KX-PX1 Printer Panasonic

KX-PX1 Printer Panasonic 

It is very difficult to overestimate the relevance of the invention of the digital camera. Certainly, and the film chamber gave us definite freedom, but the digital camera completely has removed all problems with fixing of a history in pictures. Quantity and quality of chambers is so great, that any user can pick up the device on the taste.




On a background of huge quantity of chambers a large deficit of portable devices for printing photos is observed. However, the judgment occurs, that the creation of paper snapshots is a past century. However it would be desirable to be little bit old-fashioned and to print out snapshots, dear to us to demonstrate to the friends in any situation. You must agree, sometimes it would be desirable to carry into a cafe a notebook to demonstrate photos. And not only in a cafe.

Certainly, it is possible to print out snapshots in any photo studio, which are now readily available. Has patterned snapshots on the disc or flash, has departed to tools - and has received bright cards. In large cities the digital photos can be printed through the Internet, and the courier will bring them to your home. But it is possible simply to print photos of a house, and for this purpose it is completely not necessary to purchase the big printer, which takes your place behind a desktop. The same goes about portable printers.

Portable printers for printing color photos are really not very marketable. First of all vendors do not hurry up to create such devices, since their future is unclear, so a stringent format has not been developed and the functional load is not clear. And yet some such devices have appeared on the market. If the problems with printing quality of such printers are resolved completely and it suits the majority of the users, the problems of consumable materials do not give this segment of the market to develop how we would like that. I hope, this problem will be permitted, the portable printers will stay on the market in an increasing volume and will be purchased more widely, not just in the largest cities.


Technology of printing Therm sublimation

Printed speed (color photo, best quality) on photographic paper 4x6 ": approximately 65 seconds 16:9 Wide Aspect: approximately 75 seconds
Consumable materials: Photographic paper, cartridge with a ribbon
The notice for model (consumable materials) KX-PVPW1X: a cartridge with a ribbon
KX-PVMX20WX: broad photographic paper
Phylum and capacitance of an output chute About 10 sheets face up Phylum and capacitance of a chute 4x6 ": 18 sheets 16:9 Wide Aspect: 20 sheets
Recommended paper Special broad photographic paper
Outports of input-output USB 1.1 (hooking up to the camera and telephone),
USB 2.0 (hooking up to the PC)
Formats JPEG Baseline (SD-Picture, DCF, Exif, JFIF), TIFF (Baseline TIFF Rev.6.0 RGB Full Color Images)
Color 256 gray gradations /color
The resolution of printing 300x300 dpi
The maximum resolution of a picture 6144x4096
Special option: duplex printing
Noise level, dB 55
Weight, kg 0,8
A power, V, Hz, A AC adapter:
Input: AC100-240V+10 of % 50/60Hz
Output: DC24V 1.8A
Compatibility with operating systems Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, Mac OS 10.3
Consumed power in a mode of printing: 70W
A power is switched on: 6W
A power is switched off: 1.5W
The working conditions Temperature: storage -20 C ~ 5 C; activity +5... +35 C
Humidity: storage 0... 90 %; activity 35... 80 %


Consumable materials

The paper for broad printing 16:9 and cartridge is enclosed in a complete set of delivery. The cost of consumable materials to us is unclear. You must purchase refills and paper at an official Panasonic support center. If there is one close to you, you can safely purchase this printer. Otherwise the device becomes a chunk of metal, when you have finished off that initial cartridge and paper. Unfortunately, it is a problem for all portative printers from any vendor.


Exterior and design features

There is a opinion, that the portable devices should be as a minimum nice. We completely divide it. Besides, for a long time we searched for the "exact" device, which one would well be entered in the majority of workstations and conceptually have satisfied any user. Therefore we shall begin to evaluate the device.

The examined printer Panasonic KX-PX1 is made in a plastic body of gray color. The large part visible to the user of a surface is painted in safety metallic. The padding inserts have more dark gray gradation. Such range of colors very much often is offered by the Asian vendors, and it is desired now. The device looks, on the one hand, simple: there are no exotic inserts or relief transitions here, and with other it does not look like a cheap thing. It is visible that this printer is the budget model, but it still looks like a quality product.

On the forward panel the hinging window has lain, which one is deenergized accurately covered with the shutter. The dust renders very unfavorable effect on therm sublimating printing devices. The open shutter enables to connect a chute with a paper, and this is where the printed snapshots are deposited. At the left you can see port Pict Bridge. It allows you to connect the printer directly to the camera and to print out snapshots. Convenient and simple. Certainly, this isn’t an option you’d use if you want to retreat your snapshots. As we know, all new cameras Panasonic LUMIX have a capability to work through Pict Bridge-port.

It is necessary to say some words about the paper chute. It is hooked up to the printer without visible efforts. As it is made of a translucent plastic, you can check to see availability of a clean paper in them. On a least upper bound of the printer the spent sheets are put. One drawback of the design is that the chute is very unsafe. Sometimes it recoils, and the software complains of the absence of paper. You can deal with this by paying close attention when working. Put the device only on a level surface.

The slot for reception of the cartridge is on the right. It is pasted without the special efforts and is reliably fixed by a clamp, which one is in the middle of slot and opens by motion upward, that is not so convenient.

