When we compared the R2000's photo prints to the recently reviewed ( Macworld rated 3.5 out of 5 mice ), which uses six inks to print photos, the differences were apparent, especially in browns that could appear more black in the Artisan prints and reds that could look a little purplish. The R2000 also produced more details in shadowy areas of prints where the Artisan prints looked a little blocky. (We did an informal print comparison with the Artisan 837, a new printer we have onhand, because it might offer a lower-priced alternative to the R2000.)

In our review of the R1900, we thought the lack of dedicated gray inks resulted in somewhat disappointing grayscale photos. And while the R2000 didn't add these gray inks, its monochrome printing techniques were improved. Grayscale photos on Premium Photo Paper Glossy looked very good, however, and much better than the bluish grayscale prints from the Artisan 837. If you print a lot of black and white photos, you would probably be better off with one of Epson's UltraChrome K3 printers which include Light Black and Light Light Black inks, but you will be paying from $100 to $800 more for those devices.

And while it might make sense to have a second, more general use printer for casual use such as maps, directions, recipes, and the like, the R2000 did a fine job of printing both text and graphics to plain paper.

If you're looking to take your at-home photo printing up a notch in terms of quality or print size, the Epson Stylus Photo R2000 produces great looking color photos on a wide variety of paper types and even CD/DVD printable media.