Samsung SPP-2040 Photo Printer

Samsung has recently made a push into the photo printer market; bringing competition to a market occupied primarily by inkjet printer manufacturers such as Canon and Epson. Samsung is only offering two models in this initial push, the SPP-2020 and the SPP-2040. These two printers vary from their inkjet cousins. Using a technology called dye sublimation (also known as dye diffusion thermal transfer ), these printers produce prints with a much more gentle gradation between colours. Rather than laying down dots of ink, which even with the best of printers can still be discerned, a dye-sub printer uses a thermal film to transfer the colours the paper. There are a few more nuances to the technology that are beyond the scope of this article (for more info click here ). Let's just say that the prints produced are closer to photo lab quality, and will stand up much better to fading and running.

Of the two photo printers Samsung is offering, we are reviewing the SPP-2040. This printer is a compact, dedicated photo printer that generates 4" x 6" prints via the afore mentioned dye sublimation process. However those prints don't have to come specifically from your computer, as the SPP-2040 has a built-in media reader for all your flash media needs. It's also PictBridge friendly meaning you can print directly from a compatible camera. The unit also sports a 2" LCD screen that can be used for previewing images directly on the printer.

Current Real Time Pricing
Samsung SPP-2040 Thermal Photo Printer
As of writing of this article, the Samsung SPP-2040 has a street price that averaged $105 USD. The price even includes a 10 sheet starter kit and ribbon. As for replacement paper and ribbon, they do come bundled together. You can either purchase a 120-sheet kit for approximately $46 USD (IPP-46120G), or 40-sheet kit for $25 USD (IPP-4640G). We'll look at further price to performance comparisons later on. Let's continue.

Overview

In just 60 seconds, our photo printers let you print a lab-quality 4" x 6" photograph from your PC or Macintosh computer. Or directly from any PictBridge-enabled digital camera. Or even wirelessly, with a convenient Bluetooth option. The SPP-2040 also includes a 7-in-1 memory card slot and a 2-inch color LCD.

Specifications

Print	Method	Dye Diffusion Thermal Transfer
	Speed *	60 seconds (4" x 6")
	Resolution	300 x 300 dpi
	First Print Out Time	75 seconds
Controller	Processor	ZR4100 (ARM7)
	Memory	4 MB Flash / 32 MB DRAM
	Emulation	JPEG
	Memory Card Slot	CompactFlash I II, SmartMedia, SecureDigital, MultiMedia Card, Memory Stick, xD-Picture Card
	OS Compatibility **	Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, Mac OS 10.3
Paper Handling	Input Capacity and Types	20-sheet Cassette Tray
	Output Capacity and Types	10-sheet Face Up
	Media Tap	Yes
General	Net Dimension (W x D x H)	180 x 136 x 66 mm (7.1" x 5.4" x 2.6")
	Net Weight	1.1 Kg (2.4 lbs) (w/o cassette tray)
	Packing Dimension (W x D x H)	233 x 225 x 177mm (9.1" x 8.8" x 7.0")
	Packing Weight	2.4 kg (including accessory kits and inner box)
	LCD	2.0" Color TFT LCD
	LCD Fonts	Korean, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, E. Portuguese, Finish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Hungarian, Czech, S. Chinese
	Interface	USB A type : USB 1.1 (Connect with DSC, Camera Phone), USB B type : USB 2.0 (Connect with PC)
	Keys	Power
	Noise ***	55 dBA
	Power Requirement	110 ~ 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 1.7A
	Power Requirement	Standby : 10Wh or Less Operating : 40Wh
	Operating Conditions	Temperature : 10°C ~ 32°C (50°F ~ 89°F) Humidity : 20% ~ 80% RH
	Warranty	1 year from date of purchase or 2,000 sheets (whichever may come first)
Consumables	Type	Samsung Photo Paper, Ribbon Cartridge
	Model Code	IPP-4640G (40 sheets, 4" x 6", photo paper + ribbon cartridge)
		IPP-46120G (120 sheets, 4" x 6", photo paper + ribbon cartridge)
		Initial Kit : 10 sheets (4" x 6", photo paper + ribbon cartridge)
Options		SPP-00BA (Bluetooth)

