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Sony Digital Photo Printers

ClubPrinter — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:24:17 +0000

Sony is among several companies that are very conscious about offering the best photography experience an amateur photographer can find. Sony digital cameras are among the top sold cameras on the market. The difference between this company and others, like HP, is that up until now they didn’t offer any amazing printing devices to pair up with their cameras.

This happened up to the release of the SnapLab digital photo printer, the Sony UPC-R10L. The SnapLab was developed to best fit the needs of event photographers and users that tend to visit fairs and need to print photography wherever they are. This printer can mostly be considered a standalone photo system that also includes some pretty amazing editing features.

Aside from printing, it also offers several editing tools that allow you to manipulate images in any way you want. While there are many photo printers that work quite well without a PC, the user still has to connect the printer to a PC, or the digital camera, on any occasion when they want to do some serious modifications to a certain photograph. Sony’s SnapLab eliminates that need and proves to much more efficient and rewarding when working without a PC. What this printer basically aims to provide (and for the most part does manage to offer) is lab quality photo prints on the go.

These sony digital photo printers come, as mentioned before, with a whole set of useful features. Data spooling technology allows you to remove the memory card from the slot when printing, if you need to use the card for something else. Different sizes of prints are supported and the user can work with 3.5 x 5 inch, 4 by 6 inch or 5 by 7 inch media.

Since it makes use of the dye-sublimation technology (which is generally considered the top technology for producing lab quality photography) any trace of dots of ink is completely eliminated. The printing speed claimed by the manufacturer is simply outstanding. A 4 by 6 inch photo should print out in about 16 seconds and a 5 by 7 inch in 17 seconds.

If you’re the kind of person whose business relies on making greeting cards with ease, this printer can allow it on the move and away from a PC. Editing tools the printer comes with will allow zooming, rotating and cropping among other things. An 8 inch touch sensitive color display with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels will work quite well with previewing photography as well as navigating through the menu. For professionals, the main target of this printer, the SnapLab also includes remote monitoring and management software.

Users that plan to get multiple SnapLabs can make use of Sony’s optional Remote Monitoring system software that allows the changing of pricing or running promotions displayed on the printer’s LCD screen. Sony managed to achieve the goal they set with sony digital photo printers and does in fact offer users a personal photo lab experience in the comfort of their homes and small businesses.

Sony UP CX1 Photo Printers

ClubPrinter — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:42:50 +0000

The Sony UP-CX1 is a high speed photo printer that offers high quality and at the same time a small form factor. As technology the printer uses dye sublimation. Two technologies are generally used for photo printers, dye-sublimation or inkjet. Lately manufacturers are also working on a technology with no ink for instant photo printing, but Zink printers are still few and far between and the technology is being perfected. UP CX1 mainly targets small businesses and was also created for being used to print at events.

What makes dye-sublimation different (and in some ways better) than inkjet is that it features a roll of transparent film with solid dyes embedded in it, corresponding to the four colors generally used in printing, cyan, magenta and black. As the print head passes over this film, it heats up and causes the ink to vaporize. The ink is then transferred onto the glossy surface of the paper and turns into solid.

With dye-sublimation the prints are long-lasting and look professional. Most printers also apply an extra transparent coat at the finish to serve as a protective layer. A significant difference between inkjet and dye-sublimation is that the latter does not lay down ink in small separate dots and makes photographs look much more realistic.

The UP-CX1 makes use of roll printing which also allows higher volume printing. It can produce photos of 3.5 by 5 inch, 4 by 6 inch, 5 by 7 inch or 4 by 8 inch. These Sony UP CX1 photo printers also offer very high printing speeds. A 4 by 8 inch print for example will take just about 21 seconds to produce which is significantly faster than most competing devices.

As soon as you receive the printer you’ll also find in the box a manual, paper holder, the paper tray, an AC Power Cord, Cleaning Cartridge, a CD-ROM with drivers and instructions in pdf format and the warranty which is 1 year for the actual printer and 90 days for the thermal head. Sony’s UP CX1 photo printers are compatible with both PC and Macintosh and as previously mentioned come with the printer driver software.

The drivers can also be found online on Sony’s website. Because Sony managed to keep the size relatively small, this printer will fit just about anywhere. Maintaining the UP CX1 is very simple. The paper is even rolled with the printing surface inside so when you decide to replace it or adjust it you won’t leave finger prints or dust on the printing area.

In case you’re worried about theft, this photo printer comes with a security slot built in. You’ll simply have to purchase a security cable that you can easily find on the market to make sure your printer is safe. If you have a small business and are looking for a fast and efficient printer to produce good quality photographs, you could consider the Sony UP CX1 photo printers that now retail for somewhere under $800.

