Printing Photos on Multifunction Devices

Most multifunction printers can take memory cards. You remove the card from the camera and insert it into the printer. Match up your camera's memory card type with the printer.

Some printers display photos individually on a small LCD display. Others print proof sheets. Either will help you select photos and save money on printing costs.

Most consumer-grade machines print at resolutions around 6000 x 1200 dpi. So, instead of looking at resolution, check the size of the ink droplets. Inkjets spray the paper with tiny drops of ink. The smaller the drop, the better the photo. Go for a printer with drops 4 pico-liters or smaller.

Also, look at the number of ink colors. Most multifunction printers have black plus cyan, magenta and yellow. Others have six or seven colors. The more colors, the more accurate your prints will be.
If you take photos with film, think about scanning negatives. You'll get greater detail. Some printers include negative adapters; others offer them as options.

Again, don't get too hung up on the scanning resolution. The results will likely be limited by the machine. However, if you'll be enlarging photos, you'll need a higher resolution. Low-end multifunction machines might scan at 600 x 1200 dpi. A better resolution for enlargements is 1200 x 1400 dpi or higher.

Photo buffs should also look at the color depth. This is true for both the scanner and the printer components. Don't purchase one with less than 24-bit color (scanning and printing). This is true color and allows 16.7 million different colors.

Some scanners claim 48-bit color. This gives more shadow details. However, if the printer doesn't also yield 48-bit color, that's irrelevant.