Perfect prints

Black Enterprise, June, 2008 by Laura Turley

So you've wrangled your images into some semblance of beauty and order. Next step, printing. Most consumers can do well with an all-in-one device such as Hewlett-Packard's Photosmart C8180 All-in-One (www.hp.com; $599). But if you want to produce really high-quality photographic prints, Epson rules the competition. Consider a dedicated photo printer such as Epson's R800 (www.epson.com; $399), an eight-color device that produces good-quality images; it generates prints up to 8"x10". Another option is the Epson R1900 ($549), a midrange printer that delivers high-quality prints up to 11"x14".

Professionals can opt to invest in a printer such as the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 ($1,295), which handles print jobs up to 17 inches wide, enabling it to make 16"x20" prints. The Canon PIXMA Pro9500 (www.usa.canon.com; $849) is also a contender in the space but at a slightly lower price point. The 10-color printer, geared toward professionals, features support for fine-art paper with two separate paper paths, including a front feeder for heavyweight paper types; it prints up to 4800x2400 dpi and professional-quality black-and-white images with matte black, photo black, and gray inks.

Once you've managed and printed your images, there is one last step in the process: backup. Consider online options such as IBackup (www.ibackup.com; starting at $9.95 a month for IOGB) and Mozy (www.mozy.com; $4.95 a month, unlimited for home users).

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