What would the photo printing world be without digital printing?

The greatest advantage of digital photography is that you can preview and erase photos, thereby saving yourself the expense of printing blurry, off-centered, or otherwise poorly composed photos.

Printing digital images will cost you, but the price of a photo printer may not be your greatest concern when deciding whether to buy one. You also must consider the ongoing costs of photo paper and ink cartridges or ribbons.

To figure printing costs, begin with the assumption that you will use paper and ink made by the manufacturer of your printer. There are several good reasons for doing this.

First, compatibility issues may prevent you from using third-party supplies, especially ink cartridges.

Second, printers may be limited in the size, thickness, or type of papers they can print on. A printer’s owner manual or the manufacturer’s Web site will guide you in selecting the right kind of paper to use.

Third, using third-party products that damage your printer may void the manufacturer’s warranty.

The solution? Read the fine print. There lies the answer to your problems.