If you normally find yourself plagued with set-up problems when installing new kit, then we challenge you to find a problem with the set up of this printer. The Epson Stylus Photo 1400 is so incredibly easy to use that set up takes just a few minutes. Remove the tape, plug it in and wait for the ink lines to charge up, then you’re pretty much ready to go. The driver (available for both PC and Mac) guides you through via a set-up wizard on screen with no fuss.

The Epson Stylus Photo 1400 is a printer for photographers looking to print a multitude of sizes up to A3+. Its inks are dye-based, which means you can expect a really saturated finish to your images compared to pigment-based inks. We found that this is great for colourful landscapes and other bright scenes, although the reds in skin tones can sometimes appear fairly ruddy, so you may need to knock these back first in Photoshop.

This printer produces decent black-and-white prints, so long as your images have a decent amount of dynamic range. Overly contrasty images will look quite blocky.

You can produce borderless prints from 4 x 6” all the way up to A3, plus there’s a handy bonus of being able to print directly onto CDs. To do this you need to use inkjet-compatible discs and use the special tray included to hold your CD in place. This is loaded in the front of the printer, whereas all other media is fed through the top.

This tray feeder is pretty big and can hold up to 100 sheets of regular-weight paper. We also tested this printer with matte double-sided paper, which printed out beautifully, although you will only fit around three sheets of this in the feeder at a time. For thicker media such as specialist art paper, we’d recommend you go for something like the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 instead.

This printer is perfect for those after a reliable model that prints big. The pay-off is the large footprint it has on your desk, but if you have the space then it’s certainly worth it. It’s fast, easy to use and produces prints that will last more than a lifetime.

Final Verdict A great performer on all levels, offering beautiful A3 prints and even CDs to match OVERALL

Debbi’s passionate about all things photographic: from the latest digital kit to the greatest techniques to capture a scene. She’s been at the helm of the photography portfolio of magazines, websites and more for three years.