It is worth mentioning that one function of a multifunction printer can be distinguished by superb quality and performance. However it may happen so one can not say about other functions the same thing. A multifunction printer may come with great printing abilities but the scanner features may leave much to be desired. Therefore it is necessary to find out the rules of choosing an all-in-one printer. Here some of pieces of advice that can be very helpful to you.

An all-in-one photo printer includes the following parts: printer, scanner, copier, and fax.

· Printer
Consider the printing quality such as resolution and ink technology. The highest photo printer resolution should be up to 9600 x 4800 dpi. The standard resolution for documents is 600 x 600 dpi. The speed of printing is of much importance as well. The best variant of a multifunction printer has both high speed and good resolution.

It is also advisable to check the memory of a multifunction printer. Do not choose a multifunction printer with low printer memory. In other case the device will be ringed around with difficulties in carrying out different printing options along with copying, scanning and sending messages options.

· Scanner
The scanner in an all-in-one printer has its own resolution apart from the resolution of the printer. The scanner resolution is usually lower than the print resolution. However make certain that the resolution of the scanner is not too low in order to get clear scans. Examine the interpolated and optimal resolution. A scanner may also come with such scanning capabilities as scan-and-email options, scanned text conversion or scan-to-PDF.

· Copier
Copiers can be either monochrome or color. The price of an all-in-one printer is usually higher. A good copier should also come with such functions as reduction and enlargement.

· Fax
As the fax concerns, you should check the fax/modem speed. The standard fax speed reaches about 33 Kbps. The lower speed does not ensure great fax options. The fax should also include such options as group dialing, color fixing, speed dial locations, etc.

A multifunction printer is a great option. You receive functions of 3 or even 4 separate devices. In the issue you save money and space.

It should be noted that the method of CD/DVD printing gives them an inimitable individuality. Such discs with a printed image on them look very presentable and informative. It is one of he best ways personalize the user’s photos, video or music.

Epson being one of such companies offers its customers direct CD/DVD printing. The EPSON Print CD software that comes with EPSON photo printers allows printing your favorite images on CD/DVD. After the creation of your image for a CD, you can print it out on the CD with 12 or 8 cm diameter.

CD Printing Guide

· Use only such CD/DVDs that are specially designed for printing. Usually they have the following indications: “Printable on the label surface” or “Printable with ink jet printers”.

· As opposed to printing on a special Epson paper, images on CD/DVD are printed with less saturated colors.

· Print out images on CD/DVD only after data record. In other case fingerprints, scratches or dust on a disc surface may cause write error.

· If you are going to print out a great number of compact discs, first you should print images on several unnecessary discs and then check the result of the printed surface the next day.

· Do not use CDs and do not touch the printed surface, till it dries out completely. Do not dry the printed CD/DVD by the bright sunlight.

· If the printed surface remains sticky after drying, it may be that the colors are excessively saturated. In this case you should lower the color saturation in EPSON Print CD.

· Ingress of moisture on the printed surface may cause the color smearing.

· The repeated printing on a compact-disc will not necessarily improve the quality of printing.

· Depending on the type of compact-disc and color saturation the image may become smudged.

· With the help of EPSON Print CD you may adjust the printing area on a compact-disc. Adjust the area of printing in such a way, so it coincides with the print area of a compact-disc that you are going to use. Wrong adjustments may stain the disc tray or a compact-disc.

· Calculate the cost of ink. If you are going to print a great number of photos, in this case you will need to replace the ink monthly. It is recommended to inquire about the number of copies you will get on one ink tank. It is desirable to give preference to such photo printers that have separate ink tanks for each color. In the issue you will need to replace a separate ink tank whose color has run out instead replacing all colors at once.

· Consider your budget. The number of options and features of a professional photo printer depends on its cost. If you are going to spend approximately $500 on a photo printer, you should know that you will be able to get a lower end model. This fact means that you will be not able to print out posters or photos of large sizes. The same thing concerns the image resolution of an inexpensive photo printer. It will slightly exceed the image resolution of an ink-jet photo printer.

