Digital Photography Tutorials » Printers

Canon Pixma iP1800 Printer Review

lau — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 18:25:56 +0000

Canon Pixma iP1800 photo printer is small enough to fit just about anyplace, measuring 6 x 17.4 x 9.3 inches. When setting it up you have to align the print heads manually (manual alignment involves printing an alignment page, picking the best-looking choices for each of several alignment samples, and then entering the settings in the printer driver) – if you don’t want so, you should look for a more expensive printer.

This printer from Canon is fast (around 2 min for a whole photo) and provides good quality ink prints. the text quality is good enough for most business needs, and certainly good enough for school (not too sharp), and, as for the graphics and pictures, in high-quality mode, and a tendency it can get as good as possible for a ink jet printer. In default mode you may get thin lines over the images.

You won’t notice any big problems in color rendering: rarely and only you use a magnifier you can see traces of colors in black and white prints and slight bluish shift in some photos.
The prints are water resistant even this is an ink printer I’m talking about, however, be careful not to scratch them. Canon claims they will resist fading for 100 years if kept in dark storage, as in an album; 30 years if kept behind glass; and 10 years if exposed to the air. iP1800 a great choice adequate quality, and the terrific performance at a low price.

Tags: canon printer, canon photo printer, canon pixma, Canon Pixma iP1800, photo printer

Compact Photo Printer SELPHY ES2 and ES20 from Canon

lau — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:25:36 +0000

Canon launched this week two new additions to its Selphy range of dye-sublimation printers, offering up to 6×4″ prints with the minimum of hassle. The Canon Selphy E2 replaces the previous ES1 and sports an articulated 3.0″ LCD, wireless printing via IrDA (Bluetooth with an optional adaptor) and may be powered from an optional battery pack. The Selphy E20 meanwhile features a fixed 2.5″ screen and does without wireless connectivity and battery power, and for the ultimate print-anywhere experience, the SELPHY ES2 features an optional battery pack. The newly improved Auto Image Optimisation, provides automatic correction of common flaws: face brightness can be optimised with no effect on background levels, and overexposure and underexposure are detected and adjusted for improved results.
Canonâ€™s Easy System, which uses handy integrated ink and media cassettes, is complemented by one-touch operation and a generous 50-sheet capacity. For added ease of use, the SELPHY ES2 incorporates Canonâ€™s intuitive Easy-Scroll Wheel, offering complete control of all key functions.
Features at a glance:
*Unique integrated ink and media cassette â€“ the Easy Photo Pack â€“ colour coded for easy identification
*Stylish vertical design with small footprint and carry handle
*3.0â€ tilt-up colour LCD viewer (fixed 2.5â€ on SELPHY ES20)
*Easy Scroll Wheel (SELPHY ES2 only)
*DIGIC II processing ( improved processing algorithms offer new rapid start-up times, plus card reading and image viewing times up to ten times faster than on previous models)
*Direct printing from most popular memory card formats1
*Dedicated Creative Print button
*Image Adjustments including Image Optimize, Image Trim, My Colors, and improved Red-Eye Correction
*Wireless printing via IrDA (SELPHY ES2 only) and optional Bluetooth
*Optional battery pack (SELPHY ES2 only)

For convenient, stress-free printing, the SELPHY ES2 and ES20 use Canonâ€™s Easy Photo Packs â€“ special integrated ink and media cassettes that offer near-instant loading and sufficient ink and paper for 50 prints. Users can choose from three different printing sizes, with selected formats offering both colour and a dedicated Black and White version: all packs are colour-coded for easy identification, and include a slip to present at stores when replacements are required. Cartridges can be swapped quickly and easily mid-way through use, and because both ink and paper are stored inside the printer, the risk of dust affecting prints is minimised. Both the SELPHY ES2 and ES20 achieve a compact design by outputting prints to the top of the printer â€“ eliminating the need for a bulky paper cassette. Finished in attractive cappuccino (SELPHY ES2) and elegant white (SELPHY ES20) colour schemes, their smooth, modern lines complement virtually any home.

