Today's tech deal brings you word of an offer from Camera Phone Zone. These good folk are throwing in a half price compact photo printer with selected touch screen camera phones.

The photo printer itself comes in the form of the HP Photosmart A526, which produces 6 x 4 "high quality" borderless prints from a variety of memory cards, and has a 2.4-inch colour LCD screen.

This printer will be available for ?29.99 when bought with the following camera phones:

Samsung Genio Touch, 2-Megapixel: ?73.40 RRP

LG KS360, 2-Megapixel: ?73.40 RRP

Samsung Tocco Lite, 3-Megapixel: ?97.87 RRP

LG Viewty Lite Silver, 5-Megapixel: ?97.87 RRP

Follow the link to the Camera Phone Zone website for full details and we'll have another tech deal for you tomorrow.

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Tags: Phones Printers Photo printers HP HP Photosmart A526 Camera Phone Zone Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: Half price HP photo printer at Camera Phone Zone originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

"Oh that's a nice picture" you hear one of your family or mates say when they are around your house looking at a photo on your mantle piece. "Can I have a copy?"

You've then got the hassle of finding that picture, printing it out and then probably sending it to them as the whole process has taken so long they've given up and gone home. Sony is hoping to cut out the waiting with the launch of a digital photo frame with a built-in printer, so you can create and deliver the print there and then.

Sounds great, but is it?

The DPP-F700 sports a 7-inch, 16:10 WVGA screen with a resolution 800 x 480 and can print 4 x 6-inch, 300 x 300 dpi photos in 45 seconds.

The frame, which features a large black boarder offers touch-sensitive controls, that like other frames on the market, appear only on touch, however for some reason Sony has opted to use a different non-gloss material - a matt plastic it seems, which doesn't work.

Controls allow you to navigate through the basic menu system and here you can edit images before printing with options including enlarge, reduce, crop, date stamp on/off, border/borderless as well as brightness, contrast, hue, and sharpness adjustment.

Images can be transferred onto the frame via USB from a PC, and there is an array of memory card slots around the side including support for SD, MMC, Compact Flash and xD.

Failing that, there is 1GB of on-board storage. Storage levels will vary, with Sony boasting 2000 images as a headline grabbing number, but as this is only at a 2-megapixel resolution, expect this number to be around 200 if you're using a 7-megapixel or higher camera.

The DPP-F700 uses dye-sublimation as the printing technology, the print quality was good, not amazing, however they were able to be handled straight away when we played with the printer at a trade show.

The concept is perfect, unfortunately the realisation isn’t. The biggest problem isn't the quality of prints, or the software interface, it's the form factor.

As you might imagine adding a printer into a photo frame will add some bulk to a photo frame. Sony has surprisingly done a pretty good job of hiding this underneath the frame (see pictures) and the end result therefore is that it looks like you've perched a regular digital photo frame on to a box, no problem there.

The problem, however, is that rather than then put the photo paper tray within this box or to the side, it sits rather awkwardly out the front giving the game away that there is a printer hiding inside.

Yes it is detachable, but that's not the point. There is no way you could place it anywhere like a window ledge or mantle piece because of the width of the overall footprint. So you might as well give up on the idea altogether and use a small compact printer.

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Verdict:

In the future, if we are still printing photos, all digital photo frames will have a printer built in. It makes sense, it's a nice idea and we can see why someone at Sony approved the making of the DPP-F700.

However, it seems that "approving person" walked away after they were pitched the idea, as the end result neither looks good or has a form factor that would make it suitable (from our brief play) for where it should live in the living room.

This really is one of those moments where the end result could have been so much better.

The DPP-F700 digital photo frame-printer will be available in the States for about $200 in January.

Tags: Cameras Sony Digital photo frames Printers Photo printers Sony S-Frame DPP-F700

Sony S-Frame DPP-F700 digital photo frame - First Look originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Sony has recently announced a new digital photo frame?with a built-in printer, but what does it actually look like in the flesh? Pocket-lint was on hand to snap a photo gallery when it made a quick pit-stop in New York.

The new?Sony digital S-Frame DPP-F700?is an all-in-one device that gets a 7-inch display with an 800 x 480 resolution and can print 4 x 6-inch, 300 x 300 dpi photos in 45 seconds.

The idea is that you'll be able to print out a photo when you get the usual comment of "Oh I love this one, can I have a copy?"

You'll be able to edit the images in frame, meaning you won't have to worry about a PC, however the large form factor and ugly-looking paper tray means this is unlikely to find space on your mantle piece.

The DPP-F700 digital photo frame-printer will be available in the States for about $200 in January.

