Photo printer: What type of user are you?While specs can serve as a guide to what you should look out for, it does not say what fits you. Choosing the right photo printer can be as simple as looking for one that fits your needs. To steer you towards a better purchase, we've distinguished four user profiles that you'll be able to identify with.
What to expect: Users in this category comprise mostly students or those looking to carry out basic print jobs, or the occasional photo. Being in this category, most of these users typically own low-resolution cameras and thus gain nothing by having a high-quality printer. To keep running costs low, it's recommended that prices of consumables be researched before deciding on the model of the printer. You should also note that a budget printer isn't going to have all the bells and whistles of a higher-end model. Entry-level printers also tend to be the slowest, especially when printing color.
What to expect: Many families seek only moderate-quality photo prints, as well as some text documents for the occasional office work. For this group of people, four-color (CYMK) printers will more than suffice for photo outputs of up to 8R size. The users in this profile will more than likely own a 2-megapixel (or above) digital camera and appreciate the improved print resolution. You may also find additional value-added extras like direct connection to digital cameras in this price range. To save on running costs, look for a unit that gives the option of separate cartridges for different color inks.
What to expect: If your business relies heavily on photos (say you're a graphics professional or professional photographer), you'll probably want to spend just that bit more to obtain a photo printer that outputs quickly and with high-quality results. It may come as a surprise to some, but printers in this category typically don't do well with text documents. The inkjet units are often optimized well with sophisticated dithering schemes and six-color inks for good image quality. There is also the choice of specialized dye-sublimation printers for the ability to produce continuous tone images.
What to expect: If you're a road warrior, you'd no doubt require a unit that is foremost light and small. For true portability, it's recommended that you find photo printers that offer battery packs and connectivity via other interfaces such as IrDA or Bluetooth. While these units are compact, many actually offer output quality that rival family desktop printers.
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