Heavy Duty Photo Printers

ClubPrinter — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:41:53 +0000

Most photo printers on the market, dedicated for the regular users have one thing in common. They are slow and usually low capacity. This is why there’s generally a choice between a printer you’d use in an office as well, that yields a larger number of copies per minute, such as an inkjet all-in-one that can also print photos, or a dedicated photo printer that has much better print quality but will require you to go do something around the house everytime you hit print (as it will always take a while to print even a 4 by 6 inch photo).

So, is there such a thing as a fast, heavy duty photo printer? Only if you’re prepared to spend a larger amount of money on a professional photo printer. Among the good choices out there is the Sony UP-DR200 high speed professional photo printer. It delivers an impressive combination of speed and high quality as well as advanced digital photofinishing.

While its initial cost is rather expensive, it is meant to be used for retailers. It is also relatively profitable and cost efficient. The printer comes with Sony’s patented technolgy, the proMatte finish that ‘fakes’ the look of traditional matte photos. It produces matte, finger print resistant photos. Aside from the ProMatte, you can also use the glossy finish for your typical shiny prints. There is no need to change paper or the ink ribbon to switch from one finish to another, although changing the paper roll or the ink ribbon isn’t hard to do at all. You simply have to open the front panel and replace them.

As for capacity, it’s rather outstanding. It can hold a roll for about 800 5 by 7 inch prints or 700 for 4 by 6 inch photos. The technology it uses is dye sublimation thermal transfer, hence the quality of the prints is outstanding. As for speed, it will produce a photo around every 8 seconds in 4 by 6 inch (just about 10 seconds in 5 by 7 inch). The maximum size of prints it can produce is 6 by 8 inch and in around an hour it will produce about 450 4 by 6 inch photos.

The Sony UP-DR200 was designed for retail and event photography and is suitable for photo kiosks or retail outlets. It is more than capable of holding strong in busy retail environments, due to its speed and high capacity and frankly, worth the money being payed on it.

Its built in LCD panel will display the print status and provide convenient monitoring. You’ll know how many prints are left or if any errors occurred during the print job. The UP-DR200 is also equipped with a USB 2.0 interface that allows fast image data transfer, and you’ll get a driver software CD along with it that’s compatible with Windows XP and Vista. You’ll find the heavy duty photo printer at around $1,200, which is a more than competitive and affordable price for what it has to offer.

Sony DPP-MP1 Digital Photo Printer

ClubPrinter — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:57:11 +0000

Digital photography implies mobility. To be good at it, you need to have a good quality camera that you can take along with ease anywhere you go. If you want to also print your pictures, this would usually imply that you go back home, connect the camera to your PC and just use the bulky printer on your desk to put your art onto paper. But what if you could do that on the go?

Sony came up with a solution for people who want a small, portable printer, the Sony DPP-MP1 digital photo printer. The device is remarkably small and lightweight. Without the battery and paper tray, it weighs just under one pound. And as to it’s size, most digital cameras measure more than it.

In the pack, it comes with a paper tray, AC adapter, USB cable and a test printing pack. The optional battery pack can be attached to the end of the printer. With it, you may use the printer just about anywhere. Also included are for rechargeable AA batteries (1700 mAH, NiMH) as well as a charger for them. It uses a dye sublimation type thermal print system and can hold a maximum of 12 paper sheets in it’s tray.

There are two ways that you can use the printer. The quickest and probably most convenient is to remove the Memory Stick from your digital camera and insert it into the printer. Make sure to use the Digital Print Order Form on your camera before taking the card out. After that, just press the DPOF button on the printer, to print out all the pictures that you’ve placed on the list. There’s also an option to select the printer and number of prints manually.

If that doesn’t do it for you, you could always connect the printer to a computer (via the USB port) and use any graphics program for printing your pictures out. You should have also installed the printer’s drivers beforehand.

The DPP-MP1 can print borderless 3.8 megapixel 3.25 by 2 inch photos, the quality is way above average and the speed isn’t bad either. It will take just about 90 seconds to print a picture straight from your digital camera’s memory stick. The quality of the photo, after print, is great too. The prints are waterproof and will not deteriorate. For printing, it uses durable business card-size paper, that can be easily found on the market in packs of 24.

Other features include tone and color management, date stamping and a feature called ‘fit’ which basically shrinks large images into a smaller frame, without eliminating the edges of the shot. As a conclusion, the Sony DPP-MP1 digital photo printer is palm-sized, high quality, and a perfect companion for your digital camera. In a couple of minutes, you could have snapped the picture as well as printed it out, to show your friends.