A Photo-printer is essentially a printer that prints superior quality digital photographs on a photo-paper. Printers usually have many nozzles and can print droplets as small as 1 Pico liter. Some photo printers may have digital media readers (that is memory cards), so that you can easily print pictures without having to use a computer. Some can even print pictures directly from a camera. Many photo-printers also come with a LCD screen that allows you to view and edit images.
Dedicated photo printers are basically Inkjet printers that can print on plain paper as well as on a photo paper, but are rather slow in printing. They can print high-quality photographs as well plain texts. They are also known as dye-sub printers.
1.2 - Inkjet Photo Printers
Inkjets can create both text and rich photo prints. Most inkjet printer manufacturers offer both general-purpose and photo
inkjet printers. Inkjets print an image by applying a controlled flow of tiny ink droplets from one or more cartridges to a
variety of paper types. Manufacturers use different techniques for applying ink. Also, the size of the droplets and the
manner in which they are applied to the paper vary and determine the image quality. Regrettably, this process is slow when
compared to laser printers. However, if you would use your printer at home or for small businesses, and your printing needs
are not very intensive, the Inkjet Printer would be a good choice.
1.3 - Personal Laser
These offer fast printing speeds, sharp output, and a low cost per page (which is the price you pay to use and maintain the
printer). Majority of the laser printers are monochrome printers (black and white) and are best suited for printing crisp
text and simple graphics.
1.4 - Workgroup Laser
As the name suggests work group lasers are generally designed for small businesses or for groups or a team in a large
company. They have features that are specifically customized for multiple users, for example; some offer larger input
and output trays, and certain others offer duplex (double-sided) printing, sorting, and stapling. The processor speed
is fast – which means it can handle multiple printing jobs.
1.5 - Multi-functional (MFP) or All-in-one (AIO) Printers
These compact printers are designed for the on-the-go users. These pint-size printers weigh only a few kilos and are large
enough to print on a standard 8.5-inch wide sheet of paper. These printers are expensive. However, if you really require a
printer when on the move, a portable printer would be advisable. You can actually print with this printer when you are in an
air-plane!
1.6 - Portable Printers
These state of the art printers have the capability of copying, printing and, scanning. Certain models also enable fax
transmission, all in one unit. Therefore, they are the perfect printing solution for home-users as well as for people who
own small businesses. MFPs can be coupled with either laser printers or inkjet printers for speedy text and graphics
prints.
Choosing the right printer is a tough job. You would want your photographs to be as realistic as possible.
There are a few different specifications you should consider before making your final decision.
2.1 - Ink
Most printers use a dedicated cartridge, which includes the regular yellow, magenta, cyan colors and the over-coating
material. For good-quality photo-printing you could opt for a 6-color photo printer which adds light cyan and light
magenta inks to give better gradation and skin tones. Some photo printers also come with 8-ink variants to give enhanced
photo quality. It should also be noted that some superior brands of inkjets generally use pigmented black inks and so
sometimes you'll find 5-colour or 7-colour units that add a photo black (dye-based) ink to the mix.
2.2 - Printer Type
The printing method of a printer is one of the most critical features to be considered. There are mainly two kinds of
printing methods that you might come across; one is the Dye-Sublimation method and the other is the Inkjet method. The
Dye-sublimation (Dye-sub) method works through a process of thermal diffusion. When the solid dyes or colors are passed
through the heated print-head, the dyes vaporize on the photo-paper before they return to solid form. In this way, there
is less number of dots that is visible. Dye-Sub printers are expensive and slow but produce marvelous results. A great
positive aspect of dye-sub prints is that, they give a scratch proof and water proof surface which protects your photos.
Inkjet printers function by spraying tiny dots of ink onto a page of paper. This process can create black-and-white images,
color images and in some cases photo-quality images. However, inkjets can have a downside, which is they do not print sharp
lines. So inkjets would be advisable if you tend to print more of photographs.
2.3 - Resolution
The Resolution is usually measured in dots per inch or dpi. This specifies how many individual dots a printer can create
per square inch of paper area. Dpi is generally given as the horizontal resolution by vertical resolution. Higher the Dpi,
the better is the resolution. Some printers offer 9600 x 2400 Dpi.
2.4 - Gradation
Gradation can be defined as a smooth succession of shades or tints from light to dark. Most printers offer over 50 levels of gradation levels per color. Some also give 256 levels per color.
2.5 - Print Speed
The printing speed of a printer is measured by how many photos or pages per minute a printer prints. The lower the
quality, the higher is the printing speed.
2.6 - Connectivity
Most printers now can be connected with a USB (a Universal Serial Bus) port, making it truly universal. Some printers
may use different options to connect the printer to a camera and to connect it to a computer. There are printers
available that connect with the help of 25-pin parallel cables. For larger workgroups, it is advisable that you buy
a printer that hooks directly to the network via Ethernet port.
2.7 - Paper Handling
This feature of the printer covers the size and the thickness of various papers that the printer can use and, the
standard and optional input and output tray capacity. Usually, all inkjets and personal laser printers use standard
letter and legal sized papers, envelopes and have input and output trays that can hold on an average, 100 sheets at
a time. However, some portable and high-end models have advanced paper-handling capabilities such as; tabloid-size
printing, duplexing (printing on both sides), and auto document feeders for faxing and copying.
Finally, here are some serious questions you will want to ask yourself before you go out and purchase your new printer
If you are a home user or a professional photographer and you want your printer to tackle everything from a book
report to a newsletter to the occasional photo printing, then a small color inkjet would be advisable. This printer would
not break your budget and can get the job done as well.
If you are a budding novelist and wish to become the next ‘J.K. Rowling’ then you would need a printer
that can spit out page after page of text in less time. In this case, a personal laser printer would suit your needs.
If you are an entrepreneur and you have your office at home then a Multi-Function Printer or an All-in-One Printer
would be an excellent choice.
