Epson Stylus Photo R1800

If you want to print traditionally sized 10 x 15cm photos from your digital camera, compact printers are practical and economical. But if you want to step up a gear and really make the most from your high-megapixel digital snaps, you should consider the Epson Stylus Photo R1800.

It's not PictBridge compatible and has no integrated screen, but it's an A3 printer than can print borderless images up to A3+ (48 x 33cm). It can also print onto photo paper as small as 10 x 15cm and onto inkjet-compatible CDs and paper rolls for panoramic shots. 

It uses eight ink cartridges to generate some absolutely stunning prints. As well as the familiar six cartridges that most photo printers use, the R1800 also employs matte black and gloss black.

These ink tanks come into action when printing on matte and glossy photo papers. Although we were initially cynical, the sharp, detailed, colour-rich results were dazzling and looked fantastic, while the matte and gloss finishes gave it that extra bit of professionalism.

However, with all this quality something had to give and, in this case, it was speed. In our tests, a borderless A4 glossy photo took 3min 10sec, while pages of black text appeared at a rate of four pages per minute.

In draft mode, though, an A3 colour page will be spat out in under a minute, which is a thumbs up for those with a home office.

It's also very big (45.3cm x 61.5cm x 73.7cm) but perhaps our greatest concern is its running costs. At just shy of £90 to replace all eight ink cartridges, £25 for 50 sheets of A4 Premium Glossy paper and £350 to buy the printer in the first place, it's not cheap.

Still, the R1800 is a stunning product. If you're serious about quality, and money is no object, it's worth considering.