[beachgirl]

Hi all!

I'm new to the photobooth world. Just at the experimental stage at the moment. The software is awesome and I have that all sorted - now just need a great printer for the booth! I tested everything w/the Canon Selphy but it's too slow. Any recommendations? I am assuming that I will have to print around 100 prints at each event. thx for any advice!

[snapshot]

The Sony UP-CX1 is probably the most popular photo booth printer. They are fairly cheap at about $795, and plenty fast enough at around 16 seconds for a 4x6.

[Chris Breeze]

It's also worth considering higher end dyesub models such as Sony UPR-D200, Fuji ASK2000, DNP DS40 and Mitsubishi CP9800. These are more expensive than the Sony CX1 but the media cost is significantly lower, 6x4s print in around 9 secs and they have a capacity of 400 to 700 prints per roll depending on model vs 200 prints from a Sony CX1. If you're doing a large numbers of prints the savings in media costs would soon pay for the extra cost of the printer.

[snapshot]

All the printers Chris mentioned would work well, and there is no doubt that over time, you will come out ahead if you print enough photos. However, the amount of photos you need to print to reach that break even point varies greatly from about 7,000 prints on the UPDR200 to over 50,000 prints on the Fuji. That is a lot of photos.

You should also take into account the weight of the printers. Remember that as a photo booth business, you will be hauling these things around all the time. The UP-CX1 only weighs 25 lbs. The DNP isn't too bad at 31 lbs., but some of the others weigh over 50 lbs. For me, and others, the ease of transport is a big consideration.

I don't think you could go wrong as long as you pick a professional grade dye-sub, which all the above mentioned ones are. You just have to think about what is most important to you.

[beachgirl]

Thx so much for your help guys!! Heading to the web to compare them right now :)

[Chris Breeze]

You do need to check the prices of the printer and the media carefully when comparing. Here's a quick comparison of the Sony CX1 and DNP DS40 using UK prices (ex VAT):

Sony CX1: £733
6"x4" media (2 x 200 print rolls): £62.88
Cost per print: 15.72p

DNP DS40: £945
6"x4" media (2 x 400 print rolls): £64.38
Cost per print: 8.05p

Break even point approx 2800 prints