Long gone are the days of dropping off film to your local "photomat," waiting for them to be processed and then throwing money away by tossing out the ones that didn't turn out quite right. Today, printing photos at home is convenient, easy, fun and private - and if you're somewhat selective, relatively inexpensive, too.
If you're in the market for a photo printer, the following are a few suggestions to help get you started.
If you're in the market for a photo printer, the following are a few suggestions to help get you started.
The size issue
If you're placing the printer in a kitchen nook or child's bedroom, you might want to look for a smaller printer. In fact, a handful of printers are designed only for 4x6 photos (and not 8x10 documents), which might be all you want it for, so these are often compact enough to fit anywhere. Some have handles and battery packs to take on the go.
Now that prices have dropped considerably for those "all-in-one" printers - you know, those models that can print, scan, copy and maybe fax - you might want to pick up one of these multifunction machines to save on space in your home office. Prices start at $50 for these units.
Wild about wireless
Many newer printers have built-in Wi-Fi functionality, therefore you can have these printers join your wireless network. Why? Perhaps you have multiple computers in the home and don't want to buy a printer for each one; every PC can beam the photos to one wireless printer. Another scenario is if you use a laptop, say, on a kitchen table, but prefer to keep the printer out of sight.
Many newer printers have built-in Wi-Fi functionality, therefore you can have these printers join your wireless network. Why? Perhaps you have multiple computers in the home and don't want to buy a printer for each one; every PC can beam the photos to one wireless printer. Another scenario is if you use a laptop, say, on a kitchen table, but prefer to keep the printer out of sight.
Get crafty
Photo enthusiasts, scrapbookers and other hobbyists might opt for a printer that can handle larger paper options (such as 13x19 prints), support for specialized paper (such as canvas), memory card readers and built-in editing tools (therefore not needing a PC to fix up and print out photos). Some printers have Bluetooth wireless, so you can print from a nearby cellphone, cable free.
Photo enthusiasts, scrapbookers and other hobbyists might opt for a printer that can handle larger paper options (such as 13x19 prints), support for specialized paper (such as canvas), memory card readers and built-in editing tools (therefore not needing a PC to fix up and print out photos). Some printers have Bluetooth wireless, so you can print from a nearby cellphone, cable free.
Think ink
Generally speaking, the more colour ink cartridges the printer takes - such as a 6- or 8-ink system -- the better the prints will look. And you only replace the colours that require replacing instead of one entire cartridge. When it comes to costs, many printer manufacturers (beginning with Kodak) now offer inexpensive black ink cartridges (for just $10) and colour cartridges (for only $15). Usually these "consumables" cost about three times the price, regardless of your printer make and model. Let's hope more manufacturers join in.
Generally speaking, the more colour ink cartridges the printer takes - such as a 6- or 8-ink system -- the better the prints will look. And you only replace the colours that require replacing instead of one entire cartridge. When it comes to costs, many printer manufacturers (beginning with Kodak) now offer inexpensive black ink cartridges (for just $10) and colour cartridges (for only $15). Usually these "consumables" cost about three times the price, regardless of your printer make and model. Let's hope more manufacturers join in.
Other considerations
Along with print quality that improves year after year, newer features also make at-home print jobs more appealing, such as faster PPM prints (pages per minute), a large LCD screen, multi-page auto document feeder and the ability to print onto inkjet printable CDs and DVDs.
Along with print quality that improves year after year, newer features also make at-home print jobs more appealing, such as faster PPM prints (pages per minute), a large LCD screen, multi-page auto document feeder and the ability to print onto inkjet printable CDs and DVDs.