The printer’s solid, 25-lb silver-and-black chassis has a simple design: On the front, it has a three-button control panel and a USB PictBridge port for printing directly from digital cameras and cell phones; and above the extendable paper output tray is a drop-down unit for printing on CD/DVDs. On top is the only paper feed, which holds from 4x6" to 13x19" sheet paper up to 0.11mm thick. There’s no roll paper option. On the back is the power cord and USB 2 connector.

The Stylus Photo 1400’s professional print quality is based on several features. Epson’s new durable Claria dye ink set is more stable, resisting scratching and fading, and the company says that prints will last up to 98 years under glass. The set of six individual cartridges is more efficient, because now only the specific spent cartridge needs to be replaced. The 1400 has a new printhead capable of ink droplets down to 1.5 picoliters and print resolutions up to 5760x1440 dpi.

This and the driver’s quality Epson paper profiles result in vibrant, accurate color prints with smooth gradients and good detail. In high-speed photo mode, a color 8x10" print took 2 minutes and a 13x19 inch print took three minutes, 45 seconds. Sadly, black-and-white prints have a faint, but noticeable color tint. The Windows print driver includes an auto photo-correction feature that isn’t included in the Mac version.

Macsimum rating: 8 out of 10.

(This review brought to you courtesy of [url=http://www.layersmagazine.com/epson-stylus-photo-1400.html]Layers magazine[/url]).