Tags: Cameras Sony Digital photo frames Printers Photo printers Sony S-Frame DPP-F700

PHOTOS: Sony S-Frame DPP-F700 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:07:28 +0000

Sony has announced the launch of a new multi-tasking digital photo frame - the S-Frame DPP-F700 - that offers a built-in photo printer.

The all-in-one device gets a 7-inch display with an 800 x 480 resolution and can print 4 x 6-inch, 300 x 300 dpi photos in 45 seconds.

The frame allows the user to edit images before printing with options including enlarge, reduce, crop, date stamp on/off, border/borderless as well as brightness, contrast, hue, and sharpness adjustment.

Images can be transferred onto the frame via USB from a PC, with support for Sony's memory card formats as well as SD, MMC, Compact Flash and xD.

Complete with remote control, the DPP-F700 digital photo frame-printer will be available in the States for about $200 in January.

Related links:

• PHOTOS - Hands on photo gallery

Tags: Cameras Sony Digital photo frames Printers Photo printers Sony S-Frame DPP-F700

Sony digital S-Frame DPP-F700 offers built-in photo printer originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:29:18 +0100

According to HP Media Test Expert, Thom Brown, the cost of printing has come down 30% in the last three years. The average user will get through 3.8 ink cartridges each year which works out as a cost of $6 per month. It's a good way of rationalising it but 30% or no 30% it still feels like bill shock every time we have to we have to play the replacement game.? The real trouble is that few of us ever thinks of the purchase of a printer as a subscription or a model with significant running costs. So, for those who can't take the pain at the checkout, Pocket-lint went over to HP's ink factory in Dublin to find out exactly where all that money goes.

The process of printing is like dropping grapes into a bucket from the top of a 30 story building at speeds of 50km/h and at intervals of 30,000 times a second. We're asking those cartridges to make single dots on a page from 32 separate super-heated vapour explosions but yet be cool enough by the time they arrive to be dried and in good condition. And all of that through a nozzle just one third the breadth of a human hair. If the droplets are not the exact right shape, the lines on the documents on the photographs will become blurred and raggedy, the contrast poor and the images far from sharp. And if the results aren't good, then the consumer will blame the printer manufacturer, so it's small wonder that they put so much into the production of the cartridges.

There's a holy trinity of printing between the machine, the paper and the ink cartridge but out of them all it's arguably the cartridge that's the hardest working of them all. The ink comes into contact with both the machine side of things as well as the paper too. The paper itself is specialised to some degree with a choice between porous and swellable technologies - you can ask us about that one another time - but the cartridge has become such a piece of work that more often than not these days, it's even the place where you'll find the actually printing head which was previously always found in the machine.

The engineering and assembly that goes into each cartridge is certainly more than you'd expect especially when standing there with your bill shock face. As well as the tiny nozzle, each one contains a sponge and a filter as well as the ink. The sponge is there to ensure that every last drop of ink is soaked up from the cartridge container but is not so greedy that it starves the nozzle. The filter is 7 microns in size and is designed to block whatever impurities that may have got in there that could clog up the nozzle and ruin the drop flow.

The cartridges are filled in a vacuum to make sure they're up to the brim and, once done, the lids are placed on top and ultra-sonically vibrated against the main body until the two heat up and fuse together. The heads themselves are made from an incredibly thin film and held down by the inert and rather pricey metal Palladium to make sure that they're perfectly in place. Each cartridge also has its own unique ID chip to make sure it's gone through all the quality control and, if there is a problem, it can be traced back to a particular batch.

But of course, it's not just the plastics where all the money goes. A huge amount of the expense is concerned with the ink itself. Each new ink takes around 3-5 years to develop. The fluid dynamics are selecting for viscosity, anti-smudge factors, quick drying and colour permanence to last years of exposure to light. The droplets are examined under electron microscopy for size, shape and speed to make sure they'll give that perfect image reproduction when required.

It's small wonder that manufacturers like HP recommend using their ink cartridges and no one else's when it's time to change them over. Sure, a significant part of their business is the ink cartridge money spinner but it's easy to see how a refill of their specially engineered hardware could produce some very patchy results. The new ink is not going to have the same viscosity which will give a dramatically different performance but, more than anything else, the cartridges simply aren't designed to last for a second life cycle. Many of the parts such as the delicate filters and nozzles might well have worn out. HP describes refills like second hand cars. There's just no guarantee that they'll run properly.

Thankfully, you can buy into a printer type and system where new cartridges cost less. You can make the choice whether you'd rather spend more on the outlay or pay higher running costs but, for now at least, shelling out for new cartridges is a part of life. From an eco point of view, companies like HP are crying out for us to send back the empties so that they can recycle them. 70% of the new ones are made from the plastic of the old. But, until they run a decent incentive schemes to help with further ink purchases, it seems unlikely that many people will bother.

