Epson PictureMate 240 review

Epson has expanded the PictureMate range with the release of two new models.

The PictureMate 240 reviewed here is a four-colour inkjet that can print from a computer or digital camera connected via USB or PictBridge USB, or directly from a range of common memory card types. The similar PictureMate 280 incorporates a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive and costs around £170 including VAT.

Although the PictureMate 240 is brand new, it already looks quite dated. It's square-sided and seems tall for a compact photo printer, although it doesn't take up much desk space. A hinged lid that covers the entire top panel helps keep dust away from the screen and paper input when they aren't in use. This has a clear window that doesn't quite line up with the screen beneath it. We're not sure of the point of this, as the lid covers all the rubbery control buttons.

The PictureMate 240 takes a single consumable, which contains all four ink colours and slots into a compartment at the rear. It comes in two capacities, bundled either with 50 or 150 sheets of 6x4" photo paper, and should contain a suitable amount of ink to print on them all. The 240 arrives with a starter pack that contains enough ink and paper for 20 prints, which is generous compared to other compact photo printers. With 150-sheet PicturePacks available for less than ?4, prints cost a competitive 15.5p each.

We've criticised the icon-only direct printing menus on certain Epson photo printers for being tricky to use, but the PictureMate 240's menu uses a clear combination of icons and text. It's much easier to follow and makes good use of the 240's large, clear screen. A dedicated Display button lets you switch between large previews of each shot, or a thumbnail view of six or 15 images at once. This makes it easy to pick out pictures from a full memory card, so it's ideal for reviewing and printing holiday snaps.

Unlike some compact photo printers we've reviewed, the PictureMate 240's output quality is high enough to do pictures justice. We were impressed with the printer's sharpness, which helped preserve fine details sometimes lost in prints from its dye-sublimation competitors. Photos printed from a memory card had a little fine grain, but appeared quickly, with six borderless 6x4" shots taking only four minutes and 31 seconds to print.

When you print from a PC, you can select Enhance Fine Detail, which is the 240's highest quality setting. This is slower, but it produced excellent prints with no trace of grain or banding. All our test prints had a consistent gloss finish and reproduced colours accurately.

The PictureMate 240 isn't that cheap to buy, but its prints cost about the same as those from many online photo-printing services. If you want the convenience of a dedicated photo printer in the home, this is a great choice.