Sony DPP-FP30 Digital Photo Printer Save 40% off

• Dye-sublimation technology, 8-bit color, 300 dpi resolution
• Prints a 4-by-6-inch photo in about 90 seconds to 2 minutes
• Borderless 4-by-6 and 3.5-by-5-inch photo sizes
• Photos are resistant to fingerprints, water, and fading
• USB 2.0 interface, PictBridge compatible; Windows compatible

Aside from Sony, many other brands make portable dye-sublimation printers these days, which makes the choice tougher. I did not consider purchasing the Dell, HP, Kodak, or Olympus ones because they are simply too big I wanted one that I can comfortably bring with me on my travels, so I can print my own postcards to send home.

I tried out the Canon CP-400 (form factor even smaller than the Sony DPP-FP30) in the store, and found that the print-outs (direct from my camera, not touched up by computer) have a blue cast to them, and in a side-by-side comparison the Sony print-outs (of the same pictures) have much prettier colors.

And comparing to Sony''s own older model DPP-SV77, which I have at home: The DPP-SV77 is bigger, complete with touchscreen LCD and Memory Stick/PC Card slots, built-in creativety functions such as printing calendars, and has a higher resolution of 403 dpi (the DPP-FP30 reviewed here, like the Canon models, only has 300 dpi). BUT the little DPP-FP30 actually prints photos with much truer color, while the big brother DPP-SV77 tends to exagerate reds and greens, and over-sharpen any edges. The lower resolution in the DPP-FP30 is not noticeable at all unless I print fine text to it from a computer, which is not this printer''s intended purpose anyway.

While I am very happy with the Sony DPP-FP30, I WISH IT COULD HAVE HAD (Sony, are you listening):

A battery option, so it''s not necessary to carry the AC adapter or to be tethered to a power source when printing.

A button to toggle between bordered (no cropping) and borderless (cropped).

More creativety functions in the included software.

Without increasing the overall size by too much, add multi-type card reader slots and a small color LCD to choose pictures (better yet, ability to trim/crop them before printing). This would also eliminate the requirement that the digital camera must be PicBridge compatible.

The other obvious shortcomings common to all portable dye-sub printers are that 1) paper/cartridge are prioritery and on the expensive side, and 2) print size is limited to a maximum of 4x6 (4x8 in some cases). These I accept for now, because I want the quality and durability of dye-sub prints (as opposed to inkjet prints). Hopefully these will improve with time.

As no other printer today has everything I hope for (see above), I am still giving the Sony DPP-FP30 5 stars for its excellent quality prints.

Buy Sony DPP-FP30 Digital Photo Printer Now

I picked up my Sony PictureStation last week. I had also considered the Canon CP 220, but decided on the Sony after I saw the prints from one at a friends home.

Installation was very easy and all went flawlessy. Setup consisted of installing the driver to my computer and hooking up the power, and usb (remember to buy a usb cable)...then inserting the printer cartridge and paper.The printer has a very small form factor and takes up litle space on my desk. I was printing 10 minutes after opening the box.

The prints are beautiful 4x6 pictures. Prints take about 1.5 minutes and are smudgeproof and waterproof right out of the printer. I would compare them favorably to photo lab prints. Cost is around 40 cents a picture if you shop around online for the 80 picture ink/paper pack.

Sony includes a 40 count paper/ink pack with the Dpp-Fp30 which is a very nice little bonus that allows you to print right away without purchaseing extra supplies.

Printing is easy from a computer or from my camera using the pictbridge feature. I am very pleased with the Sony Fp30 and would recommend it to anyone who wants a simple easy way to print gorgeous 4x6 pictures.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DPP-FP30 Digital Photo Printer Here

I spent a lot of time reviewing these dye-sub printers. I rarely print from a memory card, so that feature was not important to me. Watching this thing do its magic is a lot of fun! 3 passes to apply color, then the last pass for the glossy coat.

I got it mainly for its portable size. It is tiny! Another plus is that it comes with a paper pack and ribbon.

The only reason I didn''t give it 5 stars is that the photos are a tad (just a tad) flat. I think it has more to do with the sony paper. My full size canon i960 makes a better print on the canon glossy paper.

Other than that, this is a fantastic little device!

Want Sony DPP-FP30 Digital Photo Printer Discount?

Besides the expensive ink and paper (although value packs are available now), this little devil is a charm with a cherry on top!

It is a bit more expensive than other dye-sub printers, but once you try it out you''ll realize it''s worth it.

One leasson I learned, never go cheap on dye-sub photo printers, they''re worth every penny and the DPP-FP30 rules them all.

Save 40% off

nice, small, compact printer. quality of the photos is great using dye sublimation printing. fun to watch the picture come together color by color. a little time consuming, but worth it.