So, until then, you'll just have to remember these facts the next time your printer runs dry and it's time to stump up the cash again. You won't like it and it's still not cheap but at least you'll have a better idea of where the money is going.

Related links:

• Feature - How to buy the right printer for you
• Review - Dell 1320C printer review
• News - Polaroid re-launch announced

Tags: Hardware Printers HP Photo printers How to Features Ink cartridges

Why is printing so bloody expensive? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:08:40 +0100

Printers aren't the sexiest of gadgets. We know this. But the fact remains that more and more people are choosing to print out their digital photos as well as using the things for letters, contracts and other documents. So, if you want to know how to avoid the pricey ink trap and make sure you're getting the most beautiful snaps for your frames then read on.

Rule 1: Work out how much you'll use it

This is both the hardest thing to figure out and also the most important at the same time. In fact, if you get this bit sussed, you're pretty much home already. The trouble is that it's hard thing to estimate because it's not worth paying attention to while you do it. In fact, you're most likely only going find out the answer after it's too late and you've already made your purchase. So, as dull as it might sound, if you can have a good estimate at this now, it'll save you a fair bit of money and trouble in the long run.

Rule 2: Cheaper printers have more expensive ink

You might have only paid ?30 for the hardware in some sale or other but chances are that a cheap printer will cost you more in ink cartridges over time whereas replacements on a more expensive piece of kit will work out better as time goes on. So, based on the calculation of how many pages you think you'll be printing each month, you'll have some idea of how often you'll get through cartridges. Lots of brands these days say on the packaging just how many sheets they'd expect you to get out of them. Combine that with your printing frequency and you'll have some idea of how much you'd expect to pay in refills over each year. Factor in the initial cost of the machine and you'll see at what point it might be worth going for a higher spec printer.

Rule 3: How long do you intend to keep your printer for?

The majority of printers these days - certainly those towards the bottom end of the market - are actually quite future proof as far as performance goes. The reason is that most of the important technology is in the cartridges which house the print heads themselves. So, each time you change the ink, you're effectively buying whatever new printing upgrade the manufacturer has been working on even if your machine is three years out of date. The exception here is that some printers have permanent or semi-permanent heads - that is to say that to some degree the print head technology is in-built, so bear in mind that these other machines might not last quite so long. On the plus side, their ink replacement is considerably cheaper, so they're an excellent option for those who can't stomach the cartridge game.

Rule 4: Lasers are not necessarily the best

Most home user probably would opt for an ink jet anyway but even if you really want to spend some cash or you're a small business trying to make the right choice, don't just presume that you'll get more for your money with a laser printer. The major advantage of them is that they're fast but if you only print a couple of sheets at a time then remember that a laser printer will have to warm-up first before it goes into action. They've got significant;y quicker at this over the years but many ink jets will beat the less high tech laser models over a page or two. On the other hand, if you're going to be calling for 20 sheets at a time, then a laser's probably the right call.

Another issue is that lasers won't necessarily offer more accurate colours over all parts of the spectrum as a high end ink jet might. So, if printing photos is the reason for your purchase then make sure to read the reviews carefully if you really are sold on the idea of these bigger, faster machines. On the cartridge side, you won't have to shell out for a new one quite so often but you will be looking at a fair old wedge when you do. Quite a good compromise if you're unsure of which type to go for are often the prosumer type ink jet machines often referred to with names like office jet and such. They're generally quicker and more economic with the ink provided you use them on a regular basis.

Rule 5: Use the right refills

One option to make you're ongoing printer use cheaper is to go for non-brand printer cartridge replacements or even have your empties filled back up again. By all means give this a crack but bear in mind that you're rolling the dice here. A printer cartridge is a very fine tuned and specific piece of kit and only those produced by your hardware manufacturer are designed to get the best results from your machine. Some non-brand replacements are reliable but many aren't. Of 2,000 people surveyed by HP who had tried alternative cartridges, 50% of them said they were unsatisfied and wouldn't try it again. Now, it might be that the other 50% chose a better label but it could also be that pot luck.

The ones to be most careful of are the refill services. Ink cartridges contain quite a few subtle parts which will very often be worn out by the end of their natural cycles. Trying to squeeze a second batch of ink out them might well cause lower quality results, leaks or a total failure. Even if your refill or non-brand cartridge does print accurately, tests have also shown that most of them have ink with 50% less permanence than the ones specifically built for your machine. That is to say that their printed colours will fade far quicker over time.

