Epson Stylus C88+ Review

Michael Iaboni Profile image

Written by:

Updated November 10, 2022
80 Expert Rating

Though the Epson C88+ Printer is, let’s be honest, a very old printer, we still consider it the best printer for screen printing, a great printer for heat transfers, and the leading printer for art prints because it can still print at speeds rivaling most top-rated printers, and also smudge and fade resistant, ensuring your photos last a long time.

Related: Our team highly recommends the Epson Expression Photo HD XP 15000 review

Why We Like It – Epson Stylus C88+

The Epson Stylus C88+ is a blast from the past printer style that will still get your most pressing print jobs done when you need it. It can still average an impressive 18.5ppm, and the 5760x1440dpi means that your photos and text documents will come out quickly and accurately.

Pros
  • Very Fast Printing Speeds
  • Smudge-Resistant
  • 120 Sheet Paper Tray
Cons
  • Running Costs Will Probably Be High
  • No Advanced Features

Related: If you still want to explore other options, read the Epson SureColor P400 review

Speed

Epson Stylus C88 Inkjet Printers has a print speed of 23ppm for monochrome pages and 14ppm for color pages. Averaging this out, it’s about 18.5ppm. This is quite fast for a printer like this, and even faster than its new model cousin, the Epson WorkForce WF-7210. It’s about on par with the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015, which is really saying something. It should be a good printer for home or light-medium work office use.

Print Quality

The Epson Stylus C88+ All-in-One Printer contains a print resolution of 5760x1440dpi. This printer also offers smudge resistance when it comes to photo printing thanks to its use of DURABrite Ultra photo ink it uses. Combine this with its fade-resistance, and you have a printer that can print photos that will last 100 years (their estimate) and can rival more high-end printers like the HP Designjet T120.

Efficiency

Epson Stylus C88+ Printers/Scanners come with your standard capacity black ink cartridge, magenta ink cartridge, yellow ink cartridge, and cyan ink cartridge. Because the printer is much older than most out there, it’s hard to estimate the running costs. But considering it doesn’t offer any programs that offer ink at a discount, and because printers without one traditionally run more expensive, we’re going to say that running costs will be high. If you want to save on running costs, check out the Brother Inkjet Printer MFC-J985DW. On the other hand, if you want to save on ink costs, check out our OKI MC573DN review.

Advanced Features

The Epson Stylus C88+ Printer Color Inkjet is an old printer, as mentioned in the previous paragraph. In fact, it was first available in October 2001! As such, it’s not going to have more advanced features we’re used to, like mobile connectivity, Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi direct. What it does have, and what you’ll have to make do with, is a built-in USB port and parallel ports. But at least this means it can be connected to more than one device at a time.

Value

Despite being an old printer, the Epson Stylus C88+’s paper media is still impressive. It contains a 120-sheet plain paper tray that can house paper of various sizes, and that includes photo paper. Even in more modern printers, the main paper tray can only hold about 100 sheets of paper, which is quite a bit less than the Epson WF7710 WorkForce wireless printer, which can hold 250 sheets. The printer, black in color, only comes with that one option, but so do modern printers, so you can hardly fault it for that.

Epson Stylus C88+ Wrap Up

You won’t be getting many modern conveniences out of the Epson Stylus C88+, like mobile connectivity options, NFC, or Wi-Fi connections. You will get a printer that can connect to more than one device simultaneously and print speeds and quality that can rival even modern-day devices. Just make sure you’re looking out for those potentially high running costs.