Many of us purchased our first digital camera with the idea of saving money while having instant access to photos on the computer. When it became possible for us to print photos ourselves, there were many additional expenses in ink, photo paper and the photo printers themselves.
The generally prohibitive cost of professional photo printers made the convenience of this accessory seem out of reach for the majority of people. Additionally, there was a period of time when the quality of photos printed on these printers inferior to photos taken on 35 mm film and processed in the traditional manner. Much has changed in the area of digital printing and the industry has evolved to point where printing digital photos at home not only produces the best quality photos but also saves money.
Photo printers have become exceedingly affordable with “good” quality printers costing less than $200. Companies that have established names in photography or printing equipment offer photo printers and professional photo printers. For some people, purchasing a printer from trusted names is very important while others believe that the technology has become common enough for lesser known manufacturers to offer comparable quality at lower prices.
Cannon, probably the most recognized name in the field of photography, is easily one of the top producers of digital photo printers. Since this company leads the pack in camera sales, it stands to reason that most people would not want to trust the quality of the end result to any other manufacturer. Canon photo printers are available in models ranging in complexity geared toward the professional and amateur shutterbug alike.
Hewlett Packard (HP) is probably stamped on at least one computer or accessory in every home. HP photo printers work seamlessly with most computer configurations and are geared to the end-user with easy to understand controls. HP offers excellent quality photos as well as competitively priced ink and printers to make this technology accessible to the masses.
Epson is another familiar name that produces photo printers although, not the most popular. Epson’s printers tend to be much more expensive than the competitor’s and perform at a very slow speed. This in addition to the high price of compatible ink makes an Epson photo printer a bad choice for the person who will print many photos or graphics.
