At the other end of the price scale is the £43 HP Photosmart A516. The TFT is tiny at 1.4in, but shows how much time is remaining when printing. All media cards are supported, as are PictBridge and PC connections. Each photo takes 1min 39secs to print, while colours are lifelike and well saturated. The problem is the noticeable grain and harsh colour transitions, which ruin prints.
The Sony DPP-FP55, on the other hand, costs only 5p more per photo, but offers the best prints on test. Colours are the most realistic here, and as it’s a dye-sub printer there’s no grain. Transitions are smooth and there are no artefacts visible like the Kodak. The 1.8in TFT is the best on test thanks to a high resolution, and the menus are intuitive too. Only SD/MMC and Memory Sticks can be used, but you can use a PictBridge camera or hook it up to a PC. At £53, the Sony isn’t too expensive and the great quality makes up for the higher price per photo.per photo.
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