Epson's R300M Debuts Unique Features
REVIEW DATE: 03.16.04
The Epson Stylus Photo R300M is the newest addition to the growing list of printers that can print photos from a memory card. Add it also to the much shorter list of printers that can print on printable CDs. And while you're at it, use the R300M to start a new list of printers that can print directly from a CD or Zip drive attached to its USB port—no PC required. You can also transfer photos from an inserted memory card to one of those drives, making the R300M an ideal tool for archiving photos easily.
The R300M includes a 2.5-inch color LCD screen and card slots for most memory card formats. Physical setup is straightforward, requiring you to attach the LCD monitor and snap in the six ink cartridges (one for each color). We also plugged in a Memorex CD-RW drive to the printer via USB. Most of the printer's more unusual features worked well, but not necessarily the way you'd expect.
For example, to print reliably from an attached CD drive, the folder structure has to match the standard for camera memory cards. If you let the printer itself copy files directly from a memory card to a CD, this isn't a problem. But if you have CDs created on a PC, the printer may not be able to locate the photos.
The procedure for printing on a printable CD proved to be finicky on our tests. On more than one occasion, we had to reinsert the CD tray several times before it would print; we found no apparent reason for this.
Compared with the HP Photosmart 7960, which earned Editors' Choice among direct photo printers in our November 11, 2003, issue, the R300M was slower on our Microsoft Word and Excel tests. But for photos, it was a bit faster, at 2 minutes 30 seconds for a photo printed from Photoshop (compared with 2:35 for the 7960). As with the 7960, photo output from the R300M qualifies as true photo quality.
If you're looking for a dual-purpose printer for both photo output and business documents, the HP entry is the better choice. But if your printing needs skew more toward the photo end, this Epson newcomer offers a wider array of features.
