Most photo printers these days come with an onboard colour LCD for previewing pictures, built-in memory card readers and a host of connectivity features. Targeted at the home and small office users, Epson touts the Stylus Photo R350 as one of it full-featured printers that does away with the need for a PC to output photos. If you can live without a LCD, then the less-featured AU$179 Stylus Photo R230 may be for you.
Connectivity features on this inkbox are run-of-the-mill. You can print directly from your digicam or a USB flashdrive via the PictBridge port. There's also a built-in memory card reader that reads most media formats, though an adapter is required for Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo and miniSD cards. With an optional Bluetooth dongle, you'll be able to pair the printer with your mobile phone and print directly from the handheld.
Epson claims its PhotoEnhance feature can automatically adjust the exposure of your pictures. For the record, some consumer digicams offer similar capabilities in the form of built-in editing functions, for example, D-Lighting on Nikon's Coolpixes. The 2.4-inch, 960 x 240-pixel colour LCD on the unit allows you to preview your images or make enhancements.
The printer can also print directly onto the surface of inkjet-printable media which is fed into the machine on a tray. Our previous reviews found the CD printing feature easy to operate and we don't expect anything less from the R350. Printing options are selected on the LCD panel, among which is the ability to print right from the center to the edge of the disc so you don't get random blank spaces.
The Stylus Photo R350 uses six separate ink cartridges, one each for black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan and light magenta. The good thing is you can replace only the tanks that run out, though it's a lot more hassle compared with printers that use only one cartridge.
This Epson retails for AU$249 and comes with a one-year standard warranty.
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