Claim Check: Cheaper color photo printing?

There's some good news--and some not-so-good news--in Consumer Reports' latest printer Ratings report, which includes our performance tests of color inkjets, snapshot printers, and all-in-one models that can also scan and fax documents. (You must be a subscriber, to access the links to our printer Ratings on ConsumerReports.org.)

The good news: Today's printers can produce color photos in half the time compared to models of just two years ago. Our tests show, on average, you can expect a printer to spit out a 4x6 print in about a minute or two.

The not-so-good news? If you print a lot of photos, doing it yourself could cost you quite a few greenbacks. Home-made 4x6 prints from some models can cost up to 50 cents apiece--twice what you would pay at a photo lab. And for 8x10 photos, ink and photo paper costs could be as high as $1.45 per print.

But one of the printers in our latest Ratings, the all-in-one Kodak EasyShare 5300 (seen above), claims you don't have to bleed green to print color. On Kodak's ink cartridges packaging (see left), the company says you can "save up to 50% on everything you print." (Click on the image for a closer view.) Using Kodak's "Photo Value Pack," which comes with ink and 180 sheets of 4x6 photo paper, the company claims the 5300 can produce 4x6 photos for "10 cents per print."

Does the EasyShare 5300 live up to its promises? Watch our video (requires Macromedia Flash), to see the interesting results of our "Claim Check" tests.

For other helpful printer shopping tips, check out our free printer buying guide information online.

-- Paul Eng

—Paul Eng