| As more and more of us have turned to digital | | | | resolution capability with a higher dpi meaning that |
| photography there has been a huge surge in demand | | | | there are more dots, smaller in size and giving an |
| for printers that can deliver photo print quality | | | | image that is sharper as it is more difficult to |
| reproduction that we have been used to with a | | | | distinguish between the individual dots than with a |
| developer shop. With the development of improved | | | | printer that has a lower dpi. For photo print quality |
| technology delivering a wider range of printing options | | | | you will be looking for a dpi of 600 while typically a |
| you will find a bedazzling array of photo quality | | | | printer will offer a dpi of anything between 300 and |
| printers to choose from so here we shall give you | | | | 3500 dpi. Aside from dpi, the other factor you need |
| some sound advice as to what you should be looking | | | | to consider in producing good quality reproduction |
| for in a new photo printer. | | | | prints is the quality of the paper that you use and |
| Compact Photo Printers | | | | the number of colors the printer is using. |
| These are portable and will connect directly to your | | | | Color Management |
| digital camera or PC as well as having a slot for the | | | | Usually you will see a photo printer using three to six |
| memory card to be directly inserted into them and | | | | color combinations to reproduce color prints. The |
| allow download and printing of the photos directly. | | | | more colors that the printer is using the better the |
| A drawback is that they are limited in what they can | | | | finished article as you tend to get a blurring or |
| produce. The size of the photo print created is | | | | fogging of darker colors if you use three colors only. |
| usually a lot smaller than that of a desktop printer | | | | More color cartridges however means more expense |
| but they do print photo quality prints faster. | | | | as a rule, so keep an eye on the cost of these |
| Check the compatibility between the photo printer | | | | consumables when you are looking at buying a photo |
| and your camera to ensure they will operate | | | | printer. |
| together properly. | | | | Printer Type |
| Desktop Photo Printers | | | | You have a general choice from two types of printer |
| These printers are capable of stand alone operation | | | | that are differentiated by how they apply the ink to |
| or work in conjunction with your computer. They | | | | the paper. Laser printers use heat to force the ink |
| tend to provide a wider range of print size options as | | | | through the print head and onto the paper but they |
| well as they are larger and tend to offer more paper | | | | produce dots of differing sizes which in turn leads to |
| handling options than their compact brothers. You will | | | | a less sharp image being reproduced. An ink jet |
| find that they are more expensive but for the extra | | | | printer will spray the ink onto the paper in a gradual |
| you get higher printing resolution and a faster | | | | series of layers that results in a uniform dot size and |
| operation speed than a regular desktop printer. | | | | a much sharper image being reproduced. You will tend |
| Indeed, it is not unusual to find that they have all the | | | | to find that the better quality photo printers use ink |
| functional capabilities of a regular desktop printer. | | | | jet technology though laser printers are improving a |
| What is DPI? | | | | great deal. |
| DPI or dots-per-inch is the measure of a printers | | | | |