Sony Debuts Lightweight, Low Budget Snapshot Printers

If you want your photo now , you get a snapshot printer: you insert a media card or attach your camera directly, select a photo, and out comes a hard copy in a minute or so. At the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) photography and imaging trade show in Las Vegas, Sony has announced two new models: the DPP-FP67 Digital Photo Printer and the Sony DPP-FP97 Digital Photo Printer. Both print 4-by-6-inch photos and are scheduled to become available in May. the DPP-FP67 will cost about $120 and the DPP-FP97, about $200.

Aimed at consumers who want to print photos on demand at parties and other events, the DPP-FP67 and DPP-FP97 are small and light enough to be carried to wherever the action is. You can view, select, and edit photos via the printers' LCDs (2.4 inches wide on the DPP-FP67; 3.5 inches wide on the DPP-FP97). Common flaws such as red eye and overexposure can be corrected automatically. Editing and customization options include various frames, templates, and the capability to type messages or captions on an image. According to Sony, the DPP-FP67 prints a photo in about 63 seconds; the DPP-FP97, in about 45 seconds.

Both printers take MS, SD, and xD media, The DPP-FP97 offers a few additional features: CompactFlash support; an HDMI-out port for displaying photos on a compatible HDTV device; and the capability to print photos directly from a Sony S-Frame digital photo frame.