* Print speed will be affected by Operating system used, computing performance, application software, connecting method, media type, media size and job complexity. ** Please visit http://www.samsungprinter.com to download the latest software version. *** Sound Pressure Level, ISO7779

Size

• Product Dimensions: 7.1"(W) x 2.6"(H) x 5.4"(D)

Visual Inspection

Unpacking was a relatively simple affair, and the SPP-2040 was contained in three-section fold up box. Once you open the two small sections, you are greeted with the saying "touch the moment." Opening up the rest of the flaps reveals a large amount of content. Everything you need to get started is pretty much included, and there's lots of documentation to help you along the way. The printer itself is only a small part of the total package.

The first thing you end up removing from the package is all the extras and accessories. The left and right compartments contain all the attachments needed to setup the SPP-2040. The power adapter and cable are found in the left compartment, and the 10 included sheets of photo, colour ribbon cartridge, and paper tray are in the right compartment. There was unfortunately no printer cable to be found, so you'll have to purchase your own USB cable. In the middle compartment, on top of the printer's packaging sits a white envelope which on the front says "forever." I guess if you combine this with the first phrase, you get "touch the moment forever." Anyhow this envelope contains all the documentation you'll need to setup up the printer. Now it's time to unpack the printer.

The SPP-2040 is deceptively compact; something that we'll come back to later. The colour scheme is the standard silver n' black that is used on many modern electronic devices meant for the home. The controls and 2" LCD adorn the front, and the controls are nicely spaced to allow easy fiddling. The rear has one of the paper feed slots, and a small fan port for cooling. As for connections, the power connector and two USB plugs (type A and B) can be found on the left side of the printer.

One of the big capabilities of the SPP-2040 is a rather ironic lack of need for a computer to edit and print images. With the built-in 7 format media reader and the 2" LCD screen, you can view and print images right off your camera's memory card. You can perform some simple editing techniques with the host of controls on the front. However the media reader is detected in Windows as a removable storage drive and assigned a drive letter, allowing you to use...say Photoshop for more advanced edits.

The hinge for the LCD screen does give me some reservations. It definitely feels very flimsy, as if the whole thing is plastic construction. However I've had the unit for a few weeks now, and the hinge hasn't worn out yet. Hopefully this doesn't cause any issues in the future. As for the controls, the buttons as mentioned earlier are very nicely spaced and easy to access. There's no need to twist your fingers in any unnatural way to operate this printer.

Setting It All Up

The SPP-2040 is very simple and straight-forward to setup; a feat made possible by the included user guide. The whole setup process is split up into 3 steps, installing the consumables, making all your connections, and installing the software. Once you've complete these steps, you are ready to start creating prints with the best of them.


First things first, we get to install the colour ribbon cartridge. That's right, I said ribbon cartridge. Not since the glory days of the dot matrix printer have I heard those words uttered on a specs sheet. However this particular ribbon is a little different for the ribbons of yore. It's a colour coated strip of cellophane. Also the colour is transferred to the paper using a thermal process. The printer is easily installed by inserting it in the slot on the side, and pushing until it clicks into place. The nice thing about this technology is that these cartridges are good for exactly the amount of prints they are rated for. When I completed my 10th print, this same cartridge was perfectly clear from end to end. This takes the guess work out of photo printing as you will know exactly how many prints you have left, and the quality will be consistent across all those prints.


The second part of consumables installation is setting up the paper tray. Basically, all you do is flip up the cover and insert the paper face up. The reason for the closed paper tray is to keep as much dust off the paper as possible. This is somewhat defeated by the paper slot on the rear, which exposes the print between colour layers. This is a minor concern, as the paper is only exposed for a few seconds and I found that the chance of dust getting on the print was slim (my computer room could be called "medium" dusty). The big nagging aspect of the tray is how far it sticks out from the front of the printer; a whole 6.5 inches to be exact. This printer becomes less and less compact when you add to that the recommended 6 inches of clearance you need behind to printer for the rear paper slot.