Another thing to keep your eyes out for are extra large cartridges and printer packs. It's just a question of a buying in bulk mentality. These deals will offer you a lower cost per page but just make sure that you're going to use them up within the best before dates.

Rule 6: Use the right paper

There's a holy trinity of printing between the machine, the ink and the paper and if any one of them is out, there's a chance that you won't get good results. Fortunately you don't have to be quite as specific with paper as you do with the ink and there'll be a number of brands which your printer manufacturer recommends. Photo quality paper is the one to pay most attention to. If you are going to print your snaps, then you'll be peeved if they're anything less than what you can get down the shops so, it's not really a place to scrimp. That said, they often come in grades equivalent to “good”, “better” and “best” so try a few and see which reaches the right price/quality point for you. One piece of advice for all printing is to make sure that your paper is 80gsm thick or over – if you require your documents to have an aesthetic value, that is.

Rule 7: A printer is a subscription

Most dissatisfaction over printers is caused by the bill shock of the cartridges. The problem is that people just aren't in the right mind set when they buy them. You've got to see the purchase of a printer much like a mobile phone where there's an initial outlay to consider as well as an equal, if not more significant, running cost. Pick the subscription model that suits you the best. Are you happy paying little and often or would you prefer to shell out in bursts? You might consider a cheaper printer more like a 12 month contract where as a better model you'll need to keep for a longer period of time to really reap the economic benefits.

Rule 8: Do you need a printer at all?

Of course, the ultimate PAYG model is not to buy a printer at all. There's plenty of web services and high street shops which provide very reasonable and guaranteed quality photo printing services. Then you've no need to worry about an initial outlay or storing another piece of hardware at all. If you just need the odd document off the line, then there's almost an internet cafe on every corner that'll churn them out at 10p per sheet. In the long run, it'll probably work out more expensive but if you really don't need a printer that often, then it's probably best not to buy one at all.

Related links:

• News - Kodak ESP 3250 and 5250 printers unveiled
• News - Daily Tech Deal: Canon Selphy printer with Bluetooth adapter
• Buy - Help choosing a printer

Tags: Hardware Printers HP Photo printers How to Features Ink cartridges

How to buy the right printer for you originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:53:15 +0100

Twenty years ago you couldn't help but marvel at the site of a stadium twinkling with thousands upon thousands of camera flashes and wonder just how much money Kodak was raking in. This year the last roll of 35mm Kodachrome colour film will leave the production line, bringing to an end a great part of history. At the dawn of the digital age, Kodak saw 35mm film sales plummet from $15 billion to $200 million in under 5 years. If you haven't heard much from the tech giant in the interim, aside the odd photoframe, it's because it went from a consumer facing family name to a 70% B2B specialist at almost the click of a shutter.

A few years on and Kodak is on the march once more with its familiar gold logo appearing on our shelves on increasingly desirable products. 97% of cinema films are still printed on Kodak - for the time being, at least - but now half of the company's 19 lines are digital, including consumer photo printers and more recently the Kodak Zi8 - arguably the top pocket camcorder on the market today. What's more, even though time may have been unkind to film, the number of photos we're taking has hit astronomical figures and, as far as Kodak is concerned, there's a huge part to play in that. It may have been a while since consumers saw the brand on a daily basis but Kodak still has one thing that you simply can't buy. Trust.

This year has seen Kodak reach out even further to the public with a series of blogs, a Facebook app and an iPhone app that connects consumers directly to the Kodak Gallery, a user site for uploading images where they're safer and higher in resolution than any other such service on the net. The latest step from the company in its embrace of the digital age has been to conduct a survey of the birth of the digital family called The Future of Reconnectivity. Entitled both with the public's concern over our increasingly virtual lifestyles and as part of Kodak's fact finding for future product strategy, the report sampled 2,500 consumers from France, UK, Germany, Italy and the US and asked them just how they use photos in social networking and what they hold dear in their digital lives.

By far the most telling stats were those associated with Facebook. It turns out that people with more Facebook photos have more friends. Now, that could be that they have more photos because they have more friends who take more pictures of them in the first place. They also discovered that people who smiled more in photos had more friends too. Perhaps we all like to know happier people? But probably the one that's harder to explain is that those who post more videos have more people in their networks. The report describes these users as part of a growing "digital aristocracy" and, for those who simply must be a part of it, you can help yourself out with photo editing software that will automatically remove frowns from pictures and turn them into smiles. In reaction, you'll also find groups on Facebook for people who like images of sad and angry faces. Good for an amusing browse.
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In general, there were also patterns that emerged in what kinds of pictures were taken by different age groups. Those in their 20s predominantly took what the study referred to as "vertical photographs" - those in which the subjects were mainly on their feet. Probably something to do with youth and all that energy they have. By the 30s it was more what was described as "10 o'clock photos" where subjects were mostly sat down and largely more sedate. By our 40s, it's all about photos more for business and by 50s and 60s, it's all about family shots which seems to make sense.

