Printing with PictBridge

Did you know that you can print pictures without loading them onto a computer?

If you have a printer that offers a PictBridge connection, your printer will be able to read and print pictures straight from your digital camera.  PictBridge has become an industry standard since it was first introduced in 2003 by the CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association).

The PictBridge connection is not based on the brand of the camera, only on the connection options of both the printer and the camera.  To determine if your printer and camera support a PictBridge connection, look for the logo on the box or the device. —–>

The connection does require a cable, but it is generally the same cable that you use to hook up the camera to the computer.  Most likely, this is a cable that came with the camera upon purchase.  One end of the cable is typically a USB Type Mini-B connector that fits in a large majority of mobile electronic devices these days.  The other end is a standard USB connector, Type A.

The convenience of eliminating the time it takes to load pictures to a computer is great, but this connection option can be limiting depending on the type of printer and quality of camera that you have.  Once you plug the camera in, you will use the screen on it to select the pictures you want to print, but if your camera doesn’t offer editing features and your printer doesn’t have an LCD for previewing and enhancing the images, your editing options will be extremely limited.

This is an example of options you might see on your digital camera screen.

However, if you have a printer with a big, color LCD screen that provides a menu of editing options and adjustable settings, it will hardly be different from previewing images on a computer.  Many digital cameras will allow you to adjust the size and layout of the image as well as the date stamp and the type of media being used.

A PictBridge connection is perfect for printing a high-quality picture quickly, but is not ideal for printing images that require extensive editing.  Overall, this variety of photo printing is fast and easy and has the potential to deliver the same quality that is obtained when printing from a computer.