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Review: Epson Stylus Photo R2880

Why just go large when you can go wide as well? The Epson R2880's standout feature is that it comes complete with a paper roll feeder, which attaches to the printer for creating large format panoramic pictures. Indeed, stitch enough photos together in a program such as recent editions of Photoshop Elements, and the Epson can produce a single print that's an astonishing 11 metres long, with a height of 329mm. Even sticking to the still generous constraints of regular A3+ printing, with 483 x 329mm (19 x 13-inch) output, the R2880 has plenty to offer, especially for fans of film noir.Beneath the fairly bland and boxy exterior of the R2880 lies a heart of vivid magenta. At least, 'vivid magenta' is one of the colours that makes up the range of eight Epson UltraChrome K3 pigment-based inks, designed with professional photographers in mind. On closer inspection, you'll find that three of the inks are given over to black, or rather various shades of grey, including Photo Black, Light Black and Light Light Black. As such, the R2880 lays out its credentials as a super-serious black and white photographic printer. In our tests, it did a fabulous job of reproducing the subtlest nuances and tonal variations, from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights, producing spectacular monochrome prints. You can also swap out the Photo Black cartridge for a Matte Black option, which you need to do every time you switch between glossy and matte photo paper. Excellence in image quality is guaranteed, but we found it quite frustrating because the printer takes about five minutes to sort itself out after each cartridge swap, and seems to waste a fair bit of ink recharging the print head. By contrast, some competing pigment-based A3+ printers, such as the Canon Pro9500 Mark II and HP Photosmart Pro B8550, have full-time inclusions of both regular and matte black inks, so there's no need to swap. Despite only having five different colour cartridges, apart from all the black inks, the R2880 can nevertheless deliver seriously strong colour output, with great fidelity over a very wide gamut. Colour reproduction is particularly punchy on matte photographic papers but, as with other pigment-based printers, photo prints lose a little of their sheen on glossy paper stock. For this, dye-based printers like the Canon Pro9000 Mark II and Epson's own Stylus Photo 1400 do a better job. Another bit of bad news is that, as well as being pricey to buy, the R2880 has running costs that are among the highest in its class. Combined ink and paper costs for A4 and A3+ photo prints work out to around £2.30 and £5 respectively. Print speeds are also a little sluggish, taking about five minutes for a normal quality A4 photo and nearly nine minutes for an A3 photo print in top quality mode.With its three black inks, as well as the option of swapping between regular and matte black inks depending on what type of photo paper you're using, the R2880 is a bit of a black and white specialist, but still manages excellent colour rendition with very high all-round print quality on matte papers.We likedThe panoramic print facility works a treat and adds (or at least extends) an extra dimension to large-format printing. Black and white photo printing quality is absolutely outstanding.We dislikedIt's a time-consuming chore having to swap the regular and matte black ink cartridges every time you switch between glossy and matte photo papers. Along with a high purchase price, running costs are particularly expensive and print output is a little on the slow side.VerdictIf you like black and white photo printing, you'll love the R2880 because it's simply unbeatable in mono mode. Colour rendition is vibrant too, and the pigment-based ink system is ideally suited to matte and semi-gloss photo papers. It's just a shame about the cartridge-swapping niggles and the high running costs.Related LinksRead more printer reviewsTechRadar's Reviews GuaranteeRelated StoriesReview: Canon PIXMA iP4700Review: Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II

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