Behind there are two sockets. This is where a feeding cable from the adapter is hooked up. The instructors have indicated that the power should be 24 volts on a direct current. Not absolutely understandably, because a socket has arranged a small barrier to a direction of a wire. It is not necessary. And that is why: to route a wire in this printer it is possible in any direction, as the sheet does not leave from a back side from an input. Therefore barrier helps in darkness correctly to thrust a supply wire - and only a supply wire. A socket for hooking up of the interface cable from USB-port to the computer lies on the other side.

On the upper panel there is one key only, the power key. Here it is possible to aturn on or to switch off the power. The chrome-plated key is easily depressed by any of the fingers. Just above the push button the light emitting diode that indicates the condition of the printer lies. To the right of the on button there are three indicators - Error, Access and Print.

One thing that’s lacking from this printer is one of most cool features being introduced today - a liquid-crystal screen for operation control of the printer. But do you really need that? If the printer does allow you to edit photos, such a display is absolutely not necessary. Why should the designers have overstrained the device? You see it becomes more expensive, and the superfluous unit is more than breakings. Therefore we with misunderstanding are referred to screens in printers, when they do not bear severe functional load. If the company Panasonic has decided to create the low-budget device, then it was a good decision not to include an LCD display device.

So, we closely have examined this printer. The overall impression is of an excellent, well working machine. As a whole printer makes a very pleasant impression. The plastic qualitative, and it means, that the device can be carried in a backpack without any feeling of guilt. It is necessary only to disassemble with its working. For this purpose we shall establish a chute with a paper and we shall deliver a new cartridge.


Testing

Let's proceed to testing. The printer has been connected and has begun to work. The first snapshot is selected, and the printing has started. The presets were reduced to scaling of a picture up to total size of a paper and waiving of fields. All remaining setup features were exhibited in an auto mode. The printer has taken a sheet of paper and has extended it through itself. Traditionally for such devices the snapshot is some times extended above a cartridge. Panasonic KX-PX1 repeats this iteration 6 times. So that it is not necessary to snatch out a snapshot, while the vehicle completely will not finish printing.

The printing quality was pleasant to us. The color transfer as a whole valid, but there does seem to be a small shift in area cyan. However, to correct it with absolute reliance is difficult. Probably, the cause in colour transitions. With veracity it can be defined only on the special equipment, which, unfortunately, we don’t have.

In some seconds in our hand there was a strong magnifying lens which is capable to reveal minor technical defects of printing. As a whole of any essential defects it is not visible. However, on an edge and white sheet there are small illegibility, which one it is completely not visible in center of the map. Transitions of color are very sharp and at the same time accurate. The small-sized parts are drawn very precisely, even in light segments of a card. Any other lacks of printing on all surface of a snapshot were not detected.


Therm sublimation has appeared rather for a long time. However this kind of printing is just now becoming popular. What is it? It is heating of a stain and carrying it on a paper in fluid or vapor phase. Initially paint is in a cartridge. The special thermal member exhales it proportionally density of the map. Thus the process of vaporization descends, passing fluid stage, and this is where we get the name "sublimation". The gaseous stain directionally deposits on a paper. The mixing of colours is made in a vaporous condition, and the colour is reshaped at the expense of mixing of three transparent stains (yellow, magenta and blue). Cases however are permissible, when colour is admixed already on a paper under operating of temperature. At raster printing on ink-jet and laser printers the accepted tint is reshaped by eye, which one from some spacing interval accepts group of points of the miscellaneous size and colour as a unified pixel (by the way, this principle is used in the creation of many graphic formats). Therefore at raster printing it is in essence impossible to play back small-sized parts in light places of the map, while sublimate printing equally well replicates parts at any density.

The analysts say, that by 2010 a lobe thermosublimating in the market of household graphics printers will comprise up to 40 percent of the market.

The actual printed speed of this printer is about 57-65 seconds on one photo. Blame that on technology, which does not allow one to deviate the intended schedule. I shall mark that the sheet of a paper from a chute has nominal fields with punching for separation. Catching for these fields, the lingering gear submits a paper to the printer. When the snapshot is ready just tear off technical fields. The printing from the camera differs in quality of a snapshot not a bit from printing from the computer. Therefore the sensible user should have no fear.


Concluding remark

Panasonic KX-PX1 has all chances to become excellent budget model. However for such positioning of the printer we are lacking only one piece of inforamtion- its price. If this model will cost about 100 dollars, then it will have very little competition. However, well to the vendor to supply friend access of the users of the device to consumable materials. Panasonic service centers aren’t exactly everywhere.

The device makes a very good impression. The printing quality will satisfy if not 100, then 99 percent of the owners of this printer. The designers promise, that the snapshots made on a firm paper, will not lose colour during 100 years! From the point of view of its mechanical stability and durability the solution has no any problems. It is necessary to wait of the printer on counters of racks. It will be there in a few months.


Pluses/Minuses

Strong and simple body. The cost of consumable materials (already now Ease and easy of steering is possible to say, that the snapshot will cost The compact sizes about 0,2..0,5$)

High quality of printing and broad format
Sensitivity to dust at printing
Capability of printing of cards Gentle chute
Capability of a straight line of printing from the camera