizes.

While a printer capable of handling sheets up to 13 by 19 will never be small, several reviewers say the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 has a reasonably compact footprint when not in use and its trays are folded in. However, PCMag.com says you'll still want to keep things clear around the machine -- front and back -- for the trays and for paper handling when using the straight paper path. Closed, the R3000 measures 9 by 24.2 by 14.5 inches; that expands to 16.7 by 24.2 by 33.1 inches when open.

Durability

Excellent build quality. Oliver at Digital Photography Review is impressed, saying the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 should be able to deal with "moderate to heavy use." He also likes that when the trays are closed, the printer is effectively sealed against dust and debris. PCMag.com wishes that Epson quoted a duty cycle -- the amount of usage the printer can withstand per month without affecting its life expectancy -- but admits it's unlikely to be an issue among this printer's intended audience of professional photographers and graphics experts.

User feedback is generally positive. One Amazon.com owner suggests, "If you print a medium number of prints, I'm sure this printer will last forever. Still, if you're like me and you print hundreds of prints every week, then I suppose the consumable parts of the printer will wear out long before the rest of it does, as was the case with my R2880." A user posting at Digital Photography Review says his R3000 had no clogs after sitting idle for more than four months.