· Consider the size of paper you will need for the printing out. If you are going to print poster or tabloid size photos, look for a printer that includes such capacity.

· Determine the necessity of a network connection by a professional photo printer. The presence of a network connection allows several persons using the same photo printer. Give preference to such a photo printer that includes an automated installation. In the issue you will spend much time by setting up the network connection.

· Consider the speed of printing you will need. Make certain to buy a photo printer that has the necessary speed for you.

· When deciding about a brand of a professional photo printer, carry out some research online to learn the quality rating as well as the honest review of a specific photo printer. It is also a good option to learn if there are problems with certain professional photo printers.

· Decide whether you need a portable photo printer or a floor one. The floor photo printer is distinguished by higher output speeds and the ability to print out large size photos. The advantages of a portable photo printer are the following: first you can take a portable photo printer with you anywhere you go. And secondly you can bring a portable model for repairs more easily.

Here are several examples of professional photo printers.

Canon Pixma PRO9000MkII is one of the best options for professional photo printing. The device is characterized by attractive facade and wonderful results. The professional photo printer is easy to use and it allows you enjoying long lasting borderless photos. The printing features of Canon Pixma PRO9000MkII include from small (credit cards) to poster sized photos.

The printer in question has 4800 x 2400 dpi resolution and high speed of printing. It is really something exceptional. Canon Pixma PRO9000MkII delivers 4 x6 inch photos in just 55 seconds.

Epson Stylus Photo R2880 is ideal for professional photo printing up to A3+ format. The device uses UltraChrome K3 Vivid Magenta pigment ink that are resistant to water, ozone and light. Such photos can keep their initial state up to 100 years. The Epson Stylus Photo R2880 professional photo printer uses 8 color system of printing.

The complete set of the printer also includes easy to use software. With its help, the user is able to optimize the whole process of photo creating.

The printer driver uses interface that is analogous to drivers of wide-format Epson Stylus Pro printers. Such printers offer a wide range of options and features that cover the requirements of the most experienced users.

The HP Photosmart Pro B9180 is also up to quality of professional photo printers. Its high resolution quality is perfect for both professional photographers and amateurs who give a special attention to this craft.

The advanced printing features of HP Photosmart Pro B9180 make the printer ideal for developing professional looking photos. That’s why the given professional printer enjoys wide popularity in the world of photography.

It is considered that an ink-jet photo printer is a good solution for home use. In this regard the ink-jet photo printers have inevitable advantages such as

· smaller size by greater functionality;

· they are cheaper than laser printers;

· better quality of printing;

· the ability to choose a model with the appropriate design.

These advantages incline home users to choose namely ink-jet printers. As regards consumable materials prices, this issue is not very fundamental as the volumes of home printing do not exceed 10-20 pictures per month. Before buying a photo printer for home use it is very important to pay attention to the main technical characteristics that include number of colors, printing resolution, speed parameters, cartridge resources and cost of services, price, supported types of photo paper, etc.

· Number of colors

Modern photo printers support both the monochrome and color printing. In the first case one needs a cartridge with the black ink and in the second case the colored one. Depending on the manufacturers and their adherence to technologies, a printer may contain 3 (Canon entry-level models), 4 (Canon, Epson and Hewlett-Packard entry level models), 5 (Canon), 6 (Epson, Hewlett-Packard), and 8 (Epson and Hewlett-Packard). The more colors a photo printer has, the more naturalness a picture acquires. However, this rule does not mean that 5 color Canon printers print worse than 6 color Epson printers. The thing is that different printers use different technologies that favor the improvement of the picture quality. It is also worth mentioning that the more cartridges a printer includes, the more cost and size it will have.

· Resolution of Printing

As regards the resolution of printing, one must know only one rule: the higher resolution is, the better quality of a photo is.

· Speed of printing

The speed of printing becomes of great importance for home users only in the case, if s/he plans to print a great number of photos and documents every day. By ink-jet printers the printing speed of monochrome documents is higher than that of colored files.

