Sony DPP-FP30 Digital Photo Printer

Other products by Sony

Product Details

• Item Weight: 6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00030DER8
• Item model number: DPP-FP30
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

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  Electronics > Camera & Photo > Printers & Scanners > Photo Printers > Ink Jet

• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 6, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Why wait for the family to email photos to each other when you can print them instantly? The Sony DPP-FP30 pops out professional-quality photos quickly and easily, and it's compatible with both Windows-based PCs and PictBridge digital cameras. Speeds are a little faster when you're printing from your PC--you can expect 4-by-6-inch photo in about 90 seconds, compared to approximately 120 seconds from a digital camera's memory card. It'll only take a few clicks to make your photos look their best, thanks to the included imaging optimization software--reduce red eye, improve colors, or crop the edges.

The dye-sublimation print process incorporates special laminated paper with snap-off edges, which is available in 4-by-6 and 3.5-by-5-inch sizes. This technology allows dye-sub printers to produce great looking photos even though they're rated at lower resolution than comparably priced inkjet models. The DPP-FP30 offers 8-bit color and 300 dpi resolution, producing borderless prints that are resistant to sticky fingerprints, ink smudges, and moisture. The 20-sheet paper tray stocks just enough to make sure everyone at your party gets a print to take home. Sony includes a one-year warranty covering parts and service.

What's in the Box
Sony DPP-FP30 photo printer, SVMF40P 40-sheet paper pack, paper tray, user's guide, quick start sheet, CD-ROM with drivers and PictureGear Studio application, warranty and registration card; USB cable not included

Product Description
Sony DPP-FP30 is a digital dye-sublimation printer that produces touch-dry prints of real photo quality. With the DPP-FP30, you have complete control over the process, printing as many photos as you like, when you want them and all from the comfort of your home. Sony includes 40 postcard-sized sheets and a color cartridge so you can start printing right away. What's more, you don't even need a computer, as the DPP-FP30 is PictBridge compatible and lets you print directly from your camera when connected by a USB cable.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best All-Around Color Among Portable Dye-Sub Printers, June 11, 2005

By	ciniminis - See all my reviews

Aside from Sony, many other brands make portable dye-sublimation printers these days, which makes the choice tougher. I did not consider purchasing the Dell, HP, Kodak, or Olympus ones because they are simply too big - I wanted one that I can comfortably bring with me on my travels, so I can print my own postcards to send home.

I tried out the Canon CP-400 (form factor even smaller than the Sony DPP-FP30) in the store, and found that the print-outs (direct from my camera, not touched up by computer) have a blue cast to them, and in a side-by-side comparison the Sony print-outs (of the same pictures) have much prettier colors.

And comparing to Sony's own older model DPP-SV77, which I have at home: The DPP-SV77 is bigger, complete with touchscreen LCD and Memory Stick/PC Card slots, built-in creativety functions such as printing calendars, and has a higher resolution of 403 dpi (the DPP-FP30 reviewed here, like the Canon models, only has 300 dpi). BUT the little DPP-FP30 actually prints photos with much truer color, while the big brother DPP-SV77 tends to exagerate reds and greens, and over-sharpen any edges. The lower resolution in the DPP-FP30 is not noticeable at all unless I print fine text to it from a computer, which is not this printer's intended purpose anyway.

While I am very happy with the Sony DPP-FP30, I WISH IT COULD HAVE HAD (Sony, are you listening):

- A battery option, so it's not necessary to carry the AC adapter or to be tethered to a power source when printing.

- A button to toggle between bordered (no cropping) and borderless (cropped).

- More creativety functions in the included software.

- Without increasing the overall size by too much, add multi-type card reader slots and a small color LCD to choose pictures (better yet, ability to trim/crop them before printing). This would also eliminate the requirement that the digital camera must be PicBridge compatible.

The other obvious shortcomings common to all portable dye-sub printers are that 1) paper/cartridge are prioritery and on the expensive side, and 2) print size is limited to a maximum of 4x6 (4x8 in some cases). These I accept for now, because I want the quality and durability of dye-sub prints (as opposed to inkjet prints). Hopefully these will improve with time.

As no other printer today has everything I hope for (see above), I am still giving the Sony DPP-FP30 5 stars for its excellent quality prints.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect painless picture printer...., January 22, 2005

By	Simtare (the great Midwest) - See all my reviews

I picked up my Sony PictureStation last week. I had also considered the Canon CP 220, but decided on the Sony after I saw the prints from one at a friends home.

Installation was very easy and all went flawlessy. Setup consisted of installing the driver to my computer and hooking up the power, and usb (remember to buy a usb cable)...then inserting the printer cartridge and paper.The printer has a very small form factor and takes up litle space on my desk. I was printing 10 minutes after opening the box.

The prints are beautiful 4x6 pictures. Prints take about 1.5 minutes and are smudgeproof and waterproof right out of the printer. I would compare them favorably to photo lab prints. Cost is around 40 cents a picture if you shop around online for the 80 picture ink/paper pack.

Sony includes a 40 count paper/ink pack with the Dpp-Fp30 which is a very nice little bonus that allows you to print right away without purchaseing extra supplies.

Printing is easy from a computer or from my camera using the pictbridge feature. I am very pleased with the Sony Fp30 and would recommend it to anyone who wants a simple easy way to print gorgeous 4x6 pictures.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as a Olympus P-400 but still in the top 5, August 17, 2005

By	Tsiberian - See all my reviews

Im a person that had never been a true fan of inkjet printing. im either cleaning the ink cartridges, buying replacement Cartridges or fading in a inkjet prints i have on my wall. I went to dye-sub printing about a year ago. My first purchase was the olympus p-400 printer. Which i loved, even though it does not do a true 8 x 10 print. I then begain a search for a 4 x 6 inch dye-sub printer for every day prints. i came across a good deal on a Sony DPP-FP30 printer. Over all i am still glad i bought it but the pros and cons are:

PRO:
* SMALL COMPACT SIZE FOR TRAVELING
* EASY INSTALLATION.
* CONTINOUS COLOR TONE.
* MATCHES PRINTS MADE AT A 1 HOUR PHOTO
* PRINT RESIST'S FADING BETTER THAN INKJET
* PRINT RESIST'S LIQUID SPILLS
* DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT INK RUNNING DRY IF NOT USED FOR A
PERIOD OF TIME.

CONS:
* THE PRINTS COME OUT DARKER AND A LITTLE DULLER THAN THE
IMAGE ON THE SCREEN. ON MY P-400 PRINTER I USUALLY GET
PRINTS CLOSE TO WHAT IS VIEWED ON MY SCREEN WITH NO
ADJUSTMENT. I OVER COMPENSATE THE DARK PRINTS BY
LIGHTENING / CONTRASTING THE IMAGE. USING A SHARPENING TOOL
I CAN OBTAIN A PRINT WITH MORE DETAIL.
* THE SURFACE IS MORE OF A DULL GLOSS THAN WHAT YOU WOULD
EXPECT.
* THE PRINTS LOVE TO COLLECT FINGERPRINTS ON THE SURFACE

IF I HAD A CHANCE TO PURCHASE THIS PRINTER AGAIN I STILL WOULD. BUT BEING SPOILED WITH THE P-400 I HAD EXPECTED BETTER.