Professional, true photo quality from a digital printer

As a photography professional, part of my job is to ensure that my clients receive the very best. When my Kodak 8670 finally gave up the ghost (after many years of faithful service) I went looking for the best digital photo printer on the market that could deliver photo print sizes from 4 x 6 and up. While I mostly print 8 x 10's and package sheets, I was hoping to find something that I could print up to 11 x 17 if needed. I believe I have found it in the Fuji Pictrography 4500 printer.

I am not going to sugar-coat it. This printer is expensive. Expect an initial outlay of around $10,000 for the printer, cartridges, donor and receiver paper rolls, replacement water filters and the Fuji Pictrography Network Adapter. My monthly paper expenses run to around $1000.

However, the many benefits of the printer far exceed the cost.

The printer itself is roughly the size of a small copier, about two feet deep, two feet wide, and little over three feet tall. The unit needs good ventilation, so make sure you have a few feet of "breathing room" around it when installed. There are two doors on the front of the unit which open to allow access to the machine. Diagrams on the inside of the cabinet doors indicate the layout, so it is easy to find the receiver cartridge, donor cartridge, water reservoir, and water filter. Jams - which have happened only rarely in my experience - are easy to find and clear using this diagram.

Upon first installation, make certain that your installer has removed all of the shipping tape from inside the machine. This tape will cause jams if not removed, as the pieces it is holding down can't operate as indicated. I also noticed that the printer emitted a very strong odor during the first 48 hours of being powered up. It subsided after that, but it really underscores the need for good ventilation - do not put this printer in a small room.

The printer comes with a complete range of printer drivers, so theoretically you can print from any application. We use Adobe software, and have experienced no trouble printing from either the Mac OSX or Windows platforms. Though the printer can be connected directly to a desktop through SCSI II connector, (and if you have multiple desktops you can set the printer up as a share) but we found that the network adapter made sense for us. We did experience some problems installing the network adapter, which gave me a first-hand look at Fuji's customer service and support. When they were unable to fix the problem over the phone, they sent a technician to our location within 24 hours. The problem was fixed and it has worked perfectly since then.

The Pictro 4500 has a built-in auto calibrator which saves an incredible amount of time. It is quick and easy to print out a reference sheet, feed it into the reader, and press "go." The machine self adjusts though if you want to tweak it to your personal preferences, there is a menu where that can be done. Color profiles can be either built manually, or you can use the profiles provided with the Photoshop Export plug-in module CD. Printing is a breeze. The Fuji Pictrogrpahy 4500 shows up in your printer list like any other printer, and it is just as easy to print as with any other printer.

The papers available range from 4" wide to 12" wide. Loading the receiver paper and donor rolls is similar to the way photographic paper was loaded into image typsetters way back in the day. The donor paper is light-sensitive, so take care when you first load it into the cartridge. I recommend purchasing seperate cartridges for different sized paper rolls if you switch frequently. I keep one set of carts for the 10" paper, another for the 12" paper, and switch between the two. Papers are available in both glossy, matte and overhead transparency finishes - check with your supplier.

The prints are beautiful. The laser exposure to thermal development to dye transfer system creates silver halide prints which are, to the naked eye, indistinguishable from traditional photographic printing. The speed of printing is also impressive, clocking in at just over one minute per print. Subsequent copies of the same photo are quicker than that. (Remember that print files may be delayed in the printer spool if they are very large.) The color consistency from print to print is wonderful, with very little color creep. I only need to recalibrate the printer about once a week. I can run hundreds of pages a day, which speeds my client-delivery time and allows me to do more business.

Another benefit is the complete lack of chemicals to get splashed and spilled everywhere. All of the photographic chemicals are on the donor paper, and are activated by water and heat. The used donor collects on a refuse roller that is easily removed & disposed of when full. The water cartridge must be refilled at least once a week, more often if you are running a high volume of prints. I use distilled water in the cartridge to eliminate any mineral deposits that may be left in the printer by tap water.

I have had this printer for nearly a year, and have run over 5,000 prints with no problems. It has jammed only once, and that was caused by the packing tape not being removed at installation. I would characterize this as a very reliable printer.

In short, the Pictrography 4500 allows me to get more done in less time, which boosts the bottom line. It was an investment well worth the money.