Photo answers review
Photo answers rating 
The Epson Stylus Photo R2880 is the latest in a long line of very popular photographic printers that offer A3 format. It also has the benefit of being able to print direct onto the surface of printable CD/DVD disks using an included adapter. It’s a nice-looking machine at a sensible size that doesn’t over-dominate your desk space. Design-wise, the printer is well thought-out so that it all condenses together when not in use, and the styling is neat.
The print heads use a variable-sized droplet technology that delivers a flow at 3pl (Picolitres) for fine detail printing. The resulting output is a resolution up to 5760x1440dpi at the highest quality print setting.
Set up is very easy and the software includes some easy printing assistance and the print CD package. Once installed, the printer has a number of options for you to control the output, so it can deliver the best results to suit your needs, and of course match to the paper in use. This is especially important for monotone printing, as the more artistic papers can be less forgiving if you have the printer set incorrectly. There’s a rear paper slot for the latter, to keep the paper flat, and you have the option of a paper roll.
This machine takes nine cartridges in total, including three black inks for better grey balance and tonal control. These pigment inks are part of the Epson UltraChrome K3 range, formulated to give longer print life as well as high quality results. You have to switch between matte black and photo black, which can be a pain.
An A3 full-colour glossy print at a good resolution comes out of the printer in just under 2 minutes 30 seconds, thanks to the high-speed option. With the Photo RPM mode you get the best possible quality (on glossy paper) but the speed slows to around 14 minutes 30 seconds – but it is very much better than the fast option. The quality is very impressive and certainly to a standard that the most critical of users would demand. The monotone performance is good, with the images having superb detail and a balanced tonal range. The contrast is strong, with no sign of colour cast on the monotone prints. When it comes to the colour performance, the Stylus Photo R2880 is a touch over-zealous on the saturation, so you need to tweak the settings a bit to get natural tones.
Overall, the Epson Stylus Photo R2880 puts in a very solid performance, and the ability to produce both monotone and colour prints with equal competence means that it’s great value for money.
Print method Inkjet
Print resolution Up to 5760x1440p
Droplet size 3pl
Ink system Epson UltraChrome K3
Cartridges Nine individual colours
Max. print size A3+
Print time A3 HQ 14mins 30secs
Connectivity 2x USB 2.0 ports
CD printing Yes
Size (hxwxd) 214x616x322mm
Weight 12kg