Product Reviews

There are many advantages to owning a multifunction device (MFD) over separate components: savings on desk space, being able to use it without accessing a PC, and the fact that an MFD is usually cheaper than the individual peripherals it combines. While HP has been producing multifunction devices for a few years now, this is Epson's first entry into the market, with the printing facilities based on the Epson 740 (reviewed issue 50, p171), and the scanner based on the GT-7000 (reviewed issue 51, p181).

The Stylus Scan 2000 is reasonably small and compact for a multifunction device, taking up little more space than a standard desktop printer. It follows in the footsteps of the iMac's styling exemplified by the Agfa SnapScan Touch (reviewed issue 64, p177), with replaceable coloured translucent lids ranging from strawberry to blueberry. Epson will send you these for free if you fill out a form included in the box.

Photo printing results were reasonable and similar to those obtained from the Epson 740. The picture showed a rich depth of colours, although it was noticeably grainy in lighter areas and lost detail in darker areas. For a mere four-colour cartridge system the results are satisfactory, but not as smooth as the quality offered by Epson's Stylus Photo 750 (see p98). Taking just six minutes, eight seconds to print a full-size A4 photo, it was reasonably quick too; the Photo 750 took 11 minutes, 26 seconds on the same task, making the Stylus Scan 2000 more useful in a hurried office environment.

The scanning facilities however are limited, although for the price you can't expect the high quality of the Epson Perfection Photo 1200 (reviewed issue 66, p128). With just a sheet-feed scanner you won't be able to scan from books, and you're going to have problems with source media over a certain thickness too. The scanning results themselves are usable but far from professional quality. Zooming in reveals graininess that looks pixelated, so the Stylus Scan 2000 is certainly not good enough for high-resolution work.

While the scanner can't be used for professional photo work, its integration into the device means you can use the machine as a copier, which can be done by using either the supplied software or the control panel

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on top of the unit. Copying a full-size colour photo produced disappointing results; light areas were washed out completely with white and very noticeable grey outlines. The colour accuracy was also poor and actually looked negative in places, with subtle shades washed out by extreme colours. Copying a greyscale photo also proved disappointing as some greyscales looked very textured and grainy with obvious banding. Copying a standard black and white document produced acceptable results for an office environment. With inkjet printing having a definite performance advantage over lasers on high-resolution photos, it's a shame this multifunction device couldn't show this as being the case.

Standard black text printing was also poor; letters were shaky, badly aligned and smudged in appearance. The print was also light and not nearly as deep and black as the superb results obtained from the Lexmark Z51 (see p98), which completed a 25-page document in seven minutes, 27 seconds - four seconds quicker than the Stylus Scan 2000. With MFDs primarily aimed at the office where it would be safe to assume that the majority of the work carried out would be black-text printing, this result is certainly disappointing.

Unusually for an MFD there are no fax facilities offered, which could have been a cheap inclusion negating the need for further hardware - one of the issues an MFD is supposed to resolve. Of course, you can fax straight from your PC if you have a modem, although to emulate the full functionality of a standalone fax would mean having to leave your PC switched on permanently.

If you're looking for a money-saving solution, the Epson Stylus Scan 2000 will disappoint. With no fax facilities it's basically an out-of-date printer bundled with a 300ppi sheet-feed scanner, and you could buy superior separates for less money.

The new Epson Stylus Color 760 (see p98) produces better results, setting you back a mere £118. You could then add the AcerScan Prisa 620UT (reviewed issue 66, p116) for £109, making a total of £227. This is £10 cheaper and has all the advantages of flatbed scanning, as well as superior image quality. However, the running costs are reasonable, and assuming that the majority of the machine's work will be done in mono you can get up to 900 pages at five per cent coverage using a £16 cartridge.

The Epson Stylus Scan 2000 will suit as an office printer, giving reasonable photo quality and speed. Its extra features are far from spectacular, but will probably serve the average office environment. However, with no fax facilities included, if you think you can do without the space-saving and independent functionality, you could save money by buying vastly superior separates instead. The Stylus Scan 2000 includes a combination of outdated components that isn't only limited but also overpriced.