The concern for Kodak more specifically is how to get the most out of our digital photo stock or how to bring out the "digital shoebox" as Kodak chief marketing officer Jeff Hayzlett puts it. On the virtual side of things, Kodak is looking at easier methods of sharing digital photos both across networks and anywhere in the home between photoframes that are yours and those perhaps at another family member's house hundreds of miles away. A large focus of the company's business now is, of course, home printing of shots but for those that wish to send their stills in the other direction, it's actually possible for to get metadata from scanned hard copy photographs. The paper on which Kodak prints were made contains all sorts of detail including when and where the printing was done. Very useful for mass digitisation and sorting.

There's clearly plenty of inroads for Kodak and enough faith from the general public in the name of the brand the world knows so well. The big question is whether or not the products and services can deliver as well as the competition. This time there's no relying on George Eastmen to invent the revolution. The technology is already there and Kodak has been behind the digital pack so far but with a combination of legacy and innovation anything is possible. What we can say for sure is that we'll be seeing more from the New York company in the consumer space to come but it's another thing altogether of how the B2B side of the business will cope as more and more cinemas go digital too.

Related links:

• News - WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Kodak Gallery
• Features - Five great rangefinder cameras

Tags: Cameras Camcorders Kodak Kodak Zi8 Printers Features Facebook Surveys

Is Kodak coming back? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:48:20 +0100

Summit Global, the licensee of the Polaroid brand, has officially announced the world re-launch of Polaroid, with both instant photography products and digital offerings due to be re-available.

The new Polaroid will manufacture a range of instant film products like the Polaroid 600 instant film, and also re-introduce a range of instant cameras including the "Polaroid One".

A great success for the Impossible Project, campaigners who worked hard to see instant film back to realistic prices, it's thought this move will bring Polaroid to a whole new audience, as well as appease retro-photography fans.

In addition to film-based efforts, Polaroid will also work on ZINK tech with ZINK Imaging, a team-up last seen in the Polaroid POGO instant digital printer.

Along those lines, there are also plans to market the digital Polaroid "Two"and plans have been revealed to produce a Polaroid "Three" - an instant digital camera that produces 4-inch by 3-inch instant digital photos.

Tags: Cameras Film cameras Polaroid Biz Printers Digital cameras Compact cameras Zink

Polaroid re-launch announced originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:18:03 +0100

The Dell 1320C is a personal colour laser printer with USB and networking connections. It's just ?204, which is impressive given the decent specification. A personal laser printer is a great alternative to an inkjet-based equivalent as it will produce a higher number of pages for your money. If you don't print many photographs and find yourself doing more business type documents this might be the printer for you.

The 1320C is a basic beast having just the two buttons and a selection of flashing lights, but to be honest there's not really much more you need. The design is simple too, however the Dell feels well built. The paper tray only holds 250 sheets of A4 at a time it does have a manual feed for envelopes though. Our only minor gripe with the design of the Dell is that the paper tray extends a couple of inches past the rear of the machine, but it's not a major issue.

It's not too large for a laser printer, but you will have to make extra room on your desk if you're replacing an inkjet. The toner cartridges are held in a single caddy-style arrangement, which is removed in one piece. We've seen more elegant approaches, but it does the job.

Where it really matters the Dell is a very capable performer. Print quality is impressive across the board; it's fast too with just 8 seconds needed to print 1 page of text and 57 for 10 sheets. Characters are well defined and we were impressed by just how sharp the output was from this ?200 printer. Colour output was just as good; we tested the 1320C with a business document that included the usual graphs images and multi-coloured backgrounds you'd expect. Each page was sharp and colour accuracy really impressive. Even the images, which are usually a weak spot for laser printers were excellent. Again, it took the Dell just under 1 minute for 10 pages. One other aspect of the Dell we were impressed by was noise or more appropriately a lack of it. A small thing, but the 1320C is pretty quite in operation.

When it comes to consumables the laser clearly outdoes the inkjet on the number of pages produced front. However, it should be noted that a set of replacement cartridges for the Dell will set you back ?220. That's ?20 more than the cost of a new printer. Of course, the replacement toner capacity is higher than the ones shipped with the Dell, but it's worth considering. Also, it's unlikely you'll be able to pop down to PC World or other high street retailer and pick up toner for the Dell in same way you could for an inkjet.

