BIOS: Technology Means Business

The Stylus R240 (£82.49 ex. VAT) is Epson's second printer announcement already this month. Designed to make creating lab quality photos at home quick, easy and affordable, the Stylus Photo R240 is a low-cost printer aimed at novice digital camera users. Unlike the 6-colour Stylus Photo R340 (£122 ex. VAT), the Stylus Photo R240 uses just four inks (Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow).

The printer (436x494x300mm, 5kg) features a colour 1.5-inch LCD preview screen, enabling you to navigate the unit's features independently from your computer. The screen and interface work together to allow you to select, view and then print your photos with ease. Photos can be printed direct from a memory card, via PictBridge or with a USB enabled digital camera, so you don't even need to boot your computer.

Epson's Stylus R240 Series is based on the company's Micro Piezo technology, which delivers an optimised resolution of 5760x1440dpi on suitable media. With Variable Size Droplet Technoloy, it is able to create droplets as small as 2pl. In addition, you don't need to wait around for your snaps since 24 borderless 10x15 cm photos can be produced in only 20 minutes, claims Epson. A single 10x15cm photo should take around 47 seconds.

To ensure photos are printed exactly as expected, Epson's PhotoEnhance technology automatically detects the type of scene and adjusts the colour accordingly. This is a key feature for inexperienced photographers, allowing them to create professional looking glossy photos every time. It also comes bundled with the Epson's Creativity Suite, allowing you to manage and edit your photos. You can attach images to e-mail, send to Web, print Web pages and adjust image sizes and resolutions.

Paper sizes supported include A4, 9x13cm, 10x15cm, 13x18cm, 13x20cm, 20x25cm, 4x6-inch, A5, A6, B5, Legal, and Letter. Media types supported include Plain paper, Epson Premium glossy photo paper, Epson Premium semigloss photo paper, Epson ultra glossy photo paper, Epson matte heavyweight paper, Epson photo stickers, photo papers, and Epson photo quality inkjet paper. Plain paper is supported from 64 to 90gsm and up to 300gsm using Epson ultra glossy photo paper.