All-in-one Wireless Printers: Epson Artisan Series

Okay, we are jazzed about these printers--get one! Epson recently launched two new all-in-one printers that are looking very snazzy... say hello to the Artisan 700 ($200) and the Artisan 800 ($300). What do these hunks of vivid love do? Well, they of course scan, fax and print (up to 38 pages per minute), including the ability to print directly on CD/DVD. Photo printing quality is great, featuring the six-color Ultra Hi-Definition Claria ink. They read memory cards for direct camera-to-printer printing. There's a fabulous LCD touch screen control panel. And best of all, the Artisans come with wi-fi. And the units are petite--just 6 inches tall! The main difference between the models is that the Artisan 800 sports a higher scanning resolution (4800 dpi), larger LCD panel with more controls and the ability to fax. For $100 more, we think the Artisan 800 is your best bet. (via Gizmodo)

Portable Photo Printers: Canon Selphy ES3 and ES30

We're not sure why these printers look like cassette players circa 1983 but if the handle doesn't scream portability, we don't know what does. It's rumored that scrapbook fanatics tote around photo printers. Otherwise, we're not sure who does. Teens? Perverts? At any rate, whether you're dragging this printer down the block or just into the kitchen, Canon is providing you with an LCD control panel, internal memory, PictBridge technology and a bunch of clip art so you can get creative. The Selphy line uses special integrated paper and ink cartridges that deliver good quality but expect curling when the photos first come out. The Selphy ES3 ($200) has more internal memory and a larger LCD but otherwise is identical to the Selphy ES30 ($150). (via Engadget)

New Touchscreen Photo Printers from Casio: PCP-1200 and PCP-250

While the Casio brand isn't big in the United States, it does quiet well in Japan with a variety of consumer-and-wallet-friendly electronics. Right now, these new printers are being released in Japan only, but we hope they fare well and make the leap over the pond so we can get some options over here. Stay tuned.

The PCP-1200 rocks a 7-inch LCD display, the PCP-250 has a more standard 3.5-inch LCD display. Otherwise both models share the following features (girl not included):

- Foldout keyboard (captions, invitations, announcements, etc.)
- Stylus for drawing on the images (thought bubbles, moustaches, etc.)
- High-resolution printouts (1200 x 2400) up to 4" x 6"
- Compatible with most memory cards
- Can print directly from camera or mobile phone
- Includes programmed themes for cards and such

(via Technopress)

Tat Time: How to Make Your Own Temporary Tattoos with Your Photo Printer

Whether you're practicing for the real ink or just trying to freak out your mother, spend a rainy day making your own tattoos! You can design your tattoo with anything--snag clip art from Microsoft, scan and manipulate photos in Photoshop, draw original artwork in Illustrator... you get the idea. Just remember, you need to print a mirror image--this is especially important for "Sally 4 Eva" and other text--so if your printer doesn't support mirror image printing you will have to reverse your art in the software. We'll describe the process below but also check out Crafty Computer Paper's demo.

You'll need ink jet tattoo paper--make sure to store it in a plastic bag, safe from humidity. Set your ink jet to "plain paper" setting. Do yourself a favor and run a few test prints on plain paper so you're sure you like the color and have the mirror image thing under control. Once you've printed onto the tattoo paper, let it dry thoroughly (five minutes). Then you place the adhesive paper over the printed images--be sure to squish out any air bubbles on a hard surface. Then you can cut out the tattoo to a more manageable size, peel off the adhesive layer (this leaves a sticky film over your image), apply to your skin (clean and dry skin of course) and press down, rubbing with a damp paper towel for about a minute. Wah-lah! Now send us a photo of your new tat! (via Databazaar)

Canon's New Babies: Affordable All-In-One Photo Printers Pixma MP190 and Pixma MP480

The Canon Pixma line is a popular one for personal ink jet photo printing, and for good reason. Affordable, compact and user-friendly, Canon has offered continual improvements in image and archival quality. Both printers include scanning and copying abilities, scanning documents as large as 8.5x11 at up to 2400x4800 dpi. Even better, these newbies support the ChromaLife 100 System, which increases prints' resistance to fading, heat and humidity for up to 30 years. Available to buy in September.

Canon Pixma MP190 ($69.99)
- 19 ppm (pages per minute) in black ink and 15 ppm in color
- Borderless 4x6 prints in 70 seconds

Canon Pixma MP480 ($99.99)
- 20 ppm in black ink and 16 ppm in color
- Borderless 4x6 prints in 45 seconds
- Auto-scan mode
- Supports ChromaLife 100+ ink, which claims a lifespan for prints ,of 300 years when archived properly

Photo Printers: Inkjet vs. Dye Sub

So what exactly differentiates a photo printer from a regular printer? Most notably, good photographic printers have a broader gamut of colors that will produce more vibrant and color-accurate prints. Another way photo printers are defined is by their ability to operate without a computer through wireless technologies like PictBridge or memory card slots that allow you to print directly from camera-to-printer. There are two major types of photo printers on the market today -- inkjet and dye-sublimation (dye sub). Inkjet is definitely the most popular option, but it's worth understanding them both and figuring out what suits your needs best.

