I recently got a request to provide on-site printing of guest portraits (like a "photo booth"). Any idea how to approach this? I was thinking of maybe using one of those Canon Selphy dye-sublimation printers but don't know what the cost per print is like or whether they can handle the workload (couple hundreds of prints in one evening).
I shoot a couple fundraiser events where I print out 4x6's for the guests in front a backdrop. It's not a hard-core event setup, but what has worked very well for me, is to have a camera tethered to a laptop. I run Qimage on the laptop and print to one (or two) Epson picturemate printers (dye-sub).
I started using the picturemate(s) for this after assisting a wedding photographer who did that during weddings (I shot the guests and made the prints while he did his thing).
Techno is right. The best way to do it is to tether to a laptop and run a simple viewing/printing program to send them to print right after they are taken. As soon as you shoot it, it pops up and then I simply right click on it and click "print".
A simple and FREE program to use is Faststone Image Viewer. Do a search for it, you'll find it. It's free and it works great. It does all kind of stuff too, not just viewing. It will do slide shows and simple editing too. I use a Epson R200 on glossy 4x6 paper and people LOVE them. They are dry instantly too, right out of the printer, and the colors are very punchy!
Awesome, thanks guys. Do you guys know how much the cost for making a 4x6 print on a dye sub printer (i.e. Epson Picturemate or Canon Selphy) compare to a inkjet?
$45.00 with free shipping. The paper and ink packs run about the same cost as the selphy and the prints are much, much nicer. Plus it has a screen, card slots - you can even plug a usb drive into it.
I had two selphys. I now have none. I talked my B.I.L. (who is a diehard selphy fan) into trying one and he was blown away.
$45.00 with free shipping. The paper and ink packs run about the same cost as the selphy and the prints are much, much nicer. Plus it has a screen, card slots - you can even plug a usb drive into it.
I had two selphys. I now have none. I talked my B.I.L. (who is a diehard selphy fan) into trying one and he was blown away.
Jack
Out of Stock DARN!!!!!
I have two of those 4x6/5x7 canon printers... never did a "photobooth" for a wedding but I did a few for a party or a church (santa stuff). I also include a biz-card and my proofing website so if the person wants to order larger/more prints they can... got a few orders
Canon Selphys are Sllooooooooooooooow Mine takes 15 seconds a pass...and has to make 4 passes..per image, and often little grains of dust find there way on the paper inbetween passes and get smeared on to the thin film.
Worst 100 bucks i ever spent!
Nathan Hobbs wrote:
Canon Selphys are Sllooooooooooooooow Mine takes 15 seconds a pass...and has to make 4 passes..per image, and often little grains of dust find there way on the paper inbetween passes and get smeared on to the thin film.
Worst 100 bucks i ever spent!
Plus - no matter how high you crank the sat, the colors just won't pop.
The same applies to sharpness. Crank it as high as you want and it still won't produce a sharp print.
I'm interested in finding out the time it takes to print these photos too.
What is the price for each 4x6 and 5x7 with these printers as well. I have an event that I'm bidding and this would be a huge offer if I can get it to print on the spot, but only if it can print quickly enough and the price is reasonable per print.
$45.00 with free shipping. The paper and ink packs run about the same cost as the selphy and the prints are much, much nicer. Plus it has a screen, card slots - you can even plug a usb drive into it.
I had two selphys. I now have none. I talked my B.I.L. (who is a diehard selphy fan) into trying one and he was blown away.
Jack
BACK IN STOCK for anyone looking for an affordable awesome little travel printer.
