The digital revolution in photography in recent years has not only changed the
way people buy cameras and take pictures, it is increasingly having an
impact on how they have their images printed.
While any high-street image-processing company has the capacity to make decent
prints from digital files, home printing is becoming more popular as printer
manufacturers improve the quality of their machines, paper and ink. The
market is currently dominated by the Big Three – Canon, Hewlett Packard and
Epson.
Before we even get started though, the first thing to do is to address screen
calibration. I’m sure many people who already have home inkjet photo
printers have been disappointed by some of the results. The biggest problem
being the colour of the image on your computer screen is vastly different
from the printed picture. It’s the most common complaint. To begin to solve
this problem computer screens need to be calibrated. There are some
complicated methods using Photoshop, but for non-pro’s I would suggest using
one of the many screen calibration kits available today. They used to be
expensive and frightening to use, but not anymore. For home use the one I
like is the Spyder2express (£67.98; www.colourconfidence.com).
It is a simple three-step procedure that anyone can follow. And once done, a
calibrated screen will crack about 80% of printing problems. You will need
to do some tweaking but at least you will be working from a proper benchmark.
The printers we are going to look are ones that print up to A4 and A3+.
Keep in mind however, that both these formats can print as small as 5X7 or 6X4
niches. After what might be a once in a lifetime trip, photographers will
want the option of making prints big enough to hang on the study wall.
A4
Epson Stylus Photo R360: £110.62.
Although the maximum output is A4, this machine performs best when producing
6X4in pictures. Epson claims it will churn out images as quick as 13 seconds
in 6X4in, but is considerably slower when dealing with A4 paper. Still,
Epson has introduced new inks for this printer making the finished product
steps above older models. It features a 3.5in LCD screen and built in
software to allow photo processing independent from a computer via a USB
connection and card reader or direct from the camera. However, the best
results are made when using a photo-editing tool like Photoshop in
combination with the printer.
Epson’s Photo Enhance technology makes automatic corrections for skin tones,
blue skies and landscapes producing images that are high in colour but often
lower in contrast and sharpness, problems easily solved with Photoshop. Like
all inkjet printers running costs depend on a few factors: paper, size of
image and costs of inks.
Running costs: The R360 uses six ink cartridges at an online price of £6.20
each. A variety of papers can be used, 20 sheets of A4 Epson Durabrite Gloss
Photo paper is about £8.53.
Hewlett Packard Photosmart D7360: £190.00
The D7360 might be the most expensive of the three A4 printers we are looking
at, but it offers some interesting features and produces excellent results.
It has a dual paper tray system allowing for both 6X4in and A4 printing
without having to change trays, supports long panoramic media and has a
sophisticated built-in capacity for photo-editing via its touch-screen LCD
technology, a clear advantage when not using a computer. This is backed up
by integrated memory card slots (CF I & II, SD, and Memory Stick) and a USB
port to print directly from Pict-bridge enabled cameras, and in-keeping with
camera phone developments it can also handle Bluetooth files for wireless
printing. There is a Print Wizard that guides beginners through the choice
of printing tasks, including paper size, enlargements, borders, even CD and
DVD labels. HP has even incorporated its pro-end Vivera pigment inks, which
the company says will not fade for up to 200 years.
