Sony DPP-EX5 Digital Photo Printer

Would like to return

I have been using the ofoto.com for a long time. I was really hesitant to try out the dye-sub or ink-jets printer for the only reason that there is no point to leave the online printing service other than you get the pictures in 2 hours instead of 2 days by mail. So finally I gave in and decided to go with the Sony DPP-EX5. The first disappointment came fast, during the setup: NONE of the advanced buttons (effects, touch-up, preview, etc.) works if you do not use the memory stick. What a bummer! The printer has a video-out jack, which is also completely useless without the stick, unless you like to stare at the words "PC MODE" on the screen all the time. I don't use the stick, since my camera is not Sony, so 50% of the justification to use this printer was gone in an instant. On to the prints quality: not even close! I use the FUJI Finepix 4900 camera, from which on a normal resolution (at 4.3 Mpixels) ofoto.com makes perfect prints. The prints from the Sony printer were still better then some of my friends' prints who use conventional cameras, but no match for the online service. The colors were almost too vivid, red was so bright, that it looked like an ink jet printed Santa cartoon, not a photo. The face coloring was off. Overall the colors are too bright and a softness of a photo image is gone. Price is somewhat cheaper then online service (by my estimates it is 30c per picture as compared to 50 cents for online print shop), but it is not a big difference to make me give up the quality in lieu of saving time waiting for the pictures to arrive by mail. I am staying with online print shop for now.

I purchased this Printer in 2003 and it works as well as the day it was purchased (perfectly). It produces beautiful 4" X 6" prints on paper that may be mailed as a postcard. The downside is that Sony stopped supporting the printer drivers after 2007, and so the printer will not connect with a PC running anything later than Windows XP. According to Sony, there are ZERO drivers for any MAC OS. I am running Windows 10, and it will not recognize the Sony printer. My workaround is to not connect the printer to a computer. I load photos onto a Sony Memory Stick from my computer. I then insert the memory stick into the memory stick slot on the computer, push the AUTO PRINT once to set it at "Print all." The downside is that photos taken in portrait mode are chopped at the top and bottom. Normally , this would be evident as the images would be visible on the computer display; however, the Sony printer has no display and will not connect to a computer with any operating system post Windows XP. Finally, the supply of photo paper with essential new Ribbon cartridge will probably vanish within 12 to 24 months as the demand for same keeps dropping each year. This would leave any SONY DPP-EX50 purchaser with a very expensive paper weight.

I am very pleased with the photos from this printer. Its as if I had them printed by the photo center. I don't like the cost per print, and the lack of the better price per print 75 packs in my local stores.I don't have a Sony camera and print from my computer. The first 25 prints were really bad even with all the tweaking I attempted in Photoshop. I'm pretty new to digital photography and was using Photoshop at work. A fellow co-worker pointed out that I needed to load the ICC Profile that came with the printer and map the profile in the mode setting. Now if I do auto levels and just print, they look spectacular.I hope Sony sells the printer/paper packs for a while since the printer will be useless the day they stop manufacturing them.Overall my family is amazed at the photos and how I can print off a picture for them in a few short minutes after we take them.

Pros: Prints decent photos from high-resolution images; its prints are relatively inexpensive and indestructible.Cons: Can't view photos directly on printer; prints fall out of paper output tray when left unattended; noisy; doesn't run off batteries; low-resolution pictures become inferior prints.Summary: I just purchased the Sony DPP-EX5 earlier this week. I am absolutly amazed! I have been using an Epson Stylus Photo 820 inkjet printer. That printer does produce very nice photos, however, I kept running into problems with ink clogs, poor edges in borderless photos, and the speed of the printer. So, knowing that all I ever print at home for photos is 4x6 prints, I decided to give the Sony a try. I am glad I did! Dye-sublimation produces much better and longer lasting prints. I have made many comparison prints from the Epson and the Sony. Hands down the Sony wins. And that is saying a lot considering Epson's reputation for making good photo printers. I still have the Epson as my everyday printer and it works well for that. But from now on for my photos it will be the Sony. When you factor in price per print and the fact that you are only printing the digital photos you want, it is very affordable. I am useing this printer in for photos shot with my Olympus C-5050 5mp camera. I purchased the DPP-EX5 at [local store]for [$$$]. The 25 pack ink/paper packs sell there for [$$$]. Not a bad deal. One last thing. If you purchase the Sony, download the most recent driver from Sony's website if you plan to use the printer with a pc like I do. It ads a few fine tuning options not on the included CD. Despite the cons, the pros still outwheigh the cons, to me. Just buy it, you will love it!