Photo printers: Product Overview

Advancements in printer technology have made it possible for anyone to print high-quality photographs. However, the best photo printers are usually not the best choice for other types of printing. If you're buying a photo printer for your business, it's best to specialize – a laser printer is a far more cost-effective solution for basic black and white printing.

Speed and resolution
These two basic printer specs are commonly cited by printer manufacturers. When buying a photo printer, though, you should be more concerned with resolution than speed.

Resolution is a measure of how many individual dots the printer uses to make up an image. It's useful as a general guideline, but doesn't tell you everything about a printer's quality: different printing methods and technologies can produce extremely varied results at the same resolution. For optimum photo printing, make sure you get a resolution of 1,200 dots per inch (dpi) or higher.

Print speed, measured in pages per minute (ppm), is one of the first statistics printer salespeople will quote when describing a printer. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most misleading when shopping for photo printers, as the figures are usually based on basic text printing. Unless you're planning on producing a huge volume of photos, speed is usually less of a consideration.

Types of photo printers
Inkjet printers spray ionized liquid ink onto paper, one narrow strip at a time. When using special photo paper, inkjets can print very high-quality photographs, better than most color laser printers.

Dye sublimation printers produce photograph quality output by using heat to transfer dye directly from a ribbon to paper. It used to be found only in extremely high-end printers for graphic design firms, but now it's a popular choice for inexpensive home photo printers, as well as instant photo kiosks.

Cost per page is the key
Be sure to consider the cost per page of each printer, not just the initial purchase price. Glossy photo paper – essential to printing the best photos – runs between $0.20 and $0.40 per piece, and ink costs can add another $0.10 to $0.25 per page for inkjets, up to $1 per page for dye sublimation printers.

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