SONY DPPSV55 - My own Photo Lab!
Written: Mar 12 '01 (Updated Mar 12 '01)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Paper Handling: |
|
|
|
Pros: Excellent, realistic photographic quality, edge to edge printing + more
Cons: Paper/Ribbon pack hard to find locally but plenty available online, prints up to 4x6
The Bottom Line: I recommend this all the way! Easy to use, excellent quality, this truly completes the at-home photo lab!
|
|
|
| micmac21's Full Review: Sony Digital Photo SV55 Thermal Printer |
[First, there is an error in Epinion's listing, this is also PC compatible (as of now it just says Mac)]
I had a spending cap of $500 for purchasing a photo printer and of course I wanted the best my money could buy. After researching and testing prints at local stores, I was happy to find this awesome photo quality printer without having to spend the entire $500! I honestly can not tell the difference between photos I printed from my Sony & ones I had developed from film.
There were many deciding factors in purchasing this model. First, I knew that in order to get the most realistic photos I had to go with a printer model that used dye-sublimation rather than the ink jets (upon inspection of a photo printed from an ink jet, you will see the actual "ink dots", colors don't blend well and they fade over time).
I think another strong deciding factor is how important the photo size is to you. This is a photo dedicated printer and will only print either 3x5 or 4x6 prints. For myself, I have little interest in printing 5x7 or 8x10 so it's not an issue. The fact that the largest it will print is 4x6 may deter some people. But in order to get the same quality with full-size paper capacity, it will cost around $1000.00 (Olympus Camedia P-400) (but if I was rich I would have got that one).
I have a Sony Mavica FD85 Digital Camera and combined with the Sony DPP-SV55 Photo Printer, I am EXTREMELY happy with the results! The photos are vibrant, smooth and since it prints "edge to edge" there's no white border to give it away. Prints are amazing! Aside from standard prints it also can make your photo into a card, calendar, stickers or index print. It takes approximately 90 seconds for a 4x6 photo.
With my Mavica camera (which uses a floppy disk), I print from my PC through any photo program such as Microsoft Photo Editor, Imaging, etc. It's that easy! You can also print directly from a Memory Stick or PC Card, or use the video cables to print from your digital camera through the TV (no pc required). Adapters are available for SmartMedia or CompactFlash cards.
Setup was easy. It connects to your computer via USB port (USB cable is not included).
The dye-sublimation process is truly amazing. Rather than ink dots, it uses dye from a special ribbon and then adds a coating to seal the picture. You can't go out and buy any old print paper. The ribbon is purchased with the paper, in a combined pack. The printer ships with a 10 pack sample to get you started.
As of now, the 4x6 paper is only available in 25 pack sheets ($10-$20) and the 3x5 in 30 sheets($8-$15) with the respective amount of ribbon combined. I could only find them locally at Circuit City and Tweeter, and they were both $20 for the 4x6. ONVIA.COM seems to have the best deal for this and they don't charge tax or shipping (standard). It's just as easy to stock up online. Since this printer has only been out a few months, its still possible that the paper market will make its way to office supply stores.
I purchased this Sony printer through staples.com for $310.00.(retail $349.99 with a $40 online coupon and free shipping). Before purchasing, check out sites like fatwallet.com to find discount codes.
Hope this helps and good luck with whatever your decision may be!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 309.00
Operating System: Windows and Macintosh
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
micmac21
|
|
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.