The very high quality of Epson photo printers has taken some consumers by surprise. Most reviews of the Epson PictureMate printers are positive ones and the devices seem to offer a lethal combination of great features, print quality and reasonably low printing and acquiring costs. PictureMates are photo dedicated printers, as the name suggests, that target the owner of a digital camera that still enjoys printing out his works of art. One such model is the PhotoMate Zoom (PM 290). The printer has been launched in September 2007 and still manages to compete on the market.

The Zoom is in many ways similar to its brother, the PM 260 (Epson Dash). Similarities include design, most features and even price tag.  But the Zoom is slightly more filled with features. It also includes a CD burner (and DVD reader) that will allow the transfer of photos from memory cards or USB sticks straight onto a CD. This means you won’t really need a computer to move all the pictures from your digi cam onto a CD to make room for more pictures. Epson also made burning CD’s a very easy task.

You’ll just have to insert your memory card then press the ‘save to CD’ button. All instructions are displayed on the LCD, and if should be able to follow them with no problem. Another very nice option you have is to print an index sheet of the photos you want to burn on the CD. This way you’ll have thumbnails of the pictures as well, and know what is where.

The design of the printer is very similar to other portable ones you’ve seen on the market. It somewhat resembles a lunchbox and has a handle that makes it easier to carry the device around. Epson also provides an optional battery so that you can print from anywhere without having to rely on a power source to plug the Zoom in. On a fully charged battery, you’ll be able to print around 140 photos.

The top cover of the printer, once you open it, works as a paper tray. On the top you’ll also find the 3.5 inch LCD (that’s great for previewing photos) and the control buttons. Aside from using your PC, with the Zoom you may print from a digi cam through PictBridge, memory card, USB stick or CD/DVD.

Both the speed and photo quality are great on the Epson PM 290 Zoom. It will take somewhere in between 40 and 50 seconds to print out a 4 by 6 inch photo, depending on what device you are printing from. This makes it one of the fastest photo printers on the market. The quality of the Zoom is actually outstanding for a small photo printer. It isn’t quite professional photo printer quality but it won’t disappoint either.

Epson also claims that it takes 200 years before they start to deteriorate if kept in an album (dark storage) or 96 years if you keep them framed up on the wall. Photos produced by the Zoom are also water and scratch resistant. As a conclusions, if you want to print some high quality 4 by 6 inch photos on the go and aren’t very tight with money, this is one of the Epson photo printers that can do that. Retailing for a bit under $200, it is a very satisfying choice.

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