There are two ways of looking at the Epson PictureMate Zoom ($199.99 direct), the high-end model of the newest generation of PictureMate dedicated photo printers. On the one hand, it's Epson's faster, less expensive (by $100) replacement for last year's Editors' Choice PictureMate Flash. On the other, it's the first cousin to this year's Editors' Choice PictureMate Dash. Either way, it comes with an impeccable pedigree. More important, it lives up to expectations, earning its own Editors' Choice for high-end small-format dedicated photo printers.

The PictureMate Zoom is essentially the Dash with a combination DVD reader and CD-RW burner added. It has the same large (3.6-inch) LCD for previewing photos, the same ability to print from a wide range of sources, the same fast speed, and the same high-quality output at a maximum 4-by-6-inch size. What the Zoom offers in addition is the ability to print directly from optical discs and archive your photos to CDs.

Like the Flash, the Zoom makes burning CDs extraordinarily easy. Simply insert a memory card, press the Save to CD button, and follow the instructions on the LCD. The printer even asks if you want to print an index sheet as part of the process, so that you can have thumbnails of the photos on the disc. If you save to the same disc more than once, the printer automatically puts each set of photos into a separate folder and prints the folder name on the index sheet. When you print from a CD, the printer asks which folder to use.

The Zoom looks much like a large lunchbox, complete with a handle that pivots out of the way when you set it up to print. Because of the drive, it stands a little taller than the Dash, at 9.9 by 9.1 by 6.5 inches (HWD), and it weighs a relatively heavy 6.6 pounds. Even so, the handle makes it easier to lug, and a battery option ($49.99 direct) lets you print anywhere, without a power cord. According to Epson, a fully charged battery can print about 140 photos.

Setting up the Zoom is simple. Opening the top cover, which then doubles as a paper tray, reveals the tiltable LCD and control buttons. The front cover opens downward to act as an output tray. The single four-color cartridge slips into a slot in the back. Load the cartridge and paper, plug in the power cord, and you're ready to print from a PictBridge camera, memory card, USB key, or optical disc. Run the automated installation routine, connect the USB cable when the software tells you to, and you can print from a computer, too.

When I reviewed the Dash, I said that based on its speed, it was well named. I can say the same thing about the Zoom. When it comes to speed, the two printers were tied, which isn't surprising considering that except for the Zoom's drive, they're essentially identical. More important, the tie was for first place among dedicated photo printers. On my tests, the Zoom averaged 42 seconds for each 4-by-6 on our standard test suite and ranged from 38 to 49 seconds per photo, whether printing from a USB key, a Canon PowerShot S60 camera, a CompactFlash memory card, or a computer with a range of other photos.

To put the speed in context: Two other printers tied for third place among dedicated photo printers, at roughly 50 seconds for a 4-by-6: the Olympus P-11 and the Sony Picture Station DPP-FP90. The other current Editors' Choice for dedicated photo printers, the HP Photosmart A626 Compact Photo Printer, is a relatively sluggish 1:28. (The A626 obviously earns its standing on other features besides speed—notably kiosk-like touch-screen menus and the ability to print 5-by-7s and panoramas at 4 by 12.)

The Zoom also scores well on photo quality, which, for a photo printer, is far more important than speed. All of the photos I printed qualified as true photo quality. They're a step down from what you'd expect from a more expensive printer or a professional photo lab, but that's typical for small-format photo printers. The prints are certainly a match for what you'd get from a local drugstore.

The photos also promise to last, with a claimed 200-year lifetime in dark storage (as in an album) and 96 years framed behind glass. There're also reasonably durable—both water resistant and scratch resistant on my tests—so you can hand them to someone to look at without worrying about their getting ruined.

One other advantage the Zoom shares with the Dash is a low cost per photo. The PictureMate print pack, with enough ink and paper for 150 photos, is $37.99 direct, or 25.3 cents per glossy photo—currently the lowest price per print for any dedicated small-format photo printer, and comparable to the cost of photos printed on the spot at most major drugstore chains. The cost for matte photos is a little higher, at 32.3 cents each.

If your budget is large enough to consider the Zoom, you might also take a look the somewhat less expensive HP A626. The two printers have very different strengths. The A626 prints larger-size photos and offers a kiosk-like experience, thanks to its touch screen. The Zoom makes archiving photos to disc extraordinarily easy. It would be nice if you could get all these features in one printer. But since no one is actually selling that printer (yet!) you'll have to pick one set of highly attractive features or the other.

Check out the Epson PictureMate Zoom's test scores.

More Photo Printer Reviews: