The pride of Epson's fall line-up of printers is the Stylus Photo RX580 all-in-one, a multipurpose printer that includes a gamut of features and technologies specifically aimed at the photo enthusiast. Meanwhile, Canon has released a dedicated photo printer in the form of the PIXMA mini260 , a compact and portable printer specifically intended for the printing of 4x6 prints.
Both printers have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $249. So, we wondered which one offers the better value for money?
Individual Technologies
The RX580 uses Epson's new Claria ink system with a redesigned print head, which is intended to offer a faster photo print speeds. The Photo RX580 also includes a scanner, with which you can print direct from scanned photos or documents, plus a PictBridge connection for digital cameras or cell phones. And they don't call it an all-in-one lightly. It can also produce customized greeting cards, without the use of a computer.
The Canon PIXMA Mini260 Photo printer, in turn, features a stylish design, scroll wheel interface and the latest generation of Canon's Full Photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE) print head. The printer also includes both PictBridge and two memory card slots to allow easy printing of photographs remote from a PC.
The first thing that is likely to strike any user of the Mini260 upon opening is how closely it apes the "iPod" aesthetic, with a bright white casing and its scroll wheel interface. Despite being somewhat cliché, the printer is markedly more attractive than its contemporaries, and its small size, low weight makes the Mini260 seem like the ideal printer for anyone continually on the move.
In comparison, the RX580 has a giant footprint and one wonders if installing an actual photo lab wouldn't save a few inches. It's definitely not an attractive unit, and the temptation may strike you to hide it under a large desk (which will also provide some clearance for the scanner's door).
Abilities Remote From a PC
Without being connected to a computer, the RX580 performs admirably as a photocopier with a variety of documents. If you were never planning on connecting the system to a PC, you'd almost feel like you'd get your money's worth, as the printer outputs photographs from a digital camera with amazingly high quality in literally seconds, and sheets of text even quicker; although the greeting card option is frankly a gimmick. The screen, however, is of an only just acceptable resolution.
The Mini260 interfaces with easily with a digital camera or memory card, and the 2.5" TFT screen is of an absolutely superb quality, allowing quick, representative examination of your snapshots before printing. However, the scroll wheel interface never really feels much more than gimmicky; while responsive and admittedly speedy if you have hundreds of photographs on your camera/memory card, for more delicate operations the simplicity of the directional buttons is preferable, and I tend to forget to ever use the scroll wheel.
Special Features
Both machines come without a USB cable and require a CD install to use their individual print managers. The RX580 at least installs Epson Print CD, which allows you to perform one of the most exciting aspects of the RX580: CD and DVD printing.
Using any inkjet printable CD or DVD (a unique type of disc you have to buy especially for the printer) you can etch images onto discs, removing the need to scribble on them with a Sharpie or attach a sticky label.
An unfortunate (though unavoidable) flaw of the small size and portability of the Mini260 in comparison is that it will only print images of 4x6 or smaller. There's simply no ability with the mini260 to do anything more than print snapshots.
Photo Quality
Printing digital photographs, the centerpiece of the RX580, is really where its strength lies. I printed a photograph to a standard glossy 4x6 and was astounded by how gorgeous the image turned out. A succession of images of varying resolutions and quality all turned out spectacularly.
Photographs from the Mini260, tested under similar conditions, were also remarkably good. They seem to be slightly darker in comparison to the Epson, and the option to increase vibrancy tends to make the photo a little too vibrant, with the Technicolor look of a 60's film given to even the most mundane of images, intentional or unintentionally. While the quality of the images is at least acceptable the speed at which they're printed is less than exciting, with individual 4x6 color photos output in roughly a minute, about half as fast as the Epson.
Conclusion
Though the Photo RX580 is a large and bulky printer, for a user who expects their main interest to be in printing out photographs but also wants to have an "all-in-one" solution to allow them to scan and print all kinds of documents, I can imagine little better, particularly with its high speed and excellent CD/DVD printing.
In comparison, The Mini260 is small, portable, and attractive, and performs its possible tasks admirably, with high quality 4x6 images printed easily from PC, memory card or digital camera. However, limited as it is to printing only images of 4x6 it may, in the end, be slightly too limited. What makes it hardest to recommend the Canon PIXMA Mini260 Photo printer is that it's equal in price to the Epson. If you need a small, attractive device for only 4x6 prints on the go, the Mini260 is the better choice, but in almost all cases it is outperformed by the Epson Photo RX580.