· Cartridge resources and cost of services

Before choosing a photo printer it is very important to clarify volumes of monthly printing. If these volumes are not so high, you should choose a printer model with smaller volume of cartridges and correspondingly with smaller cost of consumables. However if you plan to use a photo printer to the maximum degree it is not recommended to economize on it.

· Supported formats of photo paper

Many people choose A4 photo printers for home use. When choosing a photo printer you should pay attention to the printer paper tray. It is better if a printer has two paper trays: one for photo printing and the other one for documents. The capacity of the main tray in modern models of printers is usually the same and it is meant as a rule for about 100 sheets.

· Additional Parameters

Integrated Display: a built-in display in a photo printer is a handy device control. It is used to view photos, to edit photos, etc.

Support of wireless interfaces: the wireless communication has a great advantage as you can set your printer in any room of your house.

Card reader: people who value mobility can pay attention to the printing directly of card readers, USB Flash or telephones (PictBridge).

Here is the selection of the most asked-for photo printers for home use

Canon IP6700d

The device comes with the practically maximum number of cartridges (6 pieces), extra-large 3.5-inch color LCD. It is distinguished by the superb resolution of printing (9600 х 2400 dpi). The printer also has a card reader (7 in 1) and the ability to print on CD/DVDs. The user can connect Canon IP6700d not only with the help of the standard USB-cable but by the means of the wireless connection as well (Bluetooth and IrDA). Canon IP6700d costs about 200$.

The printer model uses FINE technology and ChromaLife100 system for vivid and wonderful photo printing. To print out a 4 x 6 inch borderless photo you will need 47 seconds.

Epson Stylus R390

The printing abilities of this printer impress by the availability of six cartridges and speed of printing. The speed of printing by this model is practically twice is high than by the previous model. Epson Stylus R390 comes with 3, 5 inch display and it supports printing directly of USB carriers and 6 types of memory cards. The user can make a connection to a computer with the help of Bluetooth. The main disadvantage of this printer is its high cost that is 40$ more expansive than Canon IP6700d. However the cost of a full-format colored picture makes up approximately 18, 3 cents.

Hewlett-Packard Photosmart D7463

This photo printer has 6 colors available. It is distinguished by 3, 5 inch touch-sensitive display and built-in Ethernet-adapter. According to the user’s choice you can turn Hewlett-Packard Photosmart D7463 to a network printer. The other technical parameters include PictBridge support, 5-in-1 card reader, and appropriate speed characteristics.

The principle of laser printing was borrowed from copying machines that appeared much earlier. In these devices a sheet of paper is “sprinkled” with a special black or color powder-toner. In those areas where the sheet is electrified, the toner adheres to the paper. Next the toner must be fastened on the paper. Thus the sheet is heated and the toner melts as if it welds on a paper sheet. In the issue you get an image.

The technology of laser printing constrains to types of paper. Chalk overlay glossy paper or embossed paper with various textures is not good for laser printers. The toner adheres not very well to such types of paper. This leads to the clogging of cartridges and its premature outage.

As opposed to ink cartridges, the toner ones have a more complex structure that includes a toner, Organic Photoconductor, Primary Charge Roller, Wiper Blade (cleaning blade removes the remainders of toner from the Organic Photoconductor),Mag Roller, Recovery Blade, toner reservoir, etc. Besides, toner-cartridges are heavier and bigger in size than the ink ones.

Toner-cartridges are sensitive to sun light; consequently you should not expose the cartridges in question to sun rays. Keep laser cartridges at room temperature. Do not try to open the toner-cartridge on your own as this may lead to the breakage of its separate units. If you want to fill up a cartridge toner, please apply to professional help if you do not have the necessary skills.

· Professional Photo Printing

Even at home you can get professional photos. The main thing is to use high quality photo paper and ink cartridges. Modern photo printers include a range of editing tools that are developed to improve considerably the quality of photos. Thus you have the ability to print your best photos without appealing to professional help. What is more, the up-to-date technologies allow users plugging a digital camera into a photo printer and then print photos directly of the camera.

