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- Reviewed on: 11/14/2002
- Updated on: 11/18/2002
- Released on: 07/17/2002
 Inside the printer. |
 Individual ink tanks. |
The Stylus Photo 960 takes mere minutes to set up, thanks to a wealth of documentation. The illustrated Start Here poster covers basic installation for most Windows and Mac OSs. The printer connects to your PC via a USB or parallel port, but you'll need to supply your own cable. Beyond the basic installation poster, Epson includes a comprehensive, 94-page user guide, which covers printer basics, maintenance, and troubleshooting. The CD contains print drivers for Windows 98 and above, as well as Mac OS 8.6 through 10.x, and it features the Epson Printer Information Center, a program designed to help you use the 960. For example, the program includes an onscreen reference guide and printer animation on how to load and print on roll paper. The printer's front panel alerts you to basic problems such as paper jams and low ink levels in the cartridges, but you may need to refer to the user guides to decipher the code of flashing lights.
 Ports on back. |
 Epson Printer Information Center. |
Like most photo printers, the Stylus Photo 960 is larger than the typical inkjet. Space-conscious buyers, beware; fully extended, the printer measures 20.27 inches long by 26.10 inches wide by 11.77 inches high. It also features seven ink cartridges: two black, and one each of cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, and yellow. And because the printer uses individual ink tanks, you have to replace only each color as it runs out, which could save you money in the long run. But there is a catch: although the printer uses two black ink cartridges, if one runs out, you must replace it before you can print again. It's not like having a second gas tank in your pickup truck.
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 Your own mini photo lab. |
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When it comes to software, Epson provides several handy utilities, along with a couple of not-so-useful trial versions. Epson's Film Factory software lets you collect and organize digital photos from scanners and digital cameras. You also get a PIM (Print Image Mapping) plug-in for Photoshop 6.0 and 7.0, as well as Photoshop Elements 1.0. The plug-in lets you retain PIM settings from JPEG images imported from a PIM-enabled digital camera such as the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-P30. Epson also offers a trial version of MonacoEZcolor, which provides color matching between your printer, scanner, and monitor, along with special offers on complete software bundles. You also get Applied Science Fiction plug-ins Digital ROC and Digital SHO for image correction. But these trial versions automatically place a watermark in your images, which you can't remove unless you buy a special code and register your plug-in.
 Excellent paper handling. |
 Epson Film Factory. |
Paper handling is one of the Stylus Photo 960's bright spots. You can use a number of photo paper types, from 4x6- and 5x7-inch snapshot sizes to custom rolls. You can also print on white-card stock or matte board that's up to 1.3mm thick. The printer handles the typical array of envelopes, transparencies, and iron-ons, as well as user-defined sheets, up to 8.5x44 inches. The input paper tray can hold as many as 100 sheets of plain paper, 10 envelopes, or one transparency.
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 Print samples. |
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We also found the Stylus Photo 960's cost per page a little high. It will run you 5.6 cents per page of text and 37 cents per color page, compared to 3.3 cents and 25 cents, respectively, for the Canon S830D.
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Inkjet printer text speed Pages per minute (longer bars indicate better performance) |
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Inkjet printer color photo speed Minutes to print a color photograph (shorter bars indicate better performance) |
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Inkjet printer quality
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Epson backs the Stylus Photo 960 with its usual one-year limited warranty, standard for the industry. Toll-free phone support operates Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT. Epson also offers a variety of automated and online help options via its Web site, such as driver downloads, FAQs, and e-mail support.
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