The industry has now embraced a standard for connecting cameras to printers without an intervening PC and the technology is called Pictbridge. And some printers incorporate memory card readers for direct printing.

The Epson PictureMate “personal photo lab” (RRP $349) is an inkjet printer that uses Epson’s pigment inks and promises print life of 104 years. The PictureMate is one of a category of printers that turn out the standard 10cm by 15cm prints.

Cameras can be connected directly through Pictbridge and there is an array of memory card slots coping with just about every card form. The PictureMate also connects to a PC via USB.

The PictureMate has a tiny LCD screen that displays the photos in memory as well as all the menu functions. The whole unit looks like a little lunch box and even comes with a handle for carrying. There is an optional battery for extra portability and Bluetooth wireless connectivity.

It takes about 90 seconds to make one print and the image quality is outstanding. At 44 cents per print for consumables this is one serious “personal photo lab” if a little more expensive than prints from a photo shop. We printed from the computer, a memory card and direct from a camera -- every print was excellent.

The Sony DPP-FP50 (RRP $299) is another postcard printer, but this one uses the dye sublimation process. The paper passes through the printer 4 times as each colour layer and a protective layer is added. Special paper and toner come together in a pack and prints cost about 75 cents each in the 80 sheet pack.

Sony assume that a television will be used as the display monitor to check and select prints but it can be connected to a PC via USB, even though a USB lead is not included. The FP50 also prints index sheets of all the images on the memory card. We plugged a Compact Flash card from a Nikon D70 directly into the printer and the results were good as were prints from the computer.

The Sony FP50 is compact but apart from that the Epson PictureMate is the better printer. The LCD screen means that the Epson is a true stand-alone printer and the inkjet quality is better than the dye sublimation system. On top of that the cost-per-print from the Epson is less than the Sony. The Epson is not pretty but it is superbly functional. The Sony is recommended and the Epson is highly recommended. We produced nearly 200 excellent prints from the PictureMate and were amazed at the consistency of colour and tone between the monitor and the prints. We consider the PictureMate to be a rather special piece of digital equipment.