· Labels

A modern photo printer can be also used for making labels. So you can create your own CD, custom or address labels that will look like the real one. For this you will need label sheets and printer ink of high quality.

· Sharing a Photo Printer

At home or your office you may have several computers. In this case there is no need to buy a photo printer for each computer. In other words you may install a wireless network so that all the computers will utilize it. The next step is to connect your printer to this network. Make certain if your computers have the necessary driver and then enjoy the process of photo and document printing.

· Creating Stationary

If your work or even hobby presupposes writing a lot of letters, you can make your own stationary with the help of your printer. Just create your own design and then print its copies. The other idea is to save the created stationary on the hard drive that can be used as a template for writing letters. In the issue you will create letters that will look very professional and nice.

· Creating Calendars

Creating your own calendars with a photo printer is so easy. you can fill in a calendar with your favorite pictures and important dates. For making a calendar for your desktop, use thicker paper.

· Company and Family Newsletters

Let us imagine that you have prepared some important news for your employees. So you can create a newsletter for this purpose. Just use various programs such as Word or Publisher. Next supplement your newsletter with the text and pictures. Print it out on the appropriate paper, staple and send it to your employees. You can also create family newsletters to be sent to your relatives. Each member of your family cam make his/her own section, and fill it in with the latest updates.

· Promotional Materials

Promotional materials are very important for businessmen/women. Therefore you can use your photo printer for making business cards, portfolios, stationeries, letterheads, press releases or even marketing campaigns.

· Making Projects for Kids

Persons who have children will also find a photo printer to be very useful. There are so many fun projects that can be created with the help of a printer. For instance, you can make a coloring book, puzzle, collage with the best pictures on the PC and then print them out. Undoubtedly, children will appreciate this idea.

Canon continues to develop FINE technology. The new model is distinguished by the increased speed of printing. The printing of a photo with the 10 х 15 format is carried out in 46 seconds. It is 6 seconds quicker than by the previous model. PIXMA Mp 210 ensures the superb quality of photo printing with 4800×1200 dpi resolution. The ChromaLife100 system, also developed by Canon, guarantees long photo life up to 100 years by keeping them in a photo album.

Due to the perfection of technologies, the colors of documents and photo copies are rendered more authentically. The system uses two ways of the image processing for the hue transfer in correspondence with the human perception. In the issue the printer ensures the higher quality of color rendering and wonderful accuracy of text copies. The technology is supplemented with high speed of copying up to 22 copies per minute by monochrome copying and up to 17 copies per minute by color copying.

The new Canon Auto Image function automatically detects and corrects photo defects before printing. Due to such technologies as Face Detection and Scene Analysis it optimizes important photo features that include contrast and saturation, hues and brightness of faces and the main hue of the photo, color tarnish and exposure.

The user can start Auto Image Fix by the means of MP Navigator EX and Easy-PhotoPrint software that is included the delivery system.

It is worth mentioning that the new model requires less time for switching on than its predecessor. The users of the previous models had to wait about 30 seconds before starting to use buttons. As far as MP210 concerns, one can program it to print the first copy in 2-4 seconds after switching on. This new feature is called Quick Start.

With the help of MP210 it is very easy to print without using your computer. The photo printer supports PictBridge that allows the user to start printing directly from the digital camera that supports the given standard.

The pictures of photographic quality are printed quicker due to the perfected FINE technology. Thanks to the maximum 96001×2400 dpi resolution, the printer ensures the laboratory quality of the printed photos. Thus the photos do not come out grainy. This technology also results in smooth color transition.

To minimize the waste of ink, Canon uses the technology of inkpots that replaces separately. The iP4500 model comes with Contrast PLUS 5 color system and additional black ink cartridge to ensure the high-level image contrast.

The dye-based inks support the ChromaLife100 technology when printing on the original Canon photo paper. In the issue photos preserve the high quality up to 100 years by keeping them in a photo album.

iP4500 model features a range of functions that expand the printing abilities. It is also equipped with the tray for DVD/CD-discs. So the photo printer in question can print on the surface of discs that are size compatible. The model also supports PictBridge that allows printing directly from the compatible digital photo and video cameras.

