Dye Sublimation Printer

Dear All,

Finally took the plunge to buy a dye-sublimation printer for immediate output of 6x4 photos (from the *istD via Photoshop CS). I plumped for the HiTi Photoshuttle, and what a cute little printer it is

Print costs are very low at 34pence per print, and produces passport approved outputs as well. The HiTi printers also include a "Magic Print" overlay that can put a bitmap as a watermark onto the covering of the print - either for fun, or your copyright and website markers

I ordered over the internet, and phoned the company too - exceedingly helpful company.

The print speed is great - 45 seconds for each print (total time of just over one minute including spooling from my 2.4GHz machine). Quality is lovely at 310dpi - you'd never guess it wasn't a "real" photo.

I just have to get my colour management setup properly, but the results so far are very pleasing indeed.

Links:
www.hi-ti.com
www.hitishop.co.uk

Enjoy!
Matt

Hi Matt,

Congratulations on your purchase!!

Just curious, how much are you paying for the printer? Also, how does the images compare to inkjets like, say.. the EPSON Stylus Photo 830 (or higher) ? Will the ink last as long as those printed at the Photo Lab? I know inkjet-printed images will not last very long (the color shifts faster with time), although the output is already very satisfactory at 300dpi.

A few years back, I was considering of getting a Dye-Sub printer over inkjets, but due to their higher prices, I took a plunge into EPSON desktop line.

Regards.

Hi Shotgun!

You have every right to be curious
The printer costs £180 over here - very reasonable for a dye sub. According to the HiTi web site, their longevity rivals the photo-lab results. With the coating they feel very stable, and very resistant to finger prints too. However, only time will tell how light-stable they really are.

There is a difference in output quality, obviously. The HiTi produces very very smooth, completely dot-less results - they look exactly like a genuine photo. My Epson 870 produces very good results too, with a little more depth (Epson has CcMmYK, while the HiTi has YMC+overlay). The total number of pixels on the PhotoShuttle is just over 2.3million - 310dpi x 4 x 6. There are higher res HiTi devices at 410dpi (4million pixels).

One big plus for the HiTi is that the cost per print remains the same irrespective of the image. For instance, I had some gig photos to print out - I wouldn't dare put it to the Epson as each shot was 80% black. The HiTi zipped out the images, and they looked absolutely fantastic Add to that there is no head-clogging, no mess, and instant dry prints.

I have also tried a new PS technique for creating pencil portraits. I had trouble printing out B&W images on the Epson, but the HiTi output was beautiful.

So, to summarise, I am using the HiTi for "regular" prints (I had a backlog of promises-to-print for friends which I have now fulfilled) and instant results, the Epson for larger format immediate prints, and my internet print providers for 8x10 "real" photos. I am a happy man

Matt

That's a lot of info Matt. Thanks.

One more thing... (I still cannot satisfy my curiousity...)

In terms of sharpness (for example, those individual hair strands on backlit portraits, or the eyebrows, eyelashes on a close-up shots)... how do they compare against the regular desktop photo inkjet and a Lab photo? Sorry for being so fuzzy on these If the image quality really impresses me, I may consider getting one.

Right now, I am using an EPSON Stylus Photo 830, a replacement of my ageing EPSON Stylus PHOTO 750. While I'm quite satisfied with it's image quality output, I still prefer sending my photos to a Pro Lab for more 'serious' prints in sizes larger than 6R, as I still don't trust the longevity of the desktop inks. And you're right - printing on these desktop printers is costly!!! - not to mention they consume ink as fast as teenagers drink soda!!!

Cheers!

Hi Shotgun!

(It's no problem... info is my business -lol )

Well, as far as quality goes, it is 310dpi. If you want to know what that looks like, just resize you image to around 1900x1200 pixels at 310dpi in PS.

Yes, you lose some detail (going from 6.1 to 2.3Mp), but I have found that by resizing within PS and USM-ing, then printing at 100% (rather than "fit image to media") the results are bang-on what I see on screen.

Colour matching is good. There's an ICM profile shipped with the printer, and the results are highly predictable. The soft-proof option in PS gives a good rendition of the output.

Of course, I would like to see higher resolution, more contrast and detail. However, I am really picky when it comes to these details. The images from the Peter Gabriel concert (especially http://www.pbase.com/image/23620197) just blew me away. The other images I have printed out were for friends - moderate images nothing special. Yes, when a head is only 0.5" round the hair detail goes a bit - but then it's exactly as you see on screen when resized. The overall result, though, it great.

I think it will probably change the way I produce images - just that instant output is superb. HiTi even do a "ruggedised" version that is dust resistant and can be powered from the car!! Amazing or what?!

Dont' just take my word for it, here's the Steve's Digicams review:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/hiti_photoshuttle.html
(well worth a read).
And the Imaging Resource review of the 630PS:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRINT/HT630PS/HT6.HTM


Enjoy!
Matt

Thanks a lot Matt. I'll go read the reviews when I can.

Shotgun.