Portable Printers

I'm not sure where to post this but since it's about a Christmas present, this seems like a good enough place . . .

 

I'm thinking of getting my 17 year old daughter a small portable printer for Christmas. She is actually a pretty talented portraitist but, right now has no interest in a DSLR or Photoshop. I would like her to be able to print directly from her phone. I'm not looking for a "toy".

 

I'm looking for suggestions or experience with printers similar to the one that I will link to below. It appears that it costs about 28 cents for 4x6 prints with this printer.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-KP-108IN-Produces-HeroFiber-Cleaning/dp/B01FY6NC2W/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1543330231&sr=1-6&keywords=iphone+printers+for+photos

Saw a review of the new Kodak Portable Printer on one of the other photo sites - will see if I can find it - here is a link to a less useful review. KODAK Photo Printer Mini review – The Gadgeteer and another KODAK Mini 2 Instant Photo Printer | Photography Blog

I loved my old Canon Selphy, excellent prints, good for trips, they have made it portable, but not in a true sense. Canon Selphy CP1200 Wireless Compact Photo Printer

Edited November 27, 2018 by Sandy Vongries

I saw the Kodaks . . . But, as much as I hate to admit it, I don't trust Kodak anymore. They could stop making the supplies at any time and the per print cost appears to be about twice the Canon model.

 

(I know . . . I asked for advice and I sound like I'm arguing with you . . . Not my intention . . . )

Here's another interesting possibility - pros & cons, but for casual social photo gifts, maybe good enough.

How Ink-free Mobile Photo Printers Work

That's a pretty cool method of printing . . . It reminds me a little bit of the Kodachrome process for some reason.

 

I'm not crazy about the 2x3 size . . . It's only a quarter of the 4x6 prints. It will be cool to see where the process goes. There's no waste and no chemicals at the printing end. I'm not sure what the manufacturing process puts out.

The Canon Pixma Selphy dye sub is a 4x6" printer the size of an hymnal. It can run from AC, or a battery pack. Supplies are relatively inexpensive, and the printer has been around for 10 years or so. The ink never dries out or leaks (it's solid on a plastic foil). The main problem you have is gathering dust, which spots the prints. Mine works by WiFi, and can be used from any computer in the house, or mobile device.

 

My beef with Kodak (aside from their mind-numbing business model) is once they have tired of a product it disappears along with its supplies.

Haven't used the new one, but my old selphy was very satisfactory, and used a great deal without a problem - if you go that way, best cost per print is if you buy the big reload kit.

Apple sells small iPhone printers. I haven't investigated enough to know which is best. Back n the day I used to print on double weight glossy, dried in a blotter roll without ferrotyping. Don't know if any similar print media is available in a small wireless printer.

I found the Selphy DP1200 on Amazon for $99.99. I'm pretty sure I'm going that way. Thanks for all of the help!

 

Sandy . . . I didn't a "large" reload kit . . . 108 images?

I found the Selphy DP1200 on Amazon for $99.99. I'm pretty sure I'm going that way. Thanks for all of the help!

 

Sandy . . . I didn't a "large" reload kit . . . 108 images?

Sorry I was out. Yes that is the one I was buying. It pays to shop around on $ before you buy, and be sure to get the kit that matches the printer. I bought the wrong one at one point.

I used that old thing a great deal -- just documenting building the house I have a better than two foot stack of photos - that doesn't count all the other prints scattered in various places - never a glitch. I have the first model, they've improved considerably according to reviews.

BTW, I mentioned the conversation to my wife - she thinks it would be a Brilliant Christmas Gift for one of our kids. Might go with the polaroid as they travel light, and I can always pass along the old Selphy that is sitting idle. Thanks!

Documenting house building......

Ran electrical all in conduit so I could accomodate the Wife’s changes after the Sheetrock was done.

Sure is nice to have all the plumbing, studs, and conduit routing in digital format for future reference.

There are a lot of printers around. Many for low prices, though the ink isn't cheap.

 

Smaller ones aren't as easy to find, and dye sublimation might be a good choice,

I think it tends to be more expensive per print than ink (for average ink/print),

but maybe not so bad if you don't print too many.

 

The claim of Kodak was that they kept ink prices low, but then others have

also made that claim.

 

Many now are combination print/scan/fax/copy, which makes them bigger

than for just a printer.

