Dye sub/photo printer.

bass_junkie83

bass_junkie83

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What is the difference between a cheap photo printer like this.
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-canon-selphy-cp800-black-compact-photo-printer/p1522153

And a much more expensive dye sub like this?
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-fuji-ask4000-thermal-printer/p1020959

I don't actually know what dye sublimation is, but i assume the cheap one is just an ink jet?

Ignoring things like durability and reliability, which i appreciate are very important, what differences am i likely to see?
A noticeable quality difference?
Running/ink costs?
 
Well for anyone that may be interested, i am giving the canon cp800 a punt. From the reading up i have done it shouldn't be too bad, and at that price it's worth a crack.
 
Could I ask what you will be using it for personal / events ?
 
Ok lets start, they are 2 different machines, one is a personal printer the other is a full blown high performance photo printer.

The expensive one prints up to 8x12 or 8 inch wide the selphy is 4x6 or up to 4 inches wide.
The selphy will use individually cut sheets that it takes in and prints on slowly the expensive ones print 2 maybe 3 pages per minute.
The expensive ones use large rolls of paper internally and usually print hundreds per roll.
The cost of prints on the selphy are probably more expensive as you buy the paper and film in packs of 32/74 for about £17/£32 a pack. Also as the printer ages getting the refills can be difficult.
The larger printer, prints will be cheaper

If its personal use the odd print here and there and your happy with 4x6 then go ahead and try the selphy if you want larger prints then send them to a lab it will probably still be cheaper to get them printed elsewhere than on the selphy even for a 4x6. I have a Sony DPP-FP 30 which is a similar thing and it rarely gets any use due to the print size and costs.
 
I have 2 selphy printers and don't use them much now. Useful devices if you take to an event to get a few quick prits from it but they are expensive (about 30p per 6x4).

You buy a pack that includes your paper and ink set (the ink is heat bonded to the paper and the ink is contained in a cartridge that provides an exact number of images (I think it's about 36 per pack although there's a larger one avoailable.

THese are Dye Sub printers which work very differently to inkjets. Prints go through the machine adding each of the 3 colours one at a time then a final time to provide a glossy finish that makes the photos look like they have come from a lab. Very useful wee devices.

Prints for a 6x4 take around 60 seconds.

THe larger devices just do everything bigger, faster and cheaper and although the initial outlay is expensive, if you do a few events it will pay for itself.
 
That dye sub that comes up on the OP is one of the more expensive dye sub options- it is alos one of the more heavier ones too.

If you are going to use a dye sub for something like event photography , you would be advised to look at the other category of machines that will do 6x9 as thier max size.

Conversations about dye sub printers have come up on here many times before.
The lowest price 6x9 roll feed dye sub will come in around £730 plus Vat, the price rising up to the fast , newer and lighter machines to approx £940 plus vat.

Itr is worth doing some thorough research into the subject and consider all teh options with an open mind. The major brands will include Mitsubishi, DNP, FujiFilm, HiTi, Sony, and Kodak.
 
I've got a Canon dye sub that only goes up to 6x4 and to be honest I never use it. It's nice quality but the size is just too small.

I'd love to go for a larger format dye sub but I can't justify the cost compared to using dedicated printers unless I were doing event photography and required on the spot printing.
 
Graham makes a good point - the roll feed dye sub printers are for buisness use, the expenditure would not justify for personal use - unless you picked one up cheap on ebay. Caution is required if you do , as you need to be sure the print media packs are available.
 
Thank's guys.

The intention is to try and make a bit more out of my nightclub work.
I trialled selling prints and downloads online for about 6 months and it just wasn't working. So i'm thinking if i can make the sale there and then (while the punters are still wonky) it should work a bit better.

I would also like it to double as advertising for my studio. There is a big captive audience there, but one that is not easy to engage as they don't remember me the next morning. So if they have something physical the next day along with one of my cards....... Well i can only try.

I don't do any big event stuff, should anything like that come my way in the future, or if this takes off, of course i will look at getting something a bit more suited.
 
Sounds a good use. With a canon camera and a jpg you can print directly from the camera.
 
I have a little netbook with lightroom, so everything can be run through my normal processing before printing which is a bonus. Hopefully should all be here tomorrow to take advantage of new years. :)
 
Well that was a roaring success. I know last night being New Years Eve isn't a typical night, but it still paid for itself twice over. :D
 
If you could find a practical way of printing on site, you will probably make a better return.
 
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