How Do Photo Printers Work?

Most photo printers are basically inkjet printers with six-color cartridges (light cyan, light magenta, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) rather than the usual four-color cartridges.

There are also some that use a technology known as thermal dye technology (also known as dye sublimation), which basically melts ink crayons onto the pages. These can provide high-quality color, but are not really suitable for anything but photo printing.

If you are looking for a printer specifically designed for photographs, then it could be worthwhile investing in a photo printer. Photo printers can offer contrasting features to standard inkjets, which benefit digital camera users. But be warned: they will come at a higher price.

It's important to note photo printers aren't always souped-up inkjet printers. Most of the photo printers on the market employ either inkjet or dye-sublimation technology. Dye-sublimation printers work by diffusing gaseous dye over paper, producing high-quality prints free of the distinctive pattern of dots common to inkjets.

Their output quality makes dye-sublimations popular in high-graphics environments, but their superior image reproduction has also allowed them to carve out a niche in the portable photo printer market.
Although dye-sublimations have a reputation for being expensive, it is only partially justified. While large A3-sized dye-sublimations can get into five digit figures, portable photo printers (outputting pictures no larger than 4x6in) cost little more than a mid-range inkjet.

The massive increase in the number of digital images being taken, coupled with the ease of use and simplicity of models now being released, is propelling photo printers into the mainstream printer market.