Prints in Just a Snap

One of the biggest problems with home photo printers is that the results have too much of a sketchy, do-it-yourself quality. Now, printing digital pictures at home just got more appealing, thanks to two new compact photo printers, from Olympus and Sony. Both hook up directly to a digital camera, eliminating the fuss of connecting to a PC. They use a printing process called dye sublimation, which heats the ink and vaporizes it into the photo paper. The result: glossy, 4-in.-by-6-in. prints that are virtually indistinguishable from the ones you get from a professional photo lab. Even better, both devices sell for less than $200.

The Olympus P-10 is my favorite of the two. It has a cute, cubelike shape measuring about 7 in. in all directions and spits out slick prints in less than a minute apiece. While you can hook up the P-10 to any camera that supports the new PictBridge standard, you can also attach it to your computer to do some preprinting editing and touchups. It will be available in late February for $199. Ink-and-paper packs cost $25 for 40 prints or $50 for 100.

The new Sony PictureStation DPP-EX50 (available in March for $180) has a longer, slimmer, rectangular profile and lets you insert MemoryStick or CompactFlash cards into slots on the device. While the DPP-EX50 takes longer to print each image (about 80 seconds in TIME's tests vs. 50 seconds for the P-10), the results were just as impressive. But unlike the P-10, the DPP-EX50 gives you the option of hooking up to your TV, via the yellow Video In port, for onscreen editing of images. There's even a program for adding borders, designs and text to your images. Buttons on the printer let you adjust brightness, saturation and other elements, though I found this process to be a bit clumsy.

There is one catch. While both the Olympus and Sony are fast and simple, the price per print (about 50 to 70) is about twice what you would pay to get prints from an online photo service such as Ofoto.com or off an ink-jet printer. Also, dye-sub prints may fade faster over time. But if you're willing to pay a premium for glossy prints, these petite powerhouses can't be beat.