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HP Photosmart 475
GoGo Photo Printer
The HP Photosmart 475
is portable, easy to use,
and one of the few that
print 5-by-7 photos.
$250 street
go.pcmag.com/
hp425gogo
ANALYST’S VIEW
BY M. DAVID STONE
Almost as important is what the printer can print THE PHONE CALL USUALLY COMES
from: cameras, computers, or memory cards. Nearly
right after friends and family go
all dedicated photo printers today include a PictBridge
shopping on their own for a photo
connector, which lets you use a PictBridge-enabled
printer and come back confused.
camera’s LCD and menus to print. Most photo printers
can also connect to a computer by USB cable,
they need to decide if they want
There are so many choices. First
which may or may not be included with the printer, and
a standard desktop ink jet or a
they typically come with software that lets you manage
dedicated photo printer. If they
your photos as well as edit and print them. This can be
handy if you want to reprint photos later. Unless you’re
convinced you’ll never want to store your photos on your
computer and you have another storage plan, make sure
that the printer can connect to your computer.
llllm
settle on buying a dedicated unit, they’ll have to figure
out if they want ink jet or thermal dye. That’s when
they remember they have an expert resource to call on.
The most common question I get is, What’s the difference
between thermal dye and ink jet printers? I usually
take a deep breath, because as simple as the answer
You’ll generally have to pay more for printers with PRINTING CHOICES
memory card slots, because the slots are usually paired Canon Selphy DS810 is (at least to me), it’s equally complicated to convey.
with a color LCD and built-in menus. The combination
This printer lets you print The short answer is that there’s plenty of difference in
lets you preview photos as well as crop or enhance on its less expensive the printer technologies themselves, but a tremendous
paper, but you can also
them, much like using a photo kiosk. If a printer offers step up to quality suitable
for framing.
photo ratio, photo quality, and water resistance. And of
overlap in the features—those features being cost-per-
these features, find out what editing tools it has; some
printers offer lots more than others. And don’t overlook $149.99 direct
course, at the end of the day, your choice will depend
the LCD size. It’s much easier to preview photos on a go.pcmag.com/
on the features you value most. The tips below have
canonDS810
2.5-inch screen than on a 1.5-inch one.
helped many a friend and family member choose the
llllm
You’ll want to consider paper size, cost per photo,
perfect printer.
and portability. In addition to the usual 4-by-6 size, a AFFORDABLE
First, let’s clear up a common misconception.
few photo printers offer smaller or larger paper sizes, ALTERNATIVE
Thermal dye printers do not print better-looking photos
than ink jets. They did several years ago, but they
Canon Selphy CP510
or both.
Compact Photo Printer
Cost per 4-by-6 print ranges from about 28 cents Small, lightweight, and no longer do. The reality today is that both technologies
up to more than 60 cents. If you don’t print a lot of photos,
offers the best combina-
can produce good-looking output, but four of the
the cost may not matter much, particularly if the tion of running cost (at five best photo printers I’ve seen since mid-2004 are
29 cents per photo) and
printer offers some other feature you want, like a low
ink jets.
output quality for the
initial price or fast print speed. But the more photos price.
The bad news about prints generated by ink jet
you print, the more critical the cost per photo will be. $99.99 direct
printers is that most ink jet output isn’t waterproof.
In almost all cases you can buy packs of paper and ink go.pcmag.com/
Even after the ink is dry, you can ruin a typical ink jet
canonCP510
or paper and dye rolls for a specific number of photos,
photo easily: Just pass it around for people to handle
llllm
so you’ll know exactly how many photos you can print
and at what price: simply divide the price of the pack
by the number of photos it can print. —MDS
on a humid day. The ribbons in thermal dye printers,
however, include an overcoat panel to coat the finished
photo and protect it. The result is a photo that you can
handle without ruining, even immediately after printing.
Try that with most ink jets and you’ll smudge the
RECENT REVIEWS
photo—or at least get fingerprints on it. Some ink jets,
Canon Pixma
iP5200R
$230
street
llllm Fast, prints great photos, and has
support for wireless networking.
like the Epson PictureMate Deluxe, offer the same
level of waterproofing as a thermal dye printer, but
Olympus P-11 $150
street
lllhm It's compact, inexpensive, and delivers
swift 4-by-6 prints.
most don’t.
Ultimately, ink jets are more likely to give you
Dell Photo Allin-One
964
$199.00
direct
lllmm It's not fast, but it's fine for mundane
home office work.
better-quality photos, yet you risk unpredictable costs
and smudging. Thermal dye photo quality isn’t as highly
Kodak Easy-
Share 500
$199.95
direct
llllm This Kodak prints excellent 4-by-6
photos and has plenty of ports.
rated, but with thermal dye you know your photos won’t
smudge and you can calculate costs more efficiently.
Canon Pixma
MP950
$399.99
direct
llllm A talented multifunction printer that
will tackle almost any printing task.
Instead of calling me, research your printers until you
find one that can give you everything you want. They’re
Canon Pixma
iP6600D
$199.99
direct
lllhm Foremost an excellent photo printer.
Text output is average.
out there—like the 29-cent-per-photo Epson Picture-
Mate Deluxe ink jet.
MORE DEDICATED PHOTO PRINTER REVIEWS ONLINE
M. David Stone is PC Magazine’s Lead Analyst for
Check out all our photo printer reviews at go.pcmag.com/photoprinters. Printers.
YYePG Proudly Presents, Thx for Support
MAY 9, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 31