It’s not enough just to be able to print pages in rapid succession anymore, now that consumers are looking for innovations that make a photo printer or an All in One a little more than meets the eye.Smartphone integration, on-screen photo editing and imaging projects are perhaps just the beginning of a new phase in the world of at-home printing. Since photos can be taken just about anywhere, including underwater, it’s only natural that consumers be able to print wherever their active lifestyles take them.
Kodak ESP 7250 All in One
Kodak is positioning this AiO as a simple and effective printer for more than just computers and memory cards. Built-in Wi-Fi connectivity allows consumers to not only print wirelessly from PCs or Macs, but also directly from an iPhone, iPod touch and BlackBerry. Kodak offers an application for both smartphones, so once both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, consumers can send images to be edited on the AiO’s 2.4-inch LCD and printed. A memory card slot supports CF, SD, xD and Memory Stick media.
Kodak says the ESP 7250 can output a borderless 4x6-inch print in 29 seconds, along with 30 pages per minute in color and 32 pages in black and white based on default settings. And specs state it’s capable of 9,600 optimized dpi color photo printing. It also features built-in two-sided printing, and it can scan multiple pictures simultaneously up to 2,400 dpi. There are two trays—one for prints and another for 8.5x11 documents. The printer uses one 10 series color cartridge and a 10 series black cartridge, and according to Kodak, they yield the lowest total ink replacement cost in the industry. $199.99. kodak.com
Canon Pixma MP990 All in One
This Pixma’s 3.8-inch LCD display and its improved resolution is one of the biggest and brightest on any AiO printer, which consumers can make use of to browse and edit images for printing. Like other printers in this class, Canon has an application for the iPhone and iPod touch that allows for wireless printing directly from those devices. The memory card slot supports SD, microSD, miniSD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Micro, MMC, xD and CF.
The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-capable MP990 has Auto Photo Fix II to adjust and color-correct photos right on its screen. Canon’s specs indicate that the MP990 can print a borderless 4x6 photo in 20 seconds. Images per minute numbers vary. The six-color dye-based ChromaLife 100+ ink system now includes a new gray cartridge for black-and-white images, and specs state the printer touts a maximum resolution of 9,600x2,400. Also featured are auto duplex printing to save paper and a 4,800-dpi scanner with a film adapter unit to scan 35mm film and slides. $299.99. usa.canon.com
HP Photosmart Premium All in One
Aimed primarily at photo enthusiasts and scrapbook fans, HP’s Premium AiO has a 3.45-inch TouchSmart screen that makes navigation and editing a bit more intuitive. The built-in Wi-Fi also allows the Premium AiO to tap into Snapfish.com and utilize some of the editing features available on the site right on the screen. Bluetooth is also built into the printer, and an iPhone and iPod touch app is freely available for printing from those devices. And using HP’s “Quick Forms,” consumers can print calendars, notebook pages and the like.
HP says the Premium All in One can output a 4x6 print in as little as 16 seconds at default settings. Other ratings include 32 pages per minute for color and 33 ppm for black-and-white documents. It can handle photos as small as 3x5 and documents as large as 8.5x14, and its HP smart Web printing feature allows users to print only the Web content they need. All major memory cards are supported except for the mini and micro sizes, as well as CF. $199.99. hp.com
Epson Artisan 810 All in One
Much like the other printer/scanner/ copiers, the Artisan 810 offers editing options on its 3.5-inch LCD screen that is surrounded by a 7.8-inch touch panel. And like the others, Epson offers creative projects that can be printed on different types of paper. Other photo-friendly features include auto photo correction with face detection, red-eye removal and photo restoration. Users can also turn their photos into coloring book pages and stationery cards with photo backgrounds. Built-in Wi-Fi not only means wireless printing but also the option to print freely from an iPhone or iPod touch. Consumers can also print directly onto inkjet printable CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs with this printer.
Epson claims the Artisan 810 can print a 4x6 photo in just 10 seconds. In addition, they also post rates of 9.5 pages per minute for “laser quality” black and white and 9.1 ppm for color. The Artisan 810 uses Claria Hi-Definition ink cartridges optimized for photo printing. Nearly all current memory card standards are supported. $299.99. epson.com
PORTABLE PHOTO PRINTERS
Pandigital Portable Printer with Zink
This portable photo printer uses Zink Imaging’s technology so that it doesn’t actually use any ink—hence, the term “Zink” for “Zero Ink.” This means there is no need for consumers to buy and replace cartridges, but they can only print on Zink-certified paper made by Pandigital. Using a dye crystallizing method, heat from the portable printer changes the colors of the crystals embedded in the paper to display an image.
The lack of a cartridge or ribbon also makes the unit smaller than competitors’ models. This printer only prints 4x6 photos, though consumers can output smaller prints as well. It takes about 60 seconds, and it can only handle three continuous prints at one time. $149.99. zink.com and pandigital.net
Epson PictureMate Show
Combining a 4x6 portable photo printer with all the markings of a digital photo frame, the PictureMate Show is a 2-in-1 hybrid meant to offer dual function at all times. The 7-inch tilting LCD screen has 12 different slideshow modes, which can be made useful with 270MB of internal storage. The larger screen also allows for editing on the spot, and the PictureMate Show is nimble enough to fit in almost any room. It produces smudge-, scratch- and water-resistant photos said to resist fading up to 96 years.
The Show provides various layouts and color effects, such as classic borders or borderless options, mini-wallet, wallet and 4x6, as well as black and white, sepia or color. The posted print rate for a 4x6 image is 37 seconds, though this varies. Wireless printing is possible, but only with an optional Bluetooth adapter. $299.99. epson.com
Canon Selphy CP790
The Selphy CP790 is upgraded with a trendy green-colored storage basket that houses the printer and stores paper, ink cartridges and the power cord. Users can add personal touches to photos before cropping them on its 3.0-inch LCD with creative options like the photo diary creative print feature that provides six layouts (including frames and calendars), six background colors and 18 clip art stamps.
Other features are a 43-sec 4x6 photo print speed and a portrait image optimize function that automatically delivers face detection, backlight correction and noise reduction. An optional battery pack ($79.99) and card slots allow on the go printing without a PC. $179.99. usa.canon.com
HP Photosmart A646 Compact Photo Printer
Consumers can edit, personalize and print lab-quality photos at home or on the go using this portable printer’s 3.45-inch HP TouchSmart screen, and print snapshots from a Bluetooth-enabled phone, all without a PC. The screen can also run slideshows.
To inspire creativity, the Energy Star qualified A646 offers 300+ creative elements—borders, clip art and captions—and special effects such as pet-eye fix, blemish removal, slimming and sepia tone. Photo print speeds begin at 28 sec, and the A646 prints 4x6-, 5x7- and 4x12-inch panorama photos as well as 4x8-inch photo greeting cards (which can be created on-screen) using instant-dry, smear-resistant HP ink and photo paper. It can print directly from memory cards, USB drives and cameras via PictBridge, or a PC. $149.99. hp.com