b'Photo printing options Once you have decorated your frames, its time to decide how best to fill them. If that is with photographs, the world of photo printing is easier than ever before. You can use an online photo printing company, use booths at the local photo kiosk or hand over your cameras memory card to the staff, or you can be completely independent and print at home.Theres no doubt being able to print your own photos is terribly satisfying, which is why in recent years there has been a large array of photo capable printers come on to the market. The newest breed is the dedicated photo printer. They tend to be small and compact, fairly cheap (from $90) but generally have limitations on paper sizes. Many will only print the standard 6 x 4-inch size and arent able to handle text. A plus with these machines, however, is the ability to print directly from your camera or memory card, eliminating the need to use a computer.Most of these printers offer a colour LCD screen for previewing photos before you print them, though with some the screen is only large enough to see a thumbnail of the photo.Extra features to look out for are auto-fix, a function that will analyse your photo and automatically make adjustments, and inbuilt CD burners that allow you to archive your photos. Always make sure you see a sample output before you buy.If you only want one printer in your life that fulfils more than just photo printing, invest in an ink jet printer that can handle text and graphics as well as colour photos. Unlike the dedicated photo printers you will have no issues over print size. Look out for printers which offer a high resolution. This is measured in dots per inch (dpi) andAboveA clever illusion is created hereis a good indication of print quality, though certainly shouldnt be the only consideration youby painting an old frame the same colour use when buying. In a recent review of printers, www.consumer.org.nz rated an ink jet printer(Resene Quarter Tasman) as the wall, and mounting it and the artwork or photograph (Canons iP4500) as the best overall printer, for its high-quality printing of photos and text, itsseparately so that the wall surface appearssimplicity and ease of use, its moderate price and cheapness to run. A colour photograph onto become part of the frame. Painting any frames the same shade as the background the Canon costs only 24c to produce.creates a tranquil tone-on-tone grouping. Interest is created by choosing frames that This is comparable to online printing companies who charge 20c-28c per photo. This isare embossed, patterned or textured. This cheaper than most photo kiosks, where upwards of 50c can be the norm. To find the mostplainer approach also allows any imagesyou choose to stand out rather than be cost-effective printer for your needs, log on to www.consumer.org.nz (printer review) whereoverwhelmed with colour. The frames in the an online comparison function allows you to check out the running costs of different printers,foreground are painted Resene Alabaster.based on your individual printing requirements.While laser printers are cheap to run and certainly quicker at printing than ink jets, at present the quality for photos is poor.Even the best printer wont deliver good results if you print on low-grade paper. Specialist photo paper is quick to dry and has a high water resistance, so no smudgy fingerprints. A high-gloss 180gsm photo paper is good for everyday snaps, while a premium satin 260gsm photo paper is going to give you superior results.ReseneAlabasterReplacing ink cartridges can be expensive. Most new ink jet printers print from at least fourReseneseparate colour cartridges instead of the old tri-colour single cartridge, which means youreBeethovenReseneonly replacing the colour that has run out instead of all three. Green Room| 69'