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  Kodak Photo Printer 500

  Sudeep Naik, Oct 18, 2007 1933 hrs IST

  A style statement of a printer

  Good build and design, Uses Dye Sublimation, Good features, Decent print quality

  Loses details in landscape shots, Expensive to buy, Much higher cost of printing than the average photo lab

  Expert Rating :

  

  

Page 1 - Intro, Dye Sublimation Page 2 - Bundle, Design Page 3 - Specifications Page 4 - Features, Analysis Page 5 - Conclusion

Photo printers aren't much of a novelty these days, as many companies have started offering them for consumers for some time now. Most consumer photo printers we've seen use inkjet or laser technology for printing photos. Today, we've a unique photo printer that uses dye sublimation to print great looking 4x6s -- the Kodak Photo Printer 500.

Before we go on with the review, let's understand the basic concept of Dye Sublimation or Dye Diffusion Thermal Transfer (D2T2).

Dye Sublimation or Dye Diffusion Thermal Transfer (D2T2)

This process employs a set of ribbons that are coated with a dye, which is transferred to the photo paper by the application of heat and pressure from a stylus at a discrete point. The dye will sublimate (the change from solid to gas, while at no point becoming a liquid) and transfer to the photo paper, where it'll be chemically bound.

D2T2 is known by many names, viz. Thermal Dye Sublimation, Dye Sub, and Thermal Dye Transfer (TDT).

This technology has been in existence since 1986 (Hitachi VY 50A printer), but it was the XL 7700 printer (1989) that saw Kodak use this technology for the first time.

Color D2T2 printers usually have a cartridge (aka donor) that has Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y), and Black (Key -- hence K) colored dyes.

To print pictures, these printers use glossy Resin Coated (RC) paper with many extra coatings to receive the dyes from a donor ribbon.

Kodak printers manufactured later than 1994 have the capability of applying a UV and fingerprint protection laminate over the image, the edge of which you can often make out when you view it in specular light at the edge of the image. Although the coating protects the picture from fingerprint smudges, it's still easily scratched.

D2T2 is popular for consumer photo printers, as the prints are indistinguishable from actual photographic prints. But this technique has its own share of problems.

Under magnification, a regular grid of faint, diffuse-edged squares or lines is clearly distinguishable. Color misalignment of the C, M, and Y dyes is quite visible under slight magnification. Blank spots caused by dust between medium and ribbon during printing also affect the quality of the prints.

Even with all its cons, D2T2 offers much better looking photo prints -- and has more or less the same operating costs as any inkjet printer.

I'm sure by now you're an expert on dye sublimation. So let's get on with the review, shall we?

Page 1 - Intro, Dye Sublimation Page 2 - Bundle, Design Page 3 - Specifications Page 4 - Features, Analysis Page 5 - Conclusion

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