Epson SureColor P600 £570, $790

A step forward from the Epson R3000, this latest model uses newly formulated inks

The P600 replaces Epson’s R3000 as its flagship A3+ model. It uses new UltraChrome HD pigment-based inks, but the nine-colour line-up and 25.9ml cartridge capacities are virtually identical to those of the previous printer. The ink range includes cyan, light cyan, vivid magenta, light vivid magenta, yellow, photo black, light black, light light black and matte black.

The photo black and matte black inks share a channel in the print head. Switching between glossy and matte media means a wait of several minutes while the channel is purged, wasting ink and time.

There’s good Wi-Fi and cloud support. The P600 also features a 6.8cm touchscreen. Ink costs of £0.85 ($1.24) per millilitre are slightly higher than for the Canon Pro-10S, but cheaper than for Epson’s XP-950. A roll feeder is included for creating large-format panoramic prints.

Performance

Generating a highest-quality A3+ glossy colour print in just under 11 minutes, the P600 is about 45 seconds faster than the Canon Pro-10S. Glossy prints aren’t as uniformly smooth, but they’re still very good. Colour accuracy is better than from the Epson XP-950, but dark tones in black-and-white prints lack definition compared with those from the Canon Pro-10S.