Sony DPP-FP50 Digital Photo Printer

You don't need to edit and print your photos on a PC: Sony's new DPP-FP50 Digital Photo Printer lets you do the work on a TV. The new dye-sublimation snapshot printer also permits you to print your images directly from a memory card or from a PictBridge-compatible digital camera.

The compact DPP-FP50's small, monochrome LCD lets you select the images to print, but it doesn't allow you to preview them. I found the printer much easier to use when I plugged the supplied cable into my living-room TV set. Using the included remote, I could browse stored images and edit them on screen.

I saw plenty of sharp detail in test output from the DPP-FP50, but some prints lacked contrast and vivid colours. The DPP-FP50 prints borderless snapshots on sheets of 4x6in or 3.5x5in paper. It should come with a starter pack containing 20 sheets and a print ribbon, and you'll likely be able to buy a paper-and-ribbon refill pack to print 80 4x6 photos.

Verdict: The DPP-FP50 is perfect for your family to gather around the TV and view slideshows of their latest adventures, printing their favourites with a few clicks of the remote. But for better picture quality at an economical price, I recommend the Epson PictureMate 500 (reviewed page 22, September 2005 issue). That model costs a bit more, but cheaper printing costs will likely make up the difference after about 150 snaps. Unfortunately, we couldn't get local pricing in time for print, but in the United States, the DPP-FP50 retails for $US200. Paul Jasper

Sony DPP-FP50 Digital Photo Printer
Price: $TBA
Vendor: Sony
Phone:1300 720 071
URL: www.sony.com.au
Specs: Colour Dye Sublimation digital photo printer; monochrome LCD display; 300x300dpi printing; Super Coat 2 for longer lasting prints; Supports PictBridge, Memory Stick, SD or CompactFlash memory cards; USB, 182x66.5x210mm, 1.2kg.