Cheap and good: That’s the way we like it

Category: Review on Epson R290 Photo Color Printer

Posted by: 28-Dec-2007

Strengths: Good print quality, compact, nice looking and really cheap

Weaknesses: No major print functionalities, speed not very fast, not easy to run print runs and operating costs are a bit on the higher side

The R290 printer is an excellent purchase for the price it commands and that might be the reason for its success. What I really liked about the Epson Stylus R290 is that it is fairly uncomplicated and allows novice users to get started on it without knowing too much about printer set up. Being a simple printer, the R290 does not have many complicated controls either and that makes the printer looks very neat as well.

The excellent price tag gets R290 second glances and if the printing requirements are straightforward, then you can go ahead and buy the R290. However, like most low cost printers, the R290 does cut some corners and users should be prepared to face that. For example, the printer is not as fast as other premium models and the quality is a tad on the lower side. Having said that…the R290 is a worthwhile printer for non-critical printing and keep the costs of printing on the lower side (text only).

R290 is simple to install but it takes some time to understand how to start printing on it. The user manual is not very helpful and you can take that as another cost cutting step from Epson. So if you are on the lookout for a really reasonably priced (read cheap) printer then head out towards the Epson R290…it is worth every penny you spend on it and does not make you feel shortchanged.