joserick
Print Lurker
Whether you're a professional photographer or a camera-loving smartphone user, your photos can add up quickly and take up a lot of space on your hard drive. There's nothing like having thousands of digital photos on hand.
For the more memorable photos, you will certainly want a printed version. Whether you want to add a beautiful portrait or photo to your portfolio, or just want to print a beautiful picture as a keepsake, you want to make sure that your print is as high quality as the original photo. Here are some features your new printer should have to give you the best of printed photos:
Inkjet printer or photo printer
Experts recommend inkjet printers for photographers, graphic designers, and others who rely heavily on printed photos and images. Although inkjet printers can have a slightly higher cost of ownership, they produce much higher quality images than laser printers. Similar to inkjet printers, photo printers also produce higher quality images, but photo printers are used almost exclusively for photos - instead of inkjet printers that can be used for presentations, data tables, and other documents.
When deciding whether to get a photo printer or an inkjet printer, consider your printing needs. Photo printers can often accept digital camera memory cards directly, so you don't even have to plug your printer into a PC to print. Many photo printers are also smaller than inkjet printers, making them more portable.
Both photo and inkjet printers can produce borderless images much like film prints. However, photo printers are generally slower than inkjet printers when it comes to producing these images, and photo printers can require special paper and ribbon, which increases operating costs.
Unlike inkjet printers, photo printers cannot use standard 8.5x11 inch paper and cannot print black text well. This makes them much less versatile than inkjet printers and less desirable for careers with printing needs beyond photography. Photo printers are generally preferable if you are printing only or mostly photos, and inkjet printers are good if you need a little more versatility.
Color and image quality
For great color quality, make sure your printer enables an ink set containing pigmented cartridges with vibrant, stable colors and smooth gradations. This should also include very pronounced black tones with fine details. It's also worth looking at the ink droplet size - you want a minimum ink droplet size of around 3.5pl - to produce the sharpest images. Printers that offer higher maximum resolutions also produce gallery-quality color and black-and-white prints. Try looking for printers that have maximum resolutions of 2280x1440 or 4800x2400 dpi, or similar high resolutions.
Compatibility with different media
Compatibility with different media types is another important factor when choosing a printer. This can mean printing directly to CDs or DVDs, USB 2.0 ports, or other media. This may not be necessary for a 4x6 photo printer. However, with inkjet printers, make sure that your printer supports different lengths of paper. Many will support 4x6 "and standard 8x11.5" photos and pages. But based on your needs, you may want to make sure it can handle large prints and larger sheets of paper, 17 inches wide and larger.
Finding the right printer depends on your individual needs and applications. However, as a photographer or amateur photographer, you want a printer that delivers the high quality prints you have come to expect. There's nothing worse than taking a nice photo just to create a grainy image when you print it.
For the more memorable photos, you will certainly want a printed version. Whether you want to add a beautiful portrait or photo to your portfolio, or just want to print a beautiful picture as a keepsake, you want to make sure that your print is as high quality as the original photo. Here are some features your new printer should have to give you the best of printed photos:
Inkjet printer or photo printer
Experts recommend inkjet printers for photographers, graphic designers, and others who rely heavily on printed photos and images. Although inkjet printers can have a slightly higher cost of ownership, they produce much higher quality images than laser printers. Similar to inkjet printers, photo printers also produce higher quality images, but photo printers are used almost exclusively for photos - instead of inkjet printers that can be used for presentations, data tables, and other documents.
When deciding whether to get a photo printer or an inkjet printer, consider your printing needs. Photo printers can often accept digital camera memory cards directly, so you don't even have to plug your printer into a PC to print. Many photo printers are also smaller than inkjet printers, making them more portable.
Both photo and inkjet printers can produce borderless images much like film prints. However, photo printers are generally slower than inkjet printers when it comes to producing these images, and photo printers can require special paper and ribbon, which increases operating costs.
Unlike inkjet printers, photo printers cannot use standard 8.5x11 inch paper and cannot print black text well. This makes them much less versatile than inkjet printers and less desirable for careers with printing needs beyond photography. Photo printers are generally preferable if you are printing only or mostly photos, and inkjet printers are good if you need a little more versatility.
Color and image quality
For great color quality, make sure your printer enables an ink set containing pigmented cartridges with vibrant, stable colors and smooth gradations. This should also include very pronounced black tones with fine details. It's also worth looking at the ink droplet size - you want a minimum ink droplet size of around 3.5pl - to produce the sharpest images. Printers that offer higher maximum resolutions also produce gallery-quality color and black-and-white prints. Try looking for printers that have maximum resolutions of 2280x1440 or 4800x2400 dpi, or similar high resolutions.
Compatibility with different media
Compatibility with different media types is another important factor when choosing a printer. This can mean printing directly to CDs or DVDs, USB 2.0 ports, or other media. This may not be necessary for a 4x6 photo printer. However, with inkjet printers, make sure that your printer supports different lengths of paper. Many will support 4x6 "and standard 8x11.5" photos and pages. But based on your needs, you may want to make sure it can handle large prints and larger sheets of paper, 17 inches wide and larger.
Finding the right printer depends on your individual needs and applications. However, as a photographer or amateur photographer, you want a printer that delivers the high quality prints you have come to expect. There's nothing worse than taking a nice photo just to create a grainy image when you print it.