More colors mean a better picture with home printers

Want to print your photos at home? Watch for replacement costs and go for colors over speed.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Home inkjet photo printers have become so inexpensive and so good that you almost can't avoid owning one.
But you've got to watch for hidden costs. Replacement inkjet cartridges, in distinct contrast to printers, are very expensive, and you also need special photo paper costing 10 cents to $1 a sheet for professional-looking results.
There are also far too many choices. If you're new to home photo printing, here are some tips for narrowing down the field:
UStick with the Big Three. Inkjet printing is dominated by three manufacturers -- Canon, Epson and Hewlett-Packard -- which all make quality products, so stick with them. Their big market shares also make it easier to find replacement cartridges.
UYou don't need speed. Printer makers love to tout very fast page-per-minute print speeds that rarely have a meaningful connection to performance in the real world. Speed is largely irrelevant anyway if you're only printing a few pictures at a time. After all, do you really care if you get a 4x6 print in 30 seconds or 40 seconds?
UMore ink colors makes for better photos. Most inkjets today will do a good job printing photos, in some cases only after inserting special photo ink cartridges. For best quality, look for printers with built-in or optional six-color or eight-color printing, rather than the more common four-color printing.
UDon't bust your budget. The Big Three all sell photo printers offering excellent quality at $50 to $100. Spending more often doesn't get you better photo quality, just more features such as direct-from-the-camera printing, unless you move up to high-end models at $300 and above. If you don't need the extra features and you don't print more than a few pictures a week, a $100 model will likely meet your needs.
UConsider the alternatives. If you need a scanner, copier or fax machine, then think about a multifunction printer, or MFP, that puts all these functions in one box. You'll need more desk space, but MFPs with quality photo printing cost as little as $150. There are also mini photo printers that only produce 4x6 prints, which can be handy for travel.
UOnline can be fine. Aggressive competition among online photo printing services has cut prices to the point where ordering prints through Internet can be cheaper than doing the job at home -- although you're stuck waiting several days for your pictures. Consider the current sale at Ofoto (www.ofoto.com), owned by Kodak: 4x6 prints for 22 cents each. That's less than some home inkjets when adding together the cost of paper and ink.