Verdict:

The 1320C is a great little printer, not only does it produce fantastic quality colour documents it includes network connectivity in the price. The speed, price and unfussy design combine to make the Dell a great choice. The toner replacement could be a little less fiddly and we'd have liked the paper tray to sit flush with the back of the printer, but these are very minor gripes. If you find your inkjet is proving too costly then perhaps it’s time to investigate a small home laser such as the 1320C.

Tags: Printers Laser printers Dell Dell 1320C Dell 1320C

Dell 1320C printer originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0100

For today's tech deal we have chosen the Canon Selphy CP710 printer, which is on sale at Ebuyer for ?26.07, saving you ?17.39 on its original ?43.46 price.

Being cited as the "perfect accessory" for a digital camera or Bluetooth mobile phone, this printer allows direct transfer of data from digital cameras with PictBridge or mobile phones via Bluetooth - since the printer comes with a free Bluetooth adapter - hence no PC required.

Other features include a 1.5-inch LCD screen and a 1-minute photo option that will dish out borderless post card prints in 60 seconds.

The link below will take you through to the Ebuyer site and we'll have another tech deal for you tomorrow.

Related links:

• Shop - Ebuyer.com

Tags: Printers Photo printers Canon Canon Selphy CP710 Daily Tech Deal Ebuyer

Daily Tech Deal: Canon Selphy printer with Bluetooth adapter originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0100

The Canon Pixma MX330 is a inkjet all-in-one printer that's designed for the small home office and business. There's no separate ink tanks on this all-in-one, simply two cartridges, one colour and one black.

The black tank contains a pigment-based ink while the colour tank is dye-based, in an attempt to give you the best of both worlds; pigment for better text quality, dye for improved photo quality. Page yields are given by Canon as 220 for the black tank and 244 for the colour.

The MX330 has a 1200 x 2400 dpi scanner a well as an automatic document feeder for batch scanning and copying, it can hold 30 sheets of A4. It's also capable of collated copies so you can put 2 or 4 on to one page. You can put a memory stick into the front USB port and scan directly to that if you;d like too.

There's a 1.8-inch LCD screen to help navigate the menus and use the device: it's smaller than many you'll find on modern all-in-ones, but it does the job. To add to the business aspect of the Canon there's a 33.6kpps fax too.

In terms of design the Canon is inoffensive enough with a grey and black finish. The build quality is up to the usual Canon standard and the MX330 feels like it will survive the rough and tumble of office life.

The lack of separate ink tanks and the auto document feeder plus the fax, single the MX330 out as a machine aimed at people who do more with business documents than photos. The test results reflected this too. Text quality is very good for an ink-based device - it's up there with some laser quality prints we've seen. Sharp and solid text blocks are in evidence in normal and best modes and even draft quality was very impressive. A page of draft text was out and ready to go in 9 seconds, which isn't too bad, however a page of best text was a touch sluggish at 1 minute 37 seconds. Hardly an age, but slower than some of Canon's other all-in-ones.

Ten pages of graphics and text was slow too at 6 minutes, though the quality more than made up for the time taken. The quality of the mixed text and graphics output was exceptional and it's clear where this printer's strengths lie.

Photographic performance was less impressive, but by no means terrible. An A4 image took just 1 minute and 42 seconds, which is impressive, but the quality was more middle of the road. There was a lack of detail in darker areas, however, colour was accurate and overall the tone was good. If you only print out the odd shot then the Canon will more than likely be fine, but that's as far as we'd go.

The Canon Pixma MX330 is clearly aimed at people who are printing out more text and PDF documents than photos and it's very good at this. At ?100 it's excellent value for money, the lack of individual tanks might scare some off though the cartridges are available for about ?15 each so it's not expensive to replace the inks.

Verdict:
Overall we we're impressed by the Canon as it performs well, though photos aren't great, it is not designed for that so we can let it go. For a small office all-in-one with a fax and auto document feeder, the Canon offers excellent features and performance for the price.

However, unless you really want an inkjet a small laser printer might be a better alternative or one of the other Canon all-in-ones that have separate inktanks and much better photo quality for around the same price.

Tags: Printers All-in-one printers Canon Canon Pixma MX330 Canon Pixma MX330

Canon Pixma MX330 printer originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:09:30 +0100

The Canon MX320 is a multi-function printer, copier, scanner and fax with an impressively low price point. At just ?75 it packs in a lot of features for the cash.

The MX320 eschews single inktanks and uses a single black and tri-colour arrangement. The tanks are about ?15 each and Canon claims that they provide laser quality and speed. The MX320 has an automatic document feeder for automated scanning and copying, it can hold 30 sheets at a time.

