Kodak Professional 1400

Just what the world needs: another dye-sub printer. Kodak's latest is aimed squarely at professional photographers.

Upside: The Kodak 1400 will especially appeal to portraitists: You can print multiple sizes per sheet--one 8x12, a true A4, one 8x10, two 6x8s, or four 4x6s--on A4 and full-size A4 paper, with either a glossy or a matte finish. And since the 1400 digital photo printer uses dye-sub technology, it has a fixed price per page--in this case, about $1.80 per 8.5x12 sheet. You won't have to leave your clients waiting, either; Kodak claims the 1400 can print an 8x10 in 90 seconds--not superfast, but in keeping with some of the quicker times we've seen from dedicated photo printers.

Downside: At $499 (list), Kodak is really pushing our budget, especially considering that you can get a more versatile photo printer, such as the Olympus P-440, for the same amount. While its print quality didn't blow us away, the P-440 supports more paper sizes and has far more photo-oriented features--media card slots, for example--than the Kodak 1400.

Outlook: We'll reserve judgment until we have a chance to check out the 1400's prints. We definitely encourage portrait artists to keep an eye out for the results.

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