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Most other dye-sub printers have a detachable paper tray that must be manually filled. The ES1 eliminates this task, and the need for a separate tray, by combining paper and ribbon into a single pack that slides into an internal compartment. The design keeps out dust, which can cause very noticeable flaws on dye-sub prints. It also makes the 4.5-pound printer more portable, as do a built-in carrying handle and an optional battery pack.

The ES1 also offers an exceptional range of ways to receive images for printing. In addition to the customary slots for direct printing from memory cards, it features a retractable mini-B USB cable (for connecting to PictBridge-compatible cameras) and a USB port (for attaching flash drives or other devices such as CD burners). When you plug in a PictBridge-enabled wireless LAN adapter, the ES1 can receive photos wirelessly via an 802.11b Wi-Fi connection from Wi-Fi-enabled cameras such as Canon's PowerShot SD430. IrDA (infrared) capability and an optional Bluetooth adapter allow you to send pictures wirelessly to the printer from your camera cellphone.

Clicking through images on the ES1's 2.5-inch tilt-up LCD is a little slower than on other printers. Once you have the image you want, though, you can apply red-eye removal, numerous color effects, and automatic dynamic range correction (which keeps contrast under control). You can even add speech bubbles to photographs, which you fill in by hand on the print.

Another feature that distinguishes the printer from the snapshot crowd is its 300x600dpi top resolution. (In some modes this drops to the more usual 300x300 dpi.) Our test prints at this resolution showed the expected improvement in detail, along with vibrant colors and smooth gradation. Skin tones sometimes looked a little too warm or cool for our taste compared to results from competing printers, and we weren't able to adjust the color satisfactorily with the onboard controls. But the shift wasn't noticeable when we looked at the prints on their own.

In addition to standard 4x6 prints and index sheets with up to 20 thumbnail images, the ES1 can output labels, credit-card sized prints, L-size prints (about 3.5x4.5), and photos on calendar pages. Both color and black-and-white ribbon-and-paper kits are available. About $250; about 28 cents per print.

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