Research and Markets: Printing From SD Card Is 2.5 Times Faster Than Printing From Bluetooth for HP Photosmart A626 Printer: Lyra Advocates New Testing Metrics for Snapshot Photo Printers

DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6873b6/snapshot_photo_pri) has announced the addition of the "Snapshot Photo Printer Performance: New Testing Metrics-A Hard Copy Observer Perspective" report to their offering.

“Snapshot Photo Printer Performance: New Testing Metrics-A Hard Copy Observer Perspective”

A recently released new report called "Snapshot Photo Printer Performance: New Testing Metrics — A Hard Copy Observer Perspective." This report reveals the results of new testing metrics used to examine the performance of three different snapshot photo printers: the Canon PIXMA mini320; the Epson PictureMate PM260; and the HP Photosmart A626.

Ann Priede, managing editor of The Hard Copy Observer, states, "In order to gauge the true performance of a snapshot photo printer, evaluators must measure the performance across all channels — printing from just a PC, which is the most common method of measuring performance, does not provide an accurate picture." Direct channel printing involves a different image-processing path than PC printing and is based on each printer's own internal processor. Printing time can vary significantly based on the method used to send pictures to the printer.

For instance, when measuring the performance of HP's Photosmart A626, Lyra and CompuMetric Labs discovered that printing from the SD card is 2.5 times faster than printing from a camera using Bluetooth. (We could not modify the paper type setting, which directly influences the print mode. As a result, the HP printer defaults to the highest-quality mode.) In fact, printing via Bluetooth is considerably slower than using any other method of photo printing, including using PictBridge or a PC driver (see figure).

The report tested photo display and print times from the following:

• photo display and print times from memory cards inserted into the printer;
• print times from a camera over a PictBridge port;
• print times from mobile devices (e.g. cell phone) via a wireless Bluetooth channel; and
• print times from a PC

This 50+-page report seeks to redefine the testing metrics used to evaluate snapshot photo printers. It examines the underlying image manipulation technologies and identifies the differences relative to conventional performance measures. The report proposes a new set of performance metrics covering display and printing from multiple, direct-connect input channels.

Key Topics Covered:

• Photo Printing Technology and Performance Measures
• Performance Test Results: Canon Pixma mini320
• Performance Test Results: HP Photosmart A626
• Performance Test Results: Epson PictureMate PM260
• Performance Test Results: Product Comparisons

Companies Mentioed:

• Canon
• Epson
• HP
• Hewlett-Packard

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6873b6/snapshot_photo_pri