10 BEST PRINTERS - The Independent, 1 March 2005
As chosen by technology expert Mark Harris
Sony DPP-FP30 £150
This stylish paperback-sized printer produces perfect picture postcards. It uses
dye sublimation technology to deliver exceptionally smooth, rich colours, and
then adds a tough waterproof coat to ensure longevity. However, at around 50p
for each 10x15cm print, it’s more expensive to run than normal inkjet printers,
and you don’t have the flexibility of larger print sizes.
Sony (08705 111999, www.sony.co.uk)
HP Laserjet 2550L £350
If you print lots of letters, presentations and business documents, a
laser printer is a better option than an inkjet. While it can’t match inkjets
for colour photographic quality, it beats them hands down for crisp, black text
and sheer speed. Even this great value, entry-level laser can produce up to four
A4 colour pages every minute – or five times that many monochrome sheets.
HP (0845 270 4000, www.hp.com/uk)
Epson 1290S £300
Some images demand to be seen as large as possible, so why not buy an A3 printer
to make the most of them? The huge 1290S takes up acres of desk space but earns
its keep with glorious colour prints from six quick-dry inks (taking about 15
minutes per A3 print). Note that you’ll get best results at A3 from digital
cameras with six megapixels resolution or higher.
Epson (0800 220546, www.epson.co.uk)
Epson Stylus Photo R800
£250 --- BEST BUY
The more inks that a printer uses, the wider the range of subtle shades and hues
it can reproduce. With eight separate pigment inks, the R800 approaches photolab
image quality at home. There are separate tanks for matte and gloss black inks,
and a unique ‘gloss optimiser’ that promises long-lasting colours
(up to 80 years) with high gloss paper. An excellent choice for serious digital
photographers.
Epson (0800 220546, www.epson.co.uk)
Fujifilm MP100 £100
Camera phones are great, but how many snaps make it out of your handset and on
to the wall? This battery-powered, pocket-friendly printer turns your mobile into
a Polaroid. Simply beam your images across using infrared transmission and a 85x55mm
print pops out in around 20 seconds. It works with most camera phones on the market
(up to three megapixels) and extra cartridges cost under £10 for 20 prints.
Fujifilm (020 7586 5900, www.fujimobile.co.uk)
Canon Pixma iP90 £200
As laptops get ever more powerful, you’ll need an A4 printer that can keep
up with them. This portable model has a car adapter or optional rechargeable battery
pack (£99) to enable printing in the field. You can transfer data via infrared
or Bluetooth (optional module required, £59), making it perfect for printing
from camera phones and PDAs as well as computers. The only drawback is its hefty
1.8 kilo weight.
Canon (08705 143 723, www.canon.co.uk)
Kodak Professional 1400
£400 ---- BEST LUXURY BUY
Dye sublimation printers used to be too expensive to use at larger print sizes,
but this A4 printer has changed all that. In under 90 seconds, it can produce
either one 20x30cm or four 10x15cm stunning photos, at a cost of just £1.50.
However, the cost is the same whether you’re printing a short Word document
or a full colour picture, so buy a cheap inkjet for text, too.
Kodak (0870 243 0270, www.kodak.com/go/professional)
Lexmark P6250 £150
--- BEST BUDGET BUY
Computer-phobes will love this all-in-one device. Not only is it a standalone
colour photocopier, but you can also print images direct from most memory cards
and some (PictBridge-compatible) digital cameras. A 2.5-inch colour screen lets
you preview photos before you print, and if you do have a PC to link up with,
it works as a high resolution scanner, too.
Lexmark (08704 440044, www.lexmark.co.uk)
Panasonic SVP20 £220
There are two things you can do when you fill your digital camera’s memory
card – grit your teeth and start deleting, or print out your images on the
spot. This battery-powered printer weighs just 265grams and can view and print
images stored on Secure Digital cards. Select the image on the built-in 1.5-inch
screen and twenty seconds later you’ll be holding a small 86x54mm print,
courtesy of its high quality thermal printer.
Panasonic (0870 300 1515, www.panasonic.co.uk)
Canon Pixma iP4000R £200
Wireless printing means fewer cables to trip over – and being able to give
the gloriously space-aged iP4000R pride of place in the living room. If you haven’t
got a Wi-Fi system set up at home yet, the Canon has other tricks up its shiny
blank sleeves, including two-sided printing and printing directly onto blank CDs
or DVDs. Neat design touches include transparent cartridges so you can see when
you’re running low of ink.
Canon (08705 143 723, www.canon.co.uk)
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