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Like most of the printers in this color inject buyer's guide, the Epson Stylus Photo R260 can print photos as well as regular documents (in both color or black and white only for text). It's fast, too, with speeds of up to 13 seconds for 4x6 photos at lower resolutions, and 30 seconds at highest resolution. It uses a six-color system (CMYb, plus light magenta/LM and light cyan/LC) for great color and also uses the same processes and paper for photos as the PictureMate Pal PM 200 that result in photos that are smudge, scratch, fade and water resistant (for up to 200 years, according to Epson - we only hope we live long enough to see that for ourselves).
The R260 can handle either photo or plain paper in its rear hopper for front output.
Maximum resolution for color output from this printer is 5760x1440. It can output black and color text at up to 30 ppm, and supports a wide array of paper and photo sizes. On the paper side, it handles letter, legal, A4, B5, A5, A6, half letter, executive and user definable sizes from 3.5" to 44" long. On the photo side, it handles 4x6", 5x7", 8x10", 8.5x11", all at 16:9 aspect ratios. Likewise this printer also supports a wide variety of conventional and photo paper types include plain and bright white papers, and numerous photo papers with glossy, luster, semi-gloss and presentation finishes. It also handles a range of envelopes from No. 10 to DL, C6, plain paper, bond paper and air mail types. This unit can be had for around $85 though Epson lists its price at $100 online.
This printer is both sizable and hefty. Its dimensions are 17.7" x 16.3" x 8.3" (44.96cm x 41.40cm x 21.08cm; knocked down for storage) and 17.7" x 21.0" x 11.1" (44.96cm x 53.34cm x 28.19cm; set up for printing). It weighs 14.3 pounds (6.49 kg). Though it does not include a memory card reader, it can handle cameras and phones that support the PictBridge interface for a direct USB connection. It's necessary to purchase ink cartridges separately for each of the six colors the printer users; these retail for between $12 and 20 depending on capacity. This permits you to purchase (and replace) the black cartridge more often for lower overall costs, however.
