Dye diffusion thermal transfer, has anyone tried it? It is fantastic! Some months ago I bought a Hit! photo printer 630PL but typically for me I left it in the unopened box. I particularly wanted to print some photos this weekend so opened the box and installed it. I printed out the photos that I wanted and the results were nothing short of brilliant, the equivalent of 4800 dpi, waterproof too.

I don't know how much the prints will cost each, it came with some paper and a ribbon so I have enough for 60 before I have to purchase supplies.

I haven't used anything like that but have seen similar products around and wondered what they'd be like. To be honest, I didn't know too much about the process until your post sent me off for a Google. It sounds absolutely excellent as a photo printer (prints sizes up to 6 X 4). I read that prints work out at around 30 pence each, which is very acceptable I'd say. A good thing to have as well as a standard inkjet. According to reports it knocks spots off (pun intended) an inkjet printer for photo quality.

As you will have seen from the Internet the printer is very small, about 8 inches square with a footprint of about 8 by 5 inches. You load the special pieces of paper in a cassette on the front and they make three passes through the machine, once for yellow, once for red and once for cyan then it ejects. It isn't wet as there is no ink and the result is waterproof and highly glossy. It is much faster than a high quality print on an inkjet.

Several months on and I am still delighted with the printer, if anyone is thinking of getting one I can recommend them. The prints are about 32p if you pay VAT, or less if you don't - and I don't.

Mrs TW is another convert to this photo printing system. A short while ago she realised her ambition to own a miniature digital camera and a dye sub (dye sublimation) printer. This is a 'dye diffusion thermal transfer' printer under a different name (also seen it termed 'D2T2'). She decided on Canon and I must say the print quality is excellent.

Prints work out at about 32 pence each (buying supplies from the Internet) but then only the best photos get printed. With film, perhaps only some of the photos turn out to be really good ones but you still have to pay to get the whole roll printed. Looking at it that way, print costs of the dye sub printer seem reasonable.

She is also pleased to be free of the computer printer. I'm terrible for grumbling about the amount of ink used for good quality photo printing. She doesn't have to put up with that anymore.

EDIT: The word 'ago' was missing.

I love mine, all I need is some more supplies for it, I can't buy them locally.

Sue, I have no clue what you are talking about. (It is 3am here, so forgive me, please).

Is this miraculous machine a replacement for your printer, or something else? If so, are they readily available, or expensive?

I is in addition to my printer, it is a photo printer which doesn't use ink, it uses dye and mine does three passes, once for yellow, once for red and once for cyan. The result is a high gloss waterproof print of excellent quality. It only prints on special card and the dye comes in a cartridge. The printer wasn't cheap, especially when compared to inkjets but the quality of print is superior and they are cheaper than using coloured inks. Mine is a Umax 630PL.

Oh yes, and I must get on and do it soon.