There's a LCD display, but it's just a text display. The scanner has a decent 1200 x 2400 optical resolution and an automatic mode, which selects the best options for the documents without you having change the settings.

You can scan directly to a USB stick via the front USB port, which is also a PictBridge connection for connecting cameras. Though perhaps a little outdated, there is a fax included with the MX320, which has a 50 page memory and 20 number speed dial. You can use the ADF to fax multiple page documents more easily.

The construction is up to the usual Canon standards with a reassuring sturdy quality to the flaps and doors. The two-tone black and grey plastic finish might not appeal to all tastes, but overall it's ok. The MX320 has the very useful automatic opening feature that extends the output tray as soon as you press print. It might sound like an insignificant feature, but we've found it incredibly useful over the years.

The buttons could be a bit fiddly if you've got big fingers as they are flush to the top of the device, but we found them responsive enough.

Print quality is good especially text, which lives up to the claims Canon makes about laser quality. In draft mode the text is clear and sharp, it's not a deep shade of black, but more than acceptable for everyday use. The best quality text takes things up a notch and although a single page of best text took 1 minute 37 seconds it's worth the wait.

A 10 page mixed text and graphics document took a hefty 6 minutes though the standard of the output was good. We didn't expect much from the photo quality, but in the end we were impressed. There's no way the output comes close to the similarly priced Canon photo all-in-ones available, but the pictures the MX320 produces are passable. There's much less detail especially in darker areas of an image, but for the occasional print the performance is decent enough.

Verdict:
The MX320 is an decent enough machine, offering great text quality and passable photo quality. The two ink tank setup makes it much more of a small office device, but the page yields aren't all that impressive. A cheap laser printer would give much the same text quality, however you do get the scanner and fax included with the Canon.

The results and build-quality from the MX320 are unlikely to disappoint, but as you can get a photo quality Canon printer that has a very similar specification, for around the same price, that gives better photo quality there aren't that many arguments in favour of the MX320. It's not a poor product, but unless you need a fax machine the MX320 doesn't really stand out.

Tags: Printers All-in-one printers Canon Canon Pixma MX320

Canon Pixma MX320 printer originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:05:33 +0100

There used to be a time when printers were big and beige. But can a colour change to gloss black really make you want to sign up for the new HP C4780 all-in-one printer? We get printing and scanning to find out.

Sitting in the mid- to low-end of the printer scale the HP Photosmart C4780 is not pitched as a work horse, but aimed at someone that wants to do the odd printing from time to time. Take the paper for instance. The input tray can hold around 80 sheets of standard paper while the photo tray can handle a mere 15 sheets. Paper is loaded in via the front and spat out on top.

Doesn't sound like a deal breaker, however in reality with no paper catcher, it means that you've got to be there really to catch your prints as they churn out at a top speed of 29 pages a minute for black and white. If you're printing lots then it's going to be an issue.

A printer isn't just about paper handling, although that is a big part of it, it's about usage in our minds. Here you get wireless connectivity meaning you can hide the lump of black in a cupboard never to be seen again. It's a good thing too, for while HP has clearly put some design thought into the product, the black gloss design attracts dust like nothing we've seen before. We're surprised it doesn't come with a duster, it really is that bad.

Back to the wireless functionality and it's not all plain sailing as you might expect. While once you've got it set-up it's a breeze to use, we had difficulty at first doing so. Why? Because the initial set-up process has to be hardwired via USB. While we have to admit it means that you have to know little about setting up networks to get this working (it does it all for you) it does mean that you've got to find somewhere to perch the printer on your desk or lap to begin with. Only to then unplug it all to put it in its final destination.

So you've got it set-up, loaded in the paper and then turned it on. The good news is that it's pretty much straightforward from there on out. The printer comes with a card reader, although the choices are limited to MemoryStick and MemoryStick Duo, SD XD and MMC cards. No Compact Flash support for DSLR users or microSD card support for phone owners. There's no Bluetooth either, although we do like the fact that it works perfectly with the iPhone HP iPrint application.

If you aren't accessing and controlling the printing via your computer (Mac or PC), or your iPhone, you're left with a touch-sensitive panel. It's small (1.45-inches), but with only basic instructions offered it is just about large enough to get the job done. We certainly would have liked something larger.

Beyond the printer functionality you also get a flatbed scanner, which as you might expect comes with photocopy capabilities. The technical specs of the scanner include a scan resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi with optical scanning up to 1200 dpi. It's not the fastest scanner in the world, but as with the whole model should be seen as a nice feature to have rather than something you would invest in to digitise the last 20 years of photos you've collected. Depending on whether you've opted for the accompanying software, pressing the scanner button loads up the software on your computer automatically. You can scan to a PC or directly to a memory card.

