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In the first years of digital photography, the only option for people who didn't want to print their own photos was to find a professional photo lab that could handle digital files. Now, any outlet that offers film developing, from your local drugstore to big-box retailers, also offers quick and easy digital camera "developing." You just take your memory card (or a CD full of images) to the store and specify the print size and quantity, just as you do when dropping off a roll of film.
Even if you have most of your prints made at a retail lab, adding a photo printer to your digital-photography system is still a good investment. First, when you need only a print or two, it's more convenient to do the job yourself than to send the pictures to a lab. Second, for times when you're feeling artistic, you can print on special media, such as canvas-textured paper.
Using retail photo-printing services
If you don't have a printer that is capable of printing quality photos, you have a variety of options for getting your digital images printed:
- One-hour printing: Drop your memory card or CD off at the lab, fill out the order form, and pick up your prints in an hour or less.
- Do-it-yourself kiosks: In a hurry? You don't even need to wait an hour for those prints. Many stores offer self-service kiosks. You just put your memory card or CD into the appropriate kiosk slot, push a few buttons, and out come your prints. You can even do some retouching, such as cropping and eliminating red-eye, right at the kiosk.
- Order online, print locally: You can send your image files via the Internet to the store where you want your prints made. Then pick up the prints at your convenience.
- Order online, get prints by mail: Several Web-based print services offer yet another option. You can upload your photo files for printing and then receive the prints in the mail. Some sites to try include Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Snapfish, and Shutterfly.
Choosing a photo printer
Today's photo printers can produce excellent results. In fact, you may not be able to tell the difference between digital prints made at home and those that are output at a local lab. Several types of photo printers are available. Each offers advantages and disadvantages, and the technology you choose depends on your budget, your printing needs, and your print-quality expectations.
Inkjet printers
Inkjet printers work by forcing little drops of ink through nozzles onto the paper. Most inkjet printers enable you to print on plain paper or thicker photographic stock, either with a glossy or matte finish. That flexibility is great because you can print rough drafts and everyday work on plain paper and save the more costly photographic stock for final prints and important projects.
Inkjets fall into two basic categories:
- General-purpose models, which are engineered to do a decent job on both text and pictures.
- Photo printers, sometimes referred to as photocentric printers, which are geared solely toward printing images. Photocentric printers produce better-quality photographic output than all-purpose printers, but they're sometimes not well suited to everyday text printing because the print speed can be relatively slow.
Even on the fastest inkjet, outputting a color image can take several minutes if you use the highest-quality print settings. In addition, the wet ink can cause the paper to warp slightly, and the ink can smear easily until the print dries. You can lessen these effects by using paper made for inkjets. Despite these flaws, inkjets remain a good, economical solution for many users.
Laser printers
Laser printers use a technology similar to that used in photocopiers. Color laser printers can produce near-photographic quality images as well as excellent text. They're faster than inkjets, and you don't need to use any special paper (although you get better results if you use a high-grade laser paper as opposed to cheap copier paper). However, these printers tend to be big in stature as well as price.
If you have the need for high-volume color output, a color laser printer can make sense. Although you may pay more up front than for an inkjet, you should save money over time because the price of consumables (toner or ink, plus paper) is usually lower for laser printing than inkjet printing. As for photo quality, it varies from machine to machine, so be sure to read reviews carefully. Many people can't tell the difference between an inkjet and laser print.
Dye-sub (thermal dye) printers
Dye-sub (short for dye-sublimation) printers transfer images to paper using a plastic film or ribbon that's coated with colored dyes. Some popular snapshot printers, including certain models from Kodak, use this technology. Dye-sub printers fall within the same price range as quality inkjets, and most produce good-looking prints. However, you have to use special stock designed to work expressly with dye-sub printers; these machines are purely photographic tools.
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