The HiTi 730PS Photo Printer

Page 2.

First Prints

Before I go into the finer details of using the HiTi 730PS printer with the Photo Desiree 2.0 software. I will explain how the printer works. The paper is taken from the cassette and drawn into the printer, a yellow dye is applied, the print exits the top back of the printer and then is drawn back in again for the magenta dye. The print exits just above the paper cassette and then is drawn back in again for the cyan dye, again the print exits the top back and is drawn in again for the final clear coating. The final print exits at the front. The printer takes up very little desk space but makes a lot of noise whilst printing. An annoying feature with this printer is that it has three base supports, two at the front and a centre one at the rear, this causes the printer to wobble on the desk, it beats me why HiTi couldn't have gone all out and stuck four supports on the printer. When you are printing multiple prints in one session the printer offers no facility to catch the final prints, as with the 640PS my test prints ended up on the floor. The one saving grace is that the prints are completly dry to touch upon leaving the printer.

Paper holder fitted	in - out
in - out	Instantly dry

With all the ins and outs of this process, I didn't have a single print that was out of register, a clear indication that this is a precision machine. The prints are dry to touch immediately and have excellent light fastness properties. There is only one media type, glossy, but the printer has a Magic coating option. The magic coating will either produce glossy or a matte finish, although not a true matte finish in the real sense it will suffice. Another option is to add a Magic Pattern, the pre-defined patterns are uninspired, rather along the lines of clip-art that didn't quite make it into the top 10,000 collection. You can add your own custom logo, but why spoil a print. These magic patterns could be fun for a invitation card but in reality will serve little purpose. The real magic with them is that you don't have to use them.

Magic pattern	Magic pattern, glossy and matte prints

There is also a sticker kit available, these allow multiple printing on one sheet of paper. Ideal for ID cards etc. Stickers just peel off the backing and can be used for many purposes. Templates are supplied with the bundled Desiree software.

The Controller and Memory card slot

The 730PS can also be operated as a standalone Direct Print printer, the printer is controlled by the controller on the left hand side. The two memory card slots on the right hand side accept CompactFlash Type I/II, Microdrive, SmartMedia, Secure Digital, MultiMedia Card and Memory Stick cards. The memory card reader is only used for direct printing, it would have been useful to be able to transfer the card contents to a computer. I would have also liked PictBridge support - perhaps this will be included in the next model.

Controller with 1.6" LCD screen	Memory card

The controller plays a key part in the standalone operation, images are displayed on the LCD screen and image adjustments can be made via the controls. These are simple to follow and most people should be able to produce a good print within minutes. The controller is vital to selecting prints but I didn't think it was very logical to have it on a cord right next to the printer, why didn't HiTi just incorporate it into the printer. I can see the logic in having it as a separate unit as this then enables the same case to be used for their other printers. The amount of stretch that can be applied to the cord is minimal before the unit starts to catapult itself towards the holder of the controller. The 1.6" LCD screen is bright and can be adjusted via the menu. Colour corrections can also be made from this screen although I wouldn't want to rely too much on the accuracy.

The controllers six buttons are Esc, OK, navigational arrow keys, Menu, Edit and Print, below are a few shots showing the controls available.

A selection of the controller LCD screens

The quality of the direct prints was generally very good.

© Vincent Oliver 2004 www.photo-i.co.uk
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