 

I got a bag for ink cartridges for a low price from a nearby surplus sale,

and I don't use it all that much. I should probably use it more to be sure

they nozzles don't clog.

A Canon Selphy produces heavy weight, high gloss prints for about $0.30 each. You can get them for less at a minilab, if you're willing to wait. An inkjet with photo quality paper costs just as much or more, but they're not portable.

Being able to print your own photos anytime you wish,Ivy, Selphy or Pixma Pro 100, or whatever is an absolute joy and IMO worth the cost.

My refrigerator wouldn't be the same without a Selphy printer. On the down side, it functions as an Air Printer, and my wife printed 12 pages of music from her iPhone by accident. You can actually read the music - with a magnifier.

Nor mine! The old one that failed expensively after 10 years - good news - new one is better & magnetic!

Sometimes I still like my prints made on light sensitive paper, as it reminds me of the olden days.

Well, also I still believe that it is a better way to make prints.

 

The print quality of inkjet is pretty amazing, but it isn't so easy to make droplets of size

proportional to the needed density, especially at low density. (Lighter areas.)

Some printers have a light cyan and light magenta ink to help with this case.

 

For dye sublimation, which is getting more common in some minilabs, and as above,

in some smaller home printers, dye is transferred from a dye sheet to the final image

though heating, and might be more linear than inkjet, especially at lower densities.

 

Unlike inkjet, a sheet with enough dye is used for each print, so that there is

no difference in cost of an all white print vs. an all black print, or all of any

other color. Inkjet uses more ink for darker prints.

 

I think Walgreens, at least the ones I know, have in-store dye sublimation printers

for 4x6 prints at less than $0.30 each. Now there is a sale of $0.10 each for

orders of 75 or more. They might be $0.19 when there isn't a sale, or for

less than 75 now.

 

If you want just a few, you can print them fast at home, but they print them pretty

fast in the store. Convenient if you live near one. The print quality might be a

little better than home printers. Dye sublimation requires three (I think) passes

of the paper through the print area, such that alignment of the three colors could

be wrong. Inkjet is usually from different nozzles on the same print head, so it

doesn't require exact paper positioning.

If you want just a few, you can print them fast at home

I can print as many excellent prints as I want at home. The OP subject is portable Wifi able printers for family gifts.

The options you have described are certainly available and attractive to some.

(snip)

 

I can print as many excellent prints as I want at home. The OP subject is portable Wifi able printers for family gifts.

The options you have described are certainly available and attractive to some.

 

You could print 1000 prints on your home printer, but it would take a while, and you would have to keep loading paper and ink.

 

One that I looked up: Printer Specifications for HP Deskjet 5650 Color Inkjet Printer Series | HP® Customer Support

 

takes 85 seconds to make a 4x6 print using the photo cartridge inks. It is 72 seconds

for non-photo cartridge inks. (Longer for highest quality, shorter for lower quality.)

 

The Kodak 6800: Kodak Photo Printer 6800 Specs

prints 5.3 4x6 prints/minute, and looks like a minilab sized printer. It holds paper for 750 prints,

I don't know about the size of the dye rolls. There might be bigger, faster, ones, this is

the first one I found.

 

I think I could print 1000 prints at Walgreens, and drive over to pick them up, much faster

than you would print them at home.

 

My dad prints his Christmas cards at home on an inkjet printer. (Maybe about 100.)

 

Last year I got 300 cards made from Shutterfly, quantity discount and 50% off sale,

and printed on Fuji Crystal Archive paper. (As above, I still like light sensitive paper.)

I am pretty sure for less than the ink and paper for home inkjet printers.

(Kids are big enough now to want to send some cards, otherwise I might get 225.)

 

But yes, for tens of prints, home printers are very convenient.

I think I could print 1000 prints at Walgreens, and drive over to pick them up, much faster

than you would print them at home.

Perhaps, but it would take just as long to pick up one print from Walgreens, and about 30 seconds on a Selphy.

As with many things, convenience comes at a cost.

 

The more portable printers are (usually) slower, and cost more per print.

Print quality is a complicated question of print technology and cost.

 

More portable printers are often designed for fewer prints per day.

That is, they aren't built as tough.

 

One should balance print speed, cost, portability, and prints/day when

deciding on a specific model.