An Introduction to Professional Photo Printers
Published: June 24, 2002
Is it possible to purchase a speedy printer that produces great-looking prints at an affordable price?
It depends on your needs and your budget, but if you understand the prevalent printing technologies, and the advantages and disadvantages of each, you'll be well-equipped to choose the printer that best suits your workflow.
An Overview of Printer Types
There are three main printer types that are capable of professional quality output from digital originals.
| • | Inkjet. Arguably the most popular type of photo printing device, an inkjet printer sprays tiny amounts of dye-based or pigmented ink through a series of nozzles onto the paper. Today, photo quality inkjets may have a resolution as high as 2880 dpi, which translates into sharp, pattern-free prints. Many also offer six different colors of ink (seven colors are now emerging on the market), which can enhance the smoothness of color transitions in the print. |
| • | Dye-sublimation. A carefully-controlled heating element transfers small, variable-size dots of pigment from a three or four-color ribbon to the paper. Dye-sub prints are known for their smooth color transitions in particular. |
| • | Fujifilm PG-series. Fujifilm's PG3500 and PG4000-II printers use a special dye-transfer process; the resulting prints have a look and feel that closely mimics traditional photographic color prints, with excellent sharpness. Both PG-series printers include a calibration system that enables them to produce consistent output. |
Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Printer Type
Each type of printer offers advantages and disadvantages. The type of printer you select depends on your workflow and which features are most important to your workflow.
Inkjet | | • | Lowest cost of entry of the major digital printer types, at least for printers that offer up to about 13-by-19-inch print sizes | | • | A wide variety of models enable prints of every size, from wallet to poster | | • | Pigmented ink printers offer long-life prints | | • | An endless array of paper types, as well as choice of special-purpose inks | | • | Reasonable ink and media costs | | • | Print quality very good to excellent |
| | • | Most inkjet printers are slow compared to dye-sublimation or Fujifilm's PG-series. | | • | Prints are less durable than prints from other printer types | | • | Prints from pigmented ink printers are subject to metamerism, where colors appears to shift noticeably under different light sources | | • | Some inkjets struggle when printing open shadow detail | | • | With only a few exceptions, keeping the output consistent from inkjet printers is trickier than, for example, the Fujifilm PG-series. | | • | Prints on glossy paper from some printers may take several minutes, or even several hours, to dry and take on their final color appearance |
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Dye-sublimation | | • | Better dye-sublimation printers produce smooth, rich prints | | • | Extremely fast (generally, this is the fastest of the three printer types) | | • | Better models are designed to be printing workhorses | | • | Some papers offer long life | | • | Reasonable cost of consumables |
| | • | Prints sometimes lack critical sharpness | | • | Printers are more expensive, than an equivalent inkjet (though the price gap has narrowed considerably) | | • | Limited paper selection | | • | Limited print sizes |
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Fujifilm PG-series | | • | Prints are nearly indistinguishable from traditional photographic prints, including excellent color and sharpness | | • | Built-in calibration utility makes it simple to keep output consistent over time | | • | Designed to be printing workhorses | | • | Prints offer long life similar to traditional photographic prints | | • | Reasonable cost of consumables |
| | • | Printers are expensive | | • | Limited paper selection | | • | Limited print sizes (12 x 18 is largest possible) | | • | Printers are large and not as easily transported as a typical dye-sub or inkjet capable of the same print size |
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