Inkjet: When Versatility Matters Most
The good thing about inkjets is that you can print on a variety of sizes and paper finishes, often including DVDs and other non-paper printable media. The sore point on inkjets is that even with an 8-ink inkjet printer, it's hard to get the color quality of a dye sub because of the inkjet process. Like most printing, inkjet uses a process called dithering, which is simply thousands of different colored dots printed next to each other to simulate a solid color. You can see these dots with a magnifying glass. Here are a couple inkjets to take a gander at:

Epson PictureMate Express Printer ($89.95 at Amazon)
The portable printers can be a lot of fun. If you scrapbook or like to print "live" when on family gatherings and such, this can be a perfect solution. Epson's PictureMate will print up to 4" x 6" borderless prints and is compatible with memory card and USB.

Epson R1900 Large Format Photo Printer ($511.25 at Amazon)
This is a great printer for options and quality. Maybe you want to print a poster this week, holiday card prints the next and an iron-on t-shirt pattern later. Get to it! Features Epson's UltraChrome Hi-Gloss two pigment ink for excellent glossy prints.

Dye Sub: When Quality is Your End Game
A dye sub printer uses a ribbon containing CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow) which is heated over a piece of photo paper (go here for detailed information on this process) which makes for a 16 million color gamut (woah) and transparent inking that gives you solid colors. Dye sub is also dry instantly and colors will not fade over time. Unfortunately, there is little flexibility in print size or material with dye sub -- if you want to print 4x6 photos, you purchase a 4x6 printer and 4x6 ink ribbons. Paper and ink are usually sold together and you will find that the per-print cost is higher than inkjet, but that's to be expected with quality. Check out this dye sub printer as a place to start:

Canon Selphy CP760 Compact Photo Printer ($99.99 at Amazon)
This portable dye sub printer will print on paper up to 4" x 8" and features onscreen editing. Works with PictBridge, Bluetooth, memory card and USB.

(via Hyperphocal)

Zink Strikes Again: The Polaroid PoGo Wireless Mobile Printer

We've talked about Zink a few times -- it's a company founded by former Polaroid executives and dare we say they are keeping the Polaroid spirit alive in the digital age. Earlier this year they released a camera and printer in one but this time it's the Polaroid PoGo, a wireless mobile printer. It uses this inkless technology to produce 2"x 3" sticker photos. You can connect your digital camera directly to it with USB or even connect your cell phone via Bluetooth. We like this product mostly for the latter purpose: printing cell phone pictures. It's one of those underserved markets... what to do with the cell phone photos and how to expand your usage of them. Be sure to visit Gizmodo for a great review of the Pogo. Amazon is out of stock of the PoGo at the moment, but you can check it out anyway -- PoGo goes for $150 and paper is $10 for 30 sheets. (via gizmodo)

Epson Stylus Photo Series: Proven Ink Jet Photo Printers

You can't go wrong with an Epson, especially if you've got a big, fat wallet to spend on ink. But that's the trick of all printers... they get you on the ink. Here's an overview of the updated line. We've included printing speeds, but keep in mind that you usually give up quality for speed. We've directed you to Amazon for the best deals on Epson, but check out the Epson Store as well -- their inventory is sketchy but they sometimes offer good rebates.

Our one piece of advice here: Epson paper does make a difference when you want high-quality prints. We've tested generic store brands, Kodak and HP over the years on our Epson printer and it's just not the same. For everyday printing and drafts, just use plain old paper. As far as generic ink goes, it works just fine but there aren't the same guarantees on fade resistance. Just be wary if you want archival-quality results (photos that won't fade) -- it pays to read the details on ink and paper for those needs.

For most folks, a photo printer can be your only printer. However, if you print hundreds of pages of text a week, you might want to think about having a laser printer in addition to a photo quality ink jet to save you some printing time, cash on ink and wear and tear on the photo printer.

Epson Stylus Photo R280: Cheap and Easy (Amazon $89.99)
Ink Cartridge: 6 individual ink cartridges (Black, Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta, Yellow)
Ink Type: Claria Hi-Definition Ink (smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant photos)
Maximum Printable Area: 8.5" x 44"
Resolution: 5760 x 1400 optimized dpi (dots per inch)
Speed: 4"x6" photo in 11 seconds, black text at 37 pages per minute
Features: Built-in Auto Photo Correction will automatically adjust poorly exposed photos -- this is helpful if you don't want to spend time editing your photos prior to printing. Advanced face detection helps ensure natural skin tones. Also prints directly to ink jet printable CDs and DVDs. Connects via Hi-Speed USB 2.0.

Epson Stylus Photo R380: Versatile and Affordable (Amazon $229.99)
Ink Cartridge: 6 individual ink cartridges (Black, Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta, Yellow)
Ink Type: Claria Hi-Definition Ink (smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant photos)
Maximum Printable Area: 8.5" x 44"
Resolution: 5760 x 1400 optimized dpi (dots per inch)
Speed: 4"x6" borderless photo in 13 seconds, black text at 30 pages per minute
Features: 3.5-inch LCD screen allows you to print direct from camera (or memory card or mobile phone) to printer. Built-in Auto Photo Correction will automatically adjust poorly exposed photos -- this is helpful if you don't want to spend time editing your photos prior to printing. Advanced face detection helps ensure natural skin tones. Also prints directly to ink jet printable CDs and DVDs. Connects via Hi-Speed USB 2.0.
Take the interactive tour of the Epson R380.

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