Finally we get to connect the printer, and install the software. As mentioned previously, the SPP-2040 doesn't come with a USB cable. You will need to purchase a separate USB A-B cable to connect the printer to your computer. However if your camera supports the PictBridge standard, you can plug the camera directly into the printer (using the second USB port pictured) and create prints right from your digital camera. The second USB port also supports a special Bluetooth adapter (SPP-00BA) that Samsung sells as an accessory to the SPP-2040. As for the software installation it's very quick, taking only about 5-10 minutes. Along with the driver, you get Samsung's basic photo suite called PhotoThru.

Software and Use

Samsung has included some basic image management software with the SPP-2040. Called PhotoThru, the program allows you create albums of photos, print individual pictures, and also print multiple pictures to a single print allowing you to create your own index prints or wallet-size photos. PhotoThru also includes some image editing functionality. You can adjust all the major colour settings (Hue, Saturation, and Lightness), as well as switch between colour mode, black & white, and sepia tone. Further more, you can perform some limited effects like red-eye reduction, sharpen, blur, and mosaic.



If you want to load up your own favourite image editing program, or print from some other software, you can. The driver included with the SPP-2040 gives you access to many of the same output features you can get from the PhotoThru software. From the properties, you can print both bordered and borderless photos. You can also use the same multiple-up features you can in PhotoThru, allowing you to put multiple images on a single 4" X 6" print.


Let us not forget the afore mentioned capability to print directly from your camera's memory card via the built in media reader. With this you can completely forgo the use of a computer. Images are viewed on the adjustable 2" LCD display. The LCD seems to be very high quality, producing a bright and colourful image easily viewed by those with all but the poorest of eyesight. For comparison, the screen is about the same size as a 35mm film slide.

Testing

All testing for the Samsung SPP-2040 was done with my Dell Inspiron 700m laptop, using various photos from my collection. Prints were done in both "Normal" and "Best" mode to time a difference on printing time, as well as gauge any quality difference. Finally, we committed the ultimate test...subjection to water. The SPP-2040 claims to produce a waterproof print, and we test if that is indeed true.

First a little primer as to how the dye-sublimation process works. The printer lays down the same three colours as it's inkjet cousin. The ink is transferred as a vapour from the backing film to the paper one colour at a time, rather than being sprayed onto the surface of the paper all at once like the nozzles of an inkjet. The colours are printed individually in the order of yellow, magenta, and cyan. A thin clear layer is then transferred, protecting the print from fading and the like. You'll notice black is missing from the process. That is because black is produced as a combination of all three base colours. Surprisingly, any black areas of the produced prints appear very...well...black.

The only issue I have with printing setup of the SPP-2040 is it's paper feeding system. While in the tray, the paper is protected from dust. However while printing the entire print is exposed to dust twice; once out the back slot and once out the front. Depending on what your environment is like, this exposure may harm your prints. You see, if a fleck of dust gets on the print between colours layers it can block the next layer and cause an area of discoloration. Because of the way that the paper comes out, there is also an issue with clearance and how much room the SPP-2040 actually takes up. On it's own, the printer is very compact. Once you add the paper tray, you gain another 7 inches of depth out the front. This isn't a big deal, until you take into consideration that you also need 7 inches out the back for when the paper comes out the back paper slot. This makes this printer a lot less compact front to back than one expects.

Timing is everything, and Samsung claims that the SPP-2040 can produce a single photo in 60 seconds. Now whenever any company makes such a claim, it's usually based on a default or lowered setting. This is true with Samsung as well, as the SPP-2040 was only able to achieve this time on the "Normal" quality setting. Bump the setting up to "Best," and printing average 65 seconds per print. Start doing batches of three or more, and you might 3 or 4 seconds onto that time based on the amount of processing required for the batch job. Print quality however, was superb. It easily bests any inkjet based solution. Due to technological differences, the dye-sub based printer SPP-2040 produced much smoother colours, without any harsh dots or pixelation.
Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Over and above the standard test prints and gradients, and some gratuitous photos of my adored car, I used the above test photos for printing. Other than being the most artistic meal one of my roommates has ever prepared, the dinner pictures have a great selection of colours. The output quality of the SPP-2040 was very good; producing prints that were comparable to prints from a photo lab. The prints created were as vibrant as the originals, with accurate and natural colours being produced.

