Epson Expression Premium XP-860
Six-ink £145, $215
This upmarket Epson appears to be a photo printer for the hard-nosed business person. At its core, it has exactly the same six-ink print system as the XP-760 but, unusually for an all-in-one printer, adds an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) and it even serves as a standalone fax machine. This makes it a clear winner in the group for multi-page photocopying and faxing. How much of a benefit this is for photo printing is a moot point.
On the plus side, colour rendition and tonal range are both excellent, delivering excellent accuracy while also preserving plenty of detail in everything from dark lowlights to bright highlights. It edges ahead of the five-ink printers on test in these respects although, as with the XP-760, auto photo enhancements can make prints look a bit overly lively.
Pros
All the good bits of the XP-760, plus fax functions and an Auto Document Feeder Cons
An expensive choice if you don’t need the additional fax and ADF facilities We say
We prefer the more compact and less expensive Epson XP-760 Overall score