The Kodak Dye Sub printer comparison

The most beautiful color dye-sublimation output we have seen so far is the Kodak dye sublimation printer. But what about Tektronix, QMS, Fargo, Codonics, Seiko, Alps and other dye sub printers?

One of my assignments at the National Museum of Japan was to recommend what equipment and what software was most appropriate to handle the approximately 10,000 FLAAR. Color slides which are in the slide library of this museum. It was crucial to select a good printer, so I asked around. Two different people each independently recommended the Kodak dye sub, model 8600 at that time (1995). The museum bought two. I got to use one of them for a month. It was great, the color was incredible. If you have the money, if you need dye sub (continuous tone rather than dots) then you cannot go wrong with the Kodak.

Close-up snapshot of a dye sub image. Color and definition are outstanding. The brand name of Kodak is generally considered a leader, and it was Kodak that I recommended at that time. The museum also had a Seiko dye sub, though it was outfitted for thermal wax transfer mode, which is a bit more economical, and a bit less luxurious. NEW! More Examples and comparison of dye sub and wax thermal transfer printing

I also used a Seiko but I believe it was set on thermal wax. The prints were good but not as flawless as the Kodak. Probably if the Seiko were put in dye sub mode it would have produced output as good as the Kodak with the special dye sub inks. Many other companies make dye sub printers: Tektronix, QMS, Fargo, and, for the medical science market, Codonics. Alps near dye-sublimation quality color printer gives you the same quality as Kodak for $7000 less (the Alps costs just $500; the Kodak costs about $8,000!).  e-mail: flaar_maya@yahoo.com