Both models use exceptional print head control technology to produce top-quality, high resolution glossy prints. Minimal graininess and professional-looking gradation are assured by a dye-sublimation printing process, which generates up to 16.8 million colours and ensures that prints are dry to the touch from the moment they emerge. Photos are finished with a durable, high-gloss protective layer, which guards against water, oil, gas and fingerprints; kept in a photo album, prints retain their quality for up to 100 years.

As well as applying useful edits such as improved Red-Eye Correction, image trimming and My Colors effects, users can transform their pictures using the dedicated Creative Print button. It provides a wide range of attractive album designs, calendars and impressive Multi-Layout prints â€“ plus fun picture additions like speech bubbles, clip art and frames. The SELPHY ES2 also includes a selection of Filter Effects such as Faded Edges, Soft Focus and Star Lights.

Available media includes:
* Post Card Size â€“ (Easy Photo Pack E-P50, Easy Photo Pack E-P100)
* Post Card Size (Black and White) â€“ (Easy Photo Pack E-P25BW)
* L Size (89mm x 119mm) â€“ (Easy Photo Pack E-L50, Easy Photo Pack E-L100)
* Card Size (54mm x 86mm) â€“ (Easy Photo Pack E-C25)
* Card Size Labels (54mm x 86mm) â€“ (Easy Photo Pack E-C25L)

Software: The SELPHY ES2 and SELPHY ES20 are supplied with Canonâ€™s Solution Disk, containing easy to use software for managing, storing and printing images via PC.
Accessories: NB-ES1L Battery Pack (for SELPHY ES2), BU-20 Bluetooth Unit.

Tags: selphy photo printer, selphy es2, shelpy es20, photo printer, canon photo printer

HP Photosmart Pro B8350 Printer Review

lau — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:26:41 +0000

The HP Pro B8350 printer is designed for (digital) photographers and hobbyists who want to be able to print long-lasting, professional-quality photos as large as A3, using a desktop printer that is affordable and also ideal for fast everyday printing.
The HP Photosmart Pro B8350 is fast printer which saves you time when you are printing your holiday photos in a 10 x 15cm format in as fast as 26 seconds. You can print up to 5000 pages per month.
A3 formats can be printed in 3.5 minutes.
The 6-ink photographs, with the use of HP Vivera inks, look great and are long-lasting: photos resist fading for generations.
It also provides extendable input and output trays, plus rear paper path for thicker or wider paper, HP Photosmart Essential Software, optional duplexer, optional grey cartridge, optional Ethernet/wireless print servers.
The best print quality is up to 4800 x 1200 optimised dpi when printing from a computer and 1200 input dpi.

Tags: HP Photosmart Pro B8350, HP Photosmart Printer, photo printer, hp, printer, hp printer, Photosmart Pro B8350, hp B8350

FUJIFILM Introduces Digital Photo Printers for Professional Photographers

lau — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:36:45 +0000

As FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc. informs in a pressrelease, at the Imaging USA conference in San Antonio, 16 January 2007, the ASK-4000 and ASK-2000 Digital Printers made their entrance on the market.

The ASK-4000 and ASK-2000 Digital Printers allow studio, wedding and event photographers to quickly and easily provide customers with 4 x 6 inch prints in 8 seconds and 8 x 10 inch prints in 40 seconds (in other words, up to 225 prints per hour). They use standard AC100-240V current, and the following output sizes: 4 x 6-inch, 5 x 7-inch, 6 x 8-inch, 6 x 9-inch prints.
Both printers feature color-correction software incorporating Fujifilm’s Image Intelligenceâ„¢ technology, giving photographers lab-quality prints regardless of their location.
One intresting fact about these printers is the use of chemical-free dye-sublimation print technology. This method involves an ink ribbon, heated by a thermal head and coated with dye, which transfers the dye onto special coated paper. The paper absorbs the dye to form visible images, and is then sealed by a protective UV overcoat layer to provide a water-resistant barrier, helping to ensure the preservation of images.

“Our new printers are the perfect solution for on-site event and wedding photography,” said James Riekert, Director of Marketing â€“ Kiosks, Imaging Division, FUJIFILM U.S.A. “With today’s announcement, we’re bringing our printing expertise directly to professional photographers and giving them the solution they need to deliver beautiful, high-quality photographs to their customers almost immediately following an event.”