There is Auto Image Fix that represents the function of automatic removal of standard defects of photos before the printing. This function ensures the additional improvement of printing quality. The system analyzes images with the help of technology of recognition and the analyses of the scene. Then it optimizes such settings as contrast, hue and saturation. In the issue photos look very naturally.

Canon Easy-PhotoPrint software that also is included in the set is easy to use. It is very useful for such creative projects as calendars and photo albums. There are such functions as Face Sharpener, Red Eye Correction and Auto Image Fix.

CD-LabelPrint allows the users to print easily and quickly on the compatible DVD and CD discs. The software offers a wide range of templates including such features as printing of selected photos, text and graphic images insertion and the use of index list of miniatures for various purposes.

The printer in question is compatible with the following operating systems: Windows 2000/XP/Vista и Mac OS X 10.2.8 – 10.4.

The stylish and compact photo printer in question is the ideal option for people who travel a lot. It is also good for those who devote much attention to the stylish designs. The printing head created on the basis of FINE technology as well as the new 5 color ink system ensure high labor quality of mobile photo and text printing.

Canon PIXMA iP100 is also distinguished by the maximum 9600 x 2400 dpi resolution. The user can also take advantage of the wireless photo printing with the help of the built-in IrDA or Bluetooth adapter that can purchased additionally. The IrDA and additionally purchased BU-30 adapter let the user transmitting files and images for the printing in the wireless mode. One can also easily connect PIXMA iP100 to the portable or desktop computer through the USB 2.0 HI-Speed interface. The printer uses ChromaLife100 technology for the printing of wonderful pictures resistant to discoloration. The ChromaLife100 registered technology presupposes the use of authentic ink, Canon photo paper and the FINE printing head in a uniform system. Such decision results in the printing of wonderful and long lasting photos. Such combination allows printing photos that are not inferior to traditional photos on the basis of the haloid-silver. The printed photo life makes up approximately 100 years on conditions that one will keep photos in a photo album.

Due to the highest quality and marvelous printing speed, PIXMA iP100 is one of the most effective portable printers in the market. The printing speed of black-and-white documents makes up 20 pages per minute and that of color documents 14 pages per minute. The printing without margins of a laboratory quality 10 х 15 cm photo takes approximately 50 seconds.

The set also includes Canon innovation program. Canon Easy-PhotoPrint EX is easy to use software designed for photo printing. The software helps the user by choosing the printing carrier and ranging. It also allows printing of calendars and layouts with several images. The software also supports such Canon technologies as functions of automatic picture fixing, the focus adjustment and removal of red eye effect.

PIXMA iP100 is compatible with the following operating systems: Windows Vista/XP/2000 и Mac OS X v.10.3.9 – 10.5.

To achieve the outstanding quality of printing, the photo printer in question uses 7 colors. The revolutionary UltraChrome pigment ink represents a new formula of quick-drying pigment ink that ensures a richer color gamut, high quality of gloss and higher light and moisture resistance of pictures.

The lightfastness of new ink reaches more than 75 years. There are 7 separate ink cartridges with such colors as: cyan, magenta, yellow, light-cyan, light-magenta, light-black. One can also choose between black or matte-black. The standard black creates a high level of gloss on the paper. The matte black is characterized by higher optical density of black and reduced absorption on the matte carrier. In the issue this decision guarantees optimum quality of printing on the matte paper (ordinary paper included).

The user can choose between different black cartridges depending on the situation. Each cartridge has a built-in intelligent chip that keeps information about the level of ink. It also lets the user to replace each color in proper time and to set the partially expended cartridge. The EPSON Gray Balancer program allows the user tuning the printer in to the printing of monochrome hues. The ability to regulate the black saturation of printing ensures the fine adjustment of pictures in concordance with the individual necessities of the user.

The automatic cutter of the roll stationery as well as reception tray for pictures can be very useful for photographers who print uninterruptedly series of photos. The new device cuts photos printed on a roll stationary very carefully, thus ensuring quick continuous printing.