You’ve got your digital camera and you’ve taken great
photos. Now what will you do with them? Once you’ve transferred
your digital photos to your computer, you’ve got some choices.
You can email them to friends, post them on a website or display
them as a slideshow on a television. But what is the best way to
turn your digital photos into prints?
There are several options today for getting your digital photos
from the digital domain and into your hands. What is best for you
will depend on your particular needs. In this article we will take
a look at these choices in order to help you decide which will work
best for you.
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers can be bought for next to nothing and are capable
of produce amazing print quality. But while inkjet printers are
cheap to buy, using them can be very pricey. Manufacturers of these
printers also produce the ink and paper required. That’s where
they make their money. When you realize that you would be paying
half as much for an ink cartridge as you did for the printer, you
may have second thoughts about buying that fancy new inkjet.
On the plus side, owning an inkjet printer allows you to make a
variety of print sizes right at home. This can give you the opportunity
to experiment with photo correction and see the results with test
prints right away. Plus you can use the printer for your other printing
needs as well. Many new printers on the market also function as
scanners and photocopiers. Some even have slots allowing you to
insert your digital camera’s memory card directly to the printer.
Inkjet printers, while a bit costly to use, make it possible to
have your own mini photo lab right at home.
Portable Direct Printers
Many manufacturers are touting the direct print capabilities of
their cameras. In order to use this feature, you can buy a small
printer that hooks up to your camera directly. The upside to these
is that you can take them with you and get prints right on the spot.
This makes them great for people who need to take pictures and print
them on the go. Also, the printers use a dye-sublimation printing
process that is superior to most inkjets.
Before you rush out and buy one of these portable direct printers,
there are a couple things you should know. First of all, most of
them will only work with a particular brand of camera. This means
if you buy a new camera down the road, it may not work with the
printer you own. Secondly, you have to buy special paper and ink
cartridges for these printers that are not only expensive, but can
be hard to find. Finally, most of these portable printers only print
up to 4x6 size.
Direct printers are easy to operate and portable, but like with
inkjets, can be costly to use.
Photofinishing Labs
In the old days of film, you would shoot a roll and then bring it
to your local photofinisher for processing. With digital cameras
you no longer need to develop your pictures, so you may find that
you’re not visiting your local photo lab anymore.
Many photofinishers are becoming aware of the digital revolution
and have converted their systems so that they can accept and print
digital photos. This means that you can bring your pictures on a
memory card, CD-R or even upload your photos to the photofinisher’s
website.
While it may take a bit longer than printing a photo from home,
the quality can be better and the price lower. The printers these
labs use cost tens of thousands of dollars and are capable of printing
top quality prints on glossy or matte paper. Plus many labs offer
a variety of other printing options including printing to mugs,
mouse pads, calendars and t-shirts. Some labs even color correct
your photos before printing them out.
While photo labs can take longer than printing from home, you don’t
have to put out the cost of buying printing equipment and keeping
up to date with the latest printing technology. Photofinishers provide
a way to get cheaper, better prints.
Conclusion
There are more options than ever for printing your digital photos.
The one that’s best for you will depend on your needs. You
will want to consider whether price, quality, convenience or portability
is most important turning your digital pictures into prints.
© 2004 Motiontide Media
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