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By Damian Koh
Nov 15, 2006

When it comes to dedicated photo printers whose sole purpose in life is to print 4R pictures, there are many to choose from. Canon has the SELPHY series, Epson has the PictureMates, HP has the Photosmarts and, of course, Sony has the PictureStations. In June this year, Sony announced two new models--the DPP-FP55 and DPP-FP35--as its latest digital photo printers. The two are alike, except that the FP55 comes with a 2.0-inch LCD and built-in memory card slots.

The design of the FP55 is rather straightforward with the control panel occupying a strip of estate on the face of the unit. The buttons are well-labeled and there's a directional keypad which will allow you to scroll through your pictures. The 2.0-inch LCD sits entrenched on the top right corner of the FP55 at an angle. Apparently, there's no way you can adjust the viewing angle of the screen.

With a footprint of 175 x 137mm and a height of 60mm, this Sony is considerably small, though you'll have to make allowances for the detachable paper holding tray that juts out. The unit alone, without the AC adapter, weighs 1.1kg.

Built-in memory card slots are a disappointment, though. The onboard reader is compatible with only the Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Micro (with adapter) and Secure Digital cards, which is really a bummer since most competing models are capable of reading a lot more formats then these.

Connectivity-wise, you can print either via your PC or PictBridge. You won't be lugging this printer to your next beach party unless there's a ready source of AC output. Currently, there's no option for an external battery pack and the machine is powered by mains.

According to Sony, the FP55 can print a postcard-sized photo in 63 seconds when connected to the PC. The unit is also optimized to read the memory cards at high speeds, but we have our reservations, especially if the media are holding high-resolution pictures. The company also claims that with its proprietary Super Coat 2 lamination, photos will be protected from fading, yellowing, distortion by fingerprints, dust and sunlight, and are water-resistant.

Other treats on this printer comprise basic image-editing functions such as photo calendars, various printing modes, index printing and red-eye reduction. Sony currently sells the photo paper and ink ribbon cartridge as a pack, so users won't have to worry about either one running out before the other. There's the option of picking the 40-piece, 80-piece or 120-piece pack which go for S$20 (US$14.71), S$34 (US$24.00) and S$40 (US$29.41), respectively.

The Sony DPP-FP55 is currently available in stores at a retail price of S$259 (US$190.44).

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