Dye Sublimation vs. Inkjet Photo Printers: An In-Depth Comparison
Photographers have to understand their choices of printers in the market which are best for their profession. Identifying which the better photo printer is between a dye sublimation printer and an inkjet printer is the best way to help photographers who have not much knowledge regarding this subject. Through this comparison, photographers will be able to make the best choice for their professional photo printing needs.
Dye Sublimation Printers: Photo Printing on the Road and in the Lab
Dye sublimation printers are printers that use dye panels as inks or colorants. The dye panels are like solid sheets of dye and these are imprinted onto photo paper through the thermal sublimation process. This type of printing device is most ideal for printing photos particularly because it not only prints photos in high quality but also in good speed. Most commercial photo printers that are used for photo studios and laboratories have this kind of mechanism.
There are two types of dye sublimation printers that you can find today. The first type is the compact photo printer which is the more popularly known model of dye sublimation printer. It is small and handy, ideal for on-the-go printing activities. This kind of photo printer is great to use for outdoor photo printing activities, out-of-town trips, special events where you want to print out or sell photos, and adventures where access to a printer isn’t normally found.
On the other hand, the second type of dye sublimation printer is also known as a studio photo printer or dry mini-laboratory, typically used for mass photo printing. Such printing device is often used by commercial photo printing studios which can be found in malls and other public areas. They are quite heavy and their interfaces are ideal for easy direct photo printing. Since they are commercial-grade, it’s not surprising for these printers to be expensive. Photo printing businesses need this type of printer for their industry.
Inkjet Printers: Photo Printing for the Home and General Purposes
To be able to print photos of your family even in your own household, it’s more preferable to have an inkjet photo printer. Inkjet printers utilize nozzles that paint images onto paper as well as ink cartridges that use liquid ink for vibrant colors. The print heads of inkjet printers move back and forth, painting the images of the photo onto the medium.
Inkjet printers are very ideal to use because of their prices which are mostly affordable. Aside from their reasonable prices, they are also very functional. Because of their versatility, they are useful not only for photo printing but also for general printing.
It’s important for a photo inkjet printer to have good resolutions, ranging around 4,800 to 9,600 dpi, as well as a high number of nozzles, ideally more than 3,000.
Conclusion
It’s not easy to judge which the ideal photo printer is between a dye sublimation printer and an inkjet printer. It’s better to understand the functions of the printers and the benefits that they can provide you when you use them. This will give you more freedom to decide whichever type of printer you really prefer to use and which best answers to your photo printing needs.