Let’s take a quick look at photo printers which promise speed and quality.
Epson Picturemate Snap 4 x 6 Photo Printer
As its name suggests, Picturemate Snap is limited to 4×6 prints but you can print in the two up mode on a single sheet. Print quality is impressive. If you need to print your images on the go, this printer would suit your taste. For ease of mobility, a handle is provided to carry the printer around like a lunchbox
Apart from printing images from your computer, the printer accepts memory cards from cameras. You can also transfer images from devices which are Bluetooth-enabled. It comes with a 2,5-inch LCD screen where you can preview your images before printing. You can print photos up to a resolution of 5760 x 720 dpi and a single print doesn’t take more than a minute.
Picturemate comes with basic built-in photo editing capabilities. You can, for instance, apply preset borders to your images or undertake borderless printing.
Kodak Easyshare Printer Dock
If you have a Kodak camera, this would be the printer to go for. But then the dock can also double as a standalone printer for other PictBridge cameras. You’ll be disappointed if you plan to transfer images to the printer via your camera’s memory card. Easyshare doesn’t come with that facility. You would have to buy an optional device for that.
The printer can handle a 4×6 print at 300dpi within a minute.Although print quality nears that produced at a professional photo lab, you’ll find the cost per print a little steep. Still, Kodak Easyshare Printer Dock comes in handy if you need good quality prints quickly.
HP Deskjet 6980DT
If you’re looking for fast printer which is cost-efficient, Deskjet 6980DT will be an option worth considering. It comes with a two-sided duplexer unit that helps keep printing cost low. Added to this is the option to replace ink cartridges individually.
Also, if you feel that you shouldn’t splash money on a photo-only printer, Deskjet 6980DT also handles other forms of printing well. For instance it can print black and white document drafts up to thirty-six pages per minute and eight pages less for color printing. There’s also Wi-Fi support in case you don’t have Ethernet support.
Canon Pixma iP6000D Photo Printer
This is another printer that could double as a document printer in cases of emergency. However, it performs far better as a photo printer. You could preview your images on a 2.5-inch LCD screen before printing them. There are two USB ports thrown in. This is handy because you could use the extra port to connect to your PictBridge camera.
The printer supports most memory cards and you can edit and print photos without the aid of a computer. To produce superb prints, the iP6000D uses six colours – cyan, yellow, magenta, black, light cyan, and light magenta – all in individual cartridges.
