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  • Introduction

  • Design & Usability

  • Features & Performance

  • Conclusion

  • Science Introduction

  • Print Speed

  • Color Performance

  • Detail Performance

  • Introduction
  • Design & Usability
  • Features & Performance
  • Conclusion
  • Science Introduction
  • Print Speed
  • Color Performance
  • Detail Performance

Introduction

Design & Usability

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A simple design geared towards photo printing and not much else.

Setting up the R2000 is a relatively straightforward ordeal, but be prepared to have blue tape and plastic everywhere. Once you take your behemoth out of its box, set it up on whichever surface you'd like to keep it on with the power cable and whichever means you'd like to connect it with (USB or ethernet). After you've installed your ink cartridges and installed your software, you're ready to go.

The load tray can hold up to 120 sheets of paper.

Because the {{product.name}} is a well-endowed pro-photo printer, it can handle a wide array of media—including just about any paper size—out there that can fit in the load tray or spool, from CDs and DVDs, to canvas in matte, glossy, and satin finishes. Paper can be stored in either the load tray or the spool for banner prints. The load tray can hold up to 120 sheets of paper, depending on the its thickness.

Located on the front of the {{product.name}} are the physical controls for the printer. Limited in scope, these essentially cover only the most basic functions. Normally, this might be an impediment, but in an age where everything can be controlled wirelessly, this doesn't seem to clip the wings of the {{product.name}} all that much. There is no display, so all functions are limited to Power, Ink (for changing), Wi-Fi, spooling, and document retrieval.

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Features & Performance

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There aren't really any crazy features, but there is crazy performance.

The {{product.name}} is very limited in terms of media slots on the body of the unit, but that can be remedied by picking yourself up a card reader of any sort—they've become rather cheap. On the {{product.model}} itself, however, there is a parallel port, ethernet port, USB port, and PictBridge port. That's it, but if you're using the {{product.model}} in the way that the manufacturer intended, you'll be printing from your computer almost exclusively anyway.

The Epson R2000 has 8 individual ink cartridges.

Not leaving its users high and dry with lesser-quality ink systems, the {{product.name}} has 8 individual ink cartridges: cyan, magenta, yellow, matte black, red, orange, black, and gloss optimizer. The benefits of having such a modular system are obvious from the get-go: you can replace cartridges as they run dry, instead of having to replace the entire set, saving you money in the long run, and eliminating a bunch of waste.

For whatever reason, the printer does have a little more trouble with blues than other colors, but it's mostly an acceptable level of error. That being said, the color gamut is enormous, and the detail preservation is good compared with other printers, and not just at the R2000's price point. Just be aware that the print speed isn't going to dazzle you in any way.

Conclusion

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A fantastic printer at any price, the R2000 is a solid pickup for photographers or artists.

As far as the perks of buying a {{product.name}} go, being able to replace your ink individually by cartridge is a huge plus. Not only that, but having high performance for a sub-$500 price is also a great way to get your high-quality photos printed without breaking the bank. In that regard, the {{product.name}} is great because you can print on a great range of media, much like the doubly-expensive Epson R3000.

All that being said, there are a couple performance points that are less than ideal, but should be listed for the sake of completeness. For example, the color accuracy on the {{product.name}} isn't perfect, it's just "fair." Additionally, it can't handle scanning or faxing, but that's not what a pro-photo printer does.

For printing photos, it's hard to find a better option than the {{product.name}}, especially for its relatively low asking price.

Science Introduction

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By the numbers, the R2000 is a serious performance printer.

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You won't be kept waiting for too long.

At a decent clip for the highest quality setting, the {{product.name}} takes only 41.8 seconds per 4 x 6 inch photo print. It does take considerably longer to print on larger surfaces though, so we also clocked the {{product.name}} in at 80 seconds per print with 8 x 10 inch media, and 219.4 seconds per 13 x 19 print. Considering the type of printer, that's above average in terms of speed, though it doesn't perform as well as some of the printers geared towards office work.

When it comes to document printing, on the other hand, the {{product.name}} is respectably fast. Even on the highest print quality available, your printer will have no issue churning out pages at 2.04 times a minute. Should you need to get your pages out faster with a small dip in printer quality, you can always drop the quality in the drivers menu to increase print speed up to 4.7 pages a minute.

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Color Performance

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It's not the most color accurate printer in the world, but it has an amazing color gamut.

Compared to other pro-photo printers, the {{product.name}} can hang with the best of them here, although we recommend using the included color profiles from the printer instead of messing around with it too much. Convenient, right? For whatever reason, the printer does have a little more trouble with blues than other colors, but it's mostly an acceptable level of error.

Much like the {{product.name}}'s bigger brother, the R3000, this printer has a huge color gamut, resting at 69.12% of the Adobe RGB gamut. You should have no trouble recreating the colors of your choice with this printer, especially with the default profile.

Detail Performance

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Great detail performance all around.

When you buy the {{product.name}}, you're getting a solid pro-photo printer with a depth of black that borders on the extreme. With a measure of 2.88, the {{product.model}} competes well with other pro-photo printers on the market by providing exceptionally deep blacks, allowing for great contrast in your photos.

Detail preservation was fairly good with the {{product.name}}, maintaining fine lines and sharp edges. Some detail was lost with high contrast situations, and fine lines lack a small amount of differentiation, but that's normal.

Meet the tester

Chris Thomas

Chris Thomas

Staff Writer, Imaging

@cthomas8888

A seasoned writer and professional photographer, Chris reviews cameras, headphones, smartphones, laptops, and lenses. Educated in Political Science and Linguistics, Chris can often be found building a robot army, snowboarding, or getting ink.

See all of Chris Thomas's reviews

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