Summary: Bad luck connecting to computer
Comment: I recently bought this printer. I tried installing it on two of my computers : windows 98 and 2000 and I didnt have any luck on either of them. I read the directions from the manual and still didnt have any luck. I am taking it back and getting something else.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Commercial print quality
Comment: After much research and after using inkjet printers for the prior year, we purchased the Sony photo printer to make digital snapshots of babies in our NICU. The quality is comparable to commercial snapshots, and of course, much faster. Families can take these home with them and have them to show to friends and family members. The dye emulsion color does not smear and the glossy character of the prints looks very professional. The only problem has been finding a reliable discount vender for the photo packs, which include the dye cartridge and print paper. They are available at full price, but finding quantities at discount is still difficult. Depite, this, the printer and syster are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Customer Rating:
Summary: Photo Lab quality prints from home!
Comment: I had done a lot of research on the Sony digital photo printer, and some others, online and decided to go with the Sony DPP-SV55. I was excited to try it out because the reviews online raved about it, but I was totally blown away when I saw the quality of the first few prints I made. The glossy finish, dye sublimation richness, sharp color, and 4x6 borderless prints make them indistinguishable from prints you get from a Photo Lab. We have young kids and do a lot of scrapbooking, so the glossy finish images were essential, since ink jet images will fade after only two years.
Setup was very easy. In a matter of 10 minutes, I was plugged in and making prints. The paper packs make the process even easier because each pack comes with the film cartridge to print all the sheets from the pack. Loading the paper and cartridges is also very easy. The prints come out fast, and you don't have to wait for them to dry.
The software setup is easy, one quick installation from the included CD. It basically installs the print drivers for the printer. Once the printer is connected with a USB cable (not included), I was immediately able to print directly from the imaging software that came with my Sony D50 Cybershot camera. It also has a built in Creative Print lab program, but you have to hook up the printer to a TV to view and work with it. But the images are nice and you can do some cool things like print photo greeting cards and calendars.
There was no graininess in the prints at all, and the images came from my above mentioned camera (2.1 megapixels). All of the prints we have made turned out wonderful.
I suppose I should mention a couple of cons, but their really not a big deal: The unit does not come with a USB cable for some reason, even though it is required to print from a PC (It does include the video cable). Second, some of the colors on our prints (particularily reds) we a little off and overly bright, but all-in-all, we are very thrilled with the prints it makes.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Really nice printer at a nice price.
Comment: Received this printer a week ago, and have been very impressed with the print quality. We've only got a 1.6 megapixel camera, but setting the image at 300 DPI and printing at the printer's 403 produces incredibly realistic photos. With the 4 x 6 postcard paper, we get very impressive borderless images. And, the speed is acceptable -- IMO, better than some ink jets. While it is still expensive to run this printer, when you want something that has a longer ink life (from fade) than the typical ink or bubble jet, and you want to avoid little dots or bands, this is the way to go. The only problem I've heard is finding paper & cartridges (Sony packages the paper and cartridges together so you use them as a "set.") With this item, I might just take my film camera out of the rotation once and for all.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Printer
Comment: I have used a number of different printers to get as close to photo quality output as possible.(Epson Photo, Alps and HP) This printer is however in a different class when it comes to printing snap shots in a 4x6 format. You cannot tell the difference from 35mm prints sent to be developed and the output of this printer. (except you can edit these before you print them and print only what you want)
This is a great photo printer and the paper is now available any number of places.