Photo printer & plotter

Printing process of printers

Not all printers are the same, because they can differ in the technology of the printing process alone. These processes have a significant influence on the printed product. Another big factor is the paper that is chosen. Many manufacturers offer different models, here the major manufacturers include, for example, the following brands: Canon, Epson, Fujifilm or Kodak.

Laser printer

The laser printers are a dry printing process, which uses colored dust, which is "burned" by a laser in the appropriate places. Thus, these printers are among the fastest printers in terms of printing speed. The paper variety is also very large with laser printers. However, these printers have the big disadvantage with photo prints, a lower contrast as well as a worse color brilliance in contrast to an inkjet printer. This is mainly because they only have 4 color cartridges, whereas inkjet printers have a color selection of up to 10 different cartridges for different shades of color.

Those who buy a laser printer are usually more concerned with saving time & reducing costs. Therefore, they are mostly found in companies or offices.

Inkjet printer

Inkjet printers are among the most conventional printers. They are usually already available for an inexpensive price. For printing ink cartridges are used, which have a different size depending on the printer. These printers belong from your maintenance effort, but also to the upper level, because mostly these are not used weekly, which has the consequence that these like to stick or clog. They print the image line by line as the print head moves along a horizontal axis. They are best suited for printing on photo paper

Thermal sublimation printer

In a thermal sublimation printer, the paper is printed by temperature, the principle is similar to that of a cash register receipt. The paper is heated to different degrees at different points, which activates the colors in the paper. Mobile devices in particular often have this printing method, as they are equipped with special ink ribbons, which save space for the size of the device. As already mentioned, the ink on the ribbon is activated by heating up to 400?, which specifically vaporizes the ink that is needed pixel by pixel. This printing process is not the fastest printing process, because the heating takes some time. An advantage of this method is the paper used, which means that this printer can not dry up, or stick together, as can happen with an inkjet printer.

Features of photo printers

Sizes

Not every printer can print all sizes. For example, some printers can print up to DIN A3, larger models usually called plotters, print in larger formats such as DIN A1, in these printers, the paper is thereby rolled on a roll and is passed through by the printer / plotter independently, so even very long prints can be made possible.

Resolution

Professional and high resolution printers work with a high DPI resolution of more than 300 DPI. DPI stands for dots per inch, which describes the dot density with which your printer prints the photo. The higher the DPI, the rounder a circle will print; a photo print with a low DPI will cause the edges to become unclean and blurry. The more pixels there are in the image, the clearer the printed image will be.

Print duration

The printing time of a photo depends on the selected final size of the print, as well as the used print material / print paper. Especially prints with an inkjet printer can take a long time

Network connection / Smart functions

Some models have a network connection, as well as a Bluetooth interface which allows your smartphone to connect to print images directly from the smartphone or tablet, this is usually only for small printers, which the professional demands probably will not meet. Some printers have their own apps, with which you can be controlled on the go / mobile.

Smaller devices also use a WLAN connection and can thus be controlled anywhere in the home network without a corrosive LAN cable.

Tips for perfect photo printing

For a photo print to really succeed, there are some ways and means to ensure a certain standard. A first important step is to calibrate the monitor, once this has been done you can compare the colors of the image to those of the printed image. Image processing should avoid very strong contrasts. Another tip for an excellent print result is to use the ICC profiles of the paper manufacturer. These are usually available on the paper manufacturer's websites.

If you use your printer infrequently, it is a good idea to clean it beforehand or to start a test print so that the nozzles of an inkjet printer are cleaned again and the correct amount of ink lands on the image

If the printer has a calibration function / test print function, which allows you to subsequently set the desired values for the paper used, you have already fulfilled another factor for a perfect image. The finished image is not always immediately ready! It is a bit like a raw egg and should therefore not be touched directly, but also touched with gloves, or on the non-printed side. Depending on the paper, leave the print for some time so that the ink can dry accordingly

Paper selection

The paper is the decisive factor for a brilliant print result. Thus, the choice of paper determines the color brilliance, the depth of contrast, the feel and also the sharpness of the image.
For those who want to print their landscape photos, satin or pearlescent papers are a paper that gives the textures an additional impression, making the fine details a special eye-catcher.

The popular classic glossy paper is particularly suitable for portraits due to their vibrant colors and high contrast.

Alternatives to the photo printer

For those who do not print regularly, but only occasionally print a photo for the photo album, or a DIN A1 print for the wall, the investment in a professional photo printer is often not worth it. Here it offers itself to fall back on professional printers, which print your pictures professionally. So you get a very good image quality at affordable prices. Our photo service from CEWE offers high quality prints on various materials such as Aludibond, canvas, or acrylic glass.