The same print quality was also consistent across all prints. From the first print to come off a fresh ink cartridge, to the last print to be produced, every print was of very a high quality and there wasn't any drop in ink level or colour saturation. This is great compared to inkjet printers, which because of the way they utilize their ink reserves can produce inconsistent results. This can cause quite a variance in colour saturation, especially near the end of the life of an inkjet cartridge. Due to the afore mentioned print ribbon that dye-sublimation printers like the SPP-2040 use, there is never a shortage in ink. Each ribbon cartridge is designed with exactly enough ink for a set number of prints. Actually when you buy a replacement cartridge kit for the SPP-2040, it comes with both paper and ink. There are two kits available, a 120-sheet kit for approximately $46 USD (IPP-46120G), and a 40-sheet kit for $25 USD (IPP-4640G). The ribbon cartridge in these kits is designed to print only as many prints as there are sheets of paper. This is quite convenient, as you know how many prints you will get and also that they will be all of top quality.

Finally we test the claims Samsung has laid down of water-proof prints. Use and eye-dropper, I placed many drops of water on a print. Immediately wiping them off, I noticed no running ink or streaks. The colours in the wet areas were still as vibrant and natural as before. I even left water on the print for an extended period of time, with the same result. Furthermore, I "accidentally spilled" a glass of water all over the print. The only thing noticeable was the paper itself peeling. The print itself was fine. Anyone who is familiar with inkjet based digital prints knows that even on the most "water-resistant" of prints, water is still close to certain death. However with a dye-sublimation printer like the SPP-2040, this doesn't seem to be a problem.

Conclusion

Samsung has really hit the ground running with this printer, there first entry into the crowded dedicated photo printer market. The SPP-2040 produces prints that are a stiff competition to their photo lab counterparts. The choice of dye-sublimation technology over one of the many iterations of inkjet was a smart one on their part, as dye-sub blows inkjet out of the water. The only inkjet printer that comes close to the close in class and price to the SPP-2040 is the Canon Selphy series, and even then the only Selphy models rated on par with the SPP-2040 by some of my fellow reviewers are those that use dye-sublimation.

Speaking of price the SPP-2040 itself is very inexpensive, coming in at $100 - $120 USD as of the writing of this article. The paper/ribbon packages themselves are available in a 120-sheet kit for approximately $46 USD (IPP-46120G), and a 40-sheet kit for $25 USD (IPP-4640G). Of these two kits, the 120-sheet one is obviously the better value.

Based of the price of the 120-sheet kit, you are paying approx $0.38 per print. Now compared to many digital photo printing services, this isn't much of a deal. Actually since the dawn of dedicated photo printers, many have known that printing from home would be more expensive. However the convenience of home printing more than makes up for it. You can edit all you images on your own, adding effects and fixing flaws. The included software will take care of many of these functions, and if you can't find what you're looking for in PhotoThru you can throw open your favorite image editor and tinker till your heart's content. The savings in this area is phenomenal, as this is where the photo labs make the big bucks.

There were only a few minor issues that crept up during testing. The purported compactness of the SPP-2040 was questionable, due to the paper feed system. Also the paper feed system could be an issue in dusty environments, which may lead to a ruined print or two. Oh and the construction of the hinge for the 2" LCD screen seems rather flimsy.

With all that in mind, I still give high praise to the Samsung SPP-2040. The print quality of this dedicated photo printer is second to none. It's price point is not budget breaking. Finally, it's compact, light, and easy to use. Given all these factors, I'd say the SPP-2040 is Editor's Choice material.