Tech Guide: Buy the right photo printer - Reviews - Hardware - Printers/Scanners

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Tech Guide: Buy the right photo printer

December 18, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/hardware/printersscanners/soa/Tech-Guide-Buy-the-right-photo-printer/0,139023422,120270761,00.htm

Tech Guide: Buy the right photo printer

Photography is not just about shooting nice portraits and beautiful scenery. Many camera users agree that the most gratifying experience is, in fact, printing their own pictures.

Traditionally, film buffs have had to spend countless hours in the darkroom fiddling around with photo development chemicals to convert film images into prints. However, digital photography now makes it simple to get your photos printed. All that's required is a good photo printer and a few button clicks, and you will get hard copies in minutes. If you don't already have a printer to do the job, this guide will take a quick look at options out there. We'll also review the features that matter as well what the specifications don't tell you.

1. Choosing a printer

Bubble jets and inkjets
Color inkjet printers are the most common and affordable printers on shelves, offering low-cost photo prints. These printers work by firing microscopic droplets of ink through tiny nozzles onto the paper. Most inkjets today come in two configurations: A four-color setting for regular photo and fast document prints; as well as a six- or seven-color mode that's optimized for high-quality photo printing. Increasingly, new printers offer both print modes by means of an ink cartridge swap as well as borderless A4 prints. Some all-in-one (AIO) inkjet printers also feature photo-printing facilities.

Dye-sublimation
Dye-sublimation printers use heated layers of a color film (CMYK) roll to produce photo-quality prints. Also known as thermal dye transfer, dye-sub printers are designed to print directly from digital cameras, using either a cable or via memory card slots. These printers are mostly capable of 4R (or 4 x 6 inch) prints, although you can also get 8R models that easily cost more than AU$1,200. Compared to inkjets, most people prefer dye-sub prints because of their fade-resistant inks and realistic photographic results. However, not many users can afford the expensive ink and paper consumables, not to mention the higher cost of the printer.

2. Resolution

The more dots, the better
The resolution of a printer determines the amount of detail it is capable of producing on paper. This is measured in dots per inch (dpi) and presented in the form of 2,400 x 1,200dpi where the first figure refers to the primary print resolution. A reasonable photo print requires a minimum resolution of at least 720dpi,but for best results go for those that provide up to 2,400dpi. In the case of dye-sublimation printers, a print resolution of 300dpi is sufficient to produce good photo prints.

Currently, inkjet printer resolutions can go up to as high as 5,760dpi, although this is mostly an optimized figure based on an improved printing technology. Users should understand that the higher the print resolution, the more expensive the cost of the printer. Also, the print speed is generally slower and it uses more ink as well as system resources to process the image.

The other important consideration in the equation is droplet size. The smaller the ink droplet, the better your photo. Look for a printer offering at least 4 picoliters, with 2 picoliters currently the smallest available. At 1 picoliter, the human eye wouldn't be able to perceive any graininess in the printout.

3. Print speed

If you print lots and often, print speed is critical
Almost all printers come with a maximum rated number of prints per page in color and monochrome. This is a good figure to consider if you require a fast printer but users should be aware that these numbers are often based on draft photo or text prints. Actual inkjet print speeds in high-quality mode can take from 4 to 20 minutes. 4R dye-sublimation prints generally take about 1 to 2 minutes to complete.

4. Connectivity options

Almost all personal printers now come with a USB port
Most printers these days connect via USB, although you can still find a few models offering the slower parallel port connections as well. With the rapid growth in digital photography, printer makers are beginning to feature convenient connectivity options, such as direct USB link to digital cameras and built-in memory card slots which let users convert their images to prints without even using a PC. However, do note that these printers are often compatible with only selected digicam models. In many cases, an additional adapter card may be needed to read your flash memory format.

5. Running costs

Single-color ink tanks may be less wasteful
How much are you willing to spend on a printer? Probably not a lot, especially given the low price points these days. How much will it cost to print over time? Chances are you can't answer that. Calculating the cost of the paper is simple. It's when you factor in ink consumables that the math gets difficult. How long will the ink last? How much is the total cost per print?

Printing photos actually uses more ink than you can imagine. And while some manufacturers claim a certain number of prints per cartridge or publish an estimated cost per page, these figures are based on lower-resolution settings and should be used for comparison purposes only. So do your homework: Read about a printer's running costs in hardware forums; and always check the price of the ink replacements before you decide on a particular printer brand and model. Printers with single-color ink tanks may also offer cost savings and less waste in the long run as you only replace what's needed.

6. Paper media

Avoid generic paper; paper formulated for your printer's ink works better
More often than not, a good photo print depends not just on the printer and ink but also on the type of paper used. To get the best possible print quality, it is always advisable to use the photo paper recommended by the printer manufacturer. They may cost a little more than those from OEM manufacturers, but because they are optimized to work better with the printer, printouts tend to be of superior quality and fade resistance. Most of these photo papers come in either glossy, matte or even textured finish, with sizes ranging from 4R to A3 (for A3-sized inkjets). Some printers also support the use of roll paper for printing banners or panoramic pictures.