So what's the performance like? Well the HP Photosmart C4780 all-in-one printer isn't a workhorse by any stretch of the imagination and therefore printer speeds and options reflect that here. The print quality for black and white and colour prints is good with little blurring, bleeding or smudging.

As for photos, the quality again is average rather than outstanding. We printed out images on HP's Everyday photo paper (4 x 6) and Canon's Photo Paper Plus Glossy paper (A4) and while the images were okay to share, we would think twice about framing them. The colours looked a little flat to what we would have liked on our numerous test shots.

Verdict:
It's clear from out tests and living with the C4780 that it's a "I've got a printer for the odd print" kind of printer rather than aimed at someone who still believes in paper. The standard document printing is good enough for the odd letter, homework, or document you want to reference and the photo element will be good enough to share prints but not really to frame.

If that sounds like what you are looking for then for the price you are unlikely to go wrong, however if you're hoping for something more "officey" or more "full featured", you would be better off looking elsewhere.

Average.

Tags: Printers All-in-one printers HP HP Photosmart C4780 HP Photosmart C4780

HP Photosmart C4780 all-in-one printer originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:21:26 +0100

In the States, Belkin has announced the launch of the "Home Base" that brings a simple solution to set-up a home sharing network and share hardware.

The Home Base means those with wireless networks set up, can print to a single, shared printer from anywhere in the home.

There's also the option to attach an external hard drive to one of Home Base's four USB ports to save and share music, pictures, and videos within the network as well as access PS3 and Xbox 360 files.

Home Base will automatically back up connected computer's files to a connected external hard drive, while its automatic sharing feature means it can automatically upload your new photos to a Flickr or Picasa account.

The Home Base is now available in America for $129.99, with no news of a UK launch just yet.

UPDATE: The Home Base is now available in the UK and Europe, priced at ?99.99.

Read

Tags: Hardware Networking Belkin Wireless NAS Storage Belkin Home Base Printers

Belkin Home Base launches originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:50:00 +0100

Such is the frequency at which Lexmark churn out new printers and multi-function devices, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is one of the most rapidly-evolving markets in tech-circles.

No less than eight new models have just been added to its range and the Prevail fits in as a mid-range solution aimed at home and office use featuring a printer, fax, scanner and copier, built-in wireless and a range of useful features.

Lexmark aren’t traditionally known for pushing the boundaries of aesthetic perfection but we were quite impressed by the tidy, compact design and sleek black lines of the Prevail. A main control panel boasts a 2.4-inch colour LCD for accessing settings and viewing photos, PictBridge USB support and a multi-card reader.

Among the most useful features aside from wireless connectivity are an "eco-mode", which dims the backlight, enables power-saving and forces double-sided printing and a dedicated control to switch between full colour and black and white prints. Set-up and general operation is very straightforward and in most cases configuration is possible via the main controls on the device itself.

Lexmark does install its Printer Home software, which offers a range of maintenance tools, advanced scan settings at the ability to convert a document to text using OCR. Otherwise print-settings through applications are kept pretty simple with four degrees of quality, image enhancement and watermark creation.

Lexmark has been predictably ambitious when it comes to quoting print speeds, and in our tests it only achieved around half the target 33ppm on draft and 15ppm for standard quality text printing. Photo prints were fairly fast, with a full colour A4 appearing in about a minute and a half, and just under a minute for photo-sized images.

The printer is capable of handling a wide range of media and print sizes using the manual adjustable sliders in the 150-sheet feed tray, and a 50-sheet automatic document feeder helps automate larger jobs for scanning and copying.

In terms of quality we had mixed feelings about the printer’s capabilities. Text prints are actually very good and we noted clean lettering with no bleed even at draft settings. Unfortunately photos don’t fare as well with average colour reproduction and poor separation of blacks and subtle shades, so the Prevail will not suit those who require good performance in this area.

Where the Prevail does succeed is in the range of genuinely useful features it offers and the fact that most of the time, it goes about its job with a minimum of fuss. Though it doesn’t excel in any one area this is a decent all-rounder for office environments that’s stylish, easy to use and offers an impressive range of time-saving tools.

Verdict:

Lexmark’s Prevail is a decent entry into this market and the tidy design and intuitive operation offers distinct appeal. Despite its drawbacks, it would be well suited to low-yield office or home office environments where it is versatile enough to handle a range of tasks.

Tags: Printers All-in-one printers Lexmark Lexmark Prevail PRO705 printer Lexmark Prevail PRO705

Lexmark Prevail PRO705 printer originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0100