Opening the box of Epsons latest foray into photo printing hardware is akin to bringing home a new bookshelf from Ikea. There are a good number of small plastic attachments you need to fit onto the machine, and before you know it the 890 is taking up half of your desk. Once the hardware is assembled, the software is a breeze to contend with. You're taken through each step by a series of onscreen animated diagrams that are a far sight more helpful than other guides the competition offers.

On the flower image used to test all printers listed, colours showed as extremely vibrant and solid. Roses showed up as red and not a faded pink. While easy on the eyes it was not a truly accurate rendition of the original picture. Shadows dominated the scene, providing stark contrast to the bright yellows and
greens. Image sharpness is sorely lacking with an overall blurred look marring what would otherwise have been a very high quality result.

Further problems arise when examining the printer test page. While lighter hues appeared perfect, darker tones of the same colour were too strong. A continual line of blue, for example, would progress smoothly from 10 per cent to 70 per cent saturation and then dramatically jump in richness on each progression after that. Fine lines of one or two pixels in width all but disappeared when surrounded by dark areas. Banding is also evident through mid and high levels of darkness. While not perfect, the Epson Stylus Photo 890 does the job. Its quiet, its fast, and unlike earlier Epson models it doesnt vibrate much
while printing. Also of note is that roll paper use is supported. Its a niche use but adds versatility to an already accomplished package.