EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY - PART 2

• Event Photography (Part 2) –
Last week in Part 1 of this series we looked at the origins of modern event photography, and how photographers found printers they could use at events – by adapting the heavy-duty commercial dye sublimation printers designed for photo kiosks.

This week, PhotoWeek! continues by examining what it is about these printers that makes them so suited for event photography. [expand story >>>]

Event photographers found that heavy-duty commercial photo printers were just what they needed for printing at events. These dye subs are roll fed, so they can print continuously, very quickly, and will rarely jam. They take high-capacity media rolls, and don't need frequent reloading. Their printing technology is dye sub, not inkjet. This means they make prints that look and feel like proper photos, on media robust enough to tolerate handling at an event. The prints don't tear or crease easily, and the images won't smudge or run in the rain.

The print sizes go up to 6"x8" or 6"x9" inch sizes – in the UK, these sizes are considered the "sweet point" at which the eventer can make the most money.

The prints from these printers are edge-to-edge (no whiteborders) and are cut and trimmed by the printer - no extra work to do at the event. The printers are built to last - any machine engineered to sit in a kiosk churning out print after print nonstop should have acceptable life in eventing. Media for them is always available and affordable, because it's the same media that is produced in volume to supply photo kiosks globally.

And the machines can load with enough media for several hundred prints at a time. This minimizes reloading, which reduces the amount of time you would waste at an event, and the amount of dust you will get on your print head. When you do reload, many of these printers are front-loading, which makes it easier to use them in confined spaces, or while operating them in a flight case.

Next week, in Part 3, we look at Event Systems, or what happened when some eventers realized they didn't have to chop the printer out of the kiosk!

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