Mitsubishi CP9550DW Reviews	Kodak Professional 6850 Reviews

Physical Differences
Whilst both are formidable photo printers, you wouldn't want to carry either of them too far! The 9550DW weights in at 17kgs, which is 7kg lighter that the Kodak 9850 at 25kgs.

In terms of size, the Mitsubishi 9550DW is 11.8" x 12.8" x 14.3" and the Kodak 6850 is 11.4"W x 19.6"D x 13.6"H, which makes the Mitsubishi approx. 7 inches deeper than the Kodak.

As you can see, the 9550DW is the smaller and lighter of the two units, but you would definitely need two people to lift the 6850 safely.

Connectivity
Only the CP9550 can be used with both a Windows PC and an Apple Mac (OS9, OSX 10.3 and above - latest driver works with 10.4.4). The 6850 is currently only Windows PC compatible although this may change in the future.

Print Sizes
Both printers will print 6 x 4, 7 x 5 & 8 x 6, but the CP9550 will print 9 x 6 as well, which gives an ideal ratio for professional photographers.

There are also issues about using 7 x 5 media in the Kodak 6850; an upgrade kit is available to allow borderless 7 x 5 prints although Kodak " recommend that you print either 5 x 7 borderless prints or 4 x 6 / 6 x 8 prints on the KODAK Photo Printer 6850 printer and not switch back and forth between 5 x 7 or 4 x 6 / 6 x 8 formats" - Kodak 6850 7x5 Conversion Kit

Print Speed
On paper the 6850 wins hands down, a quoted 8 seconds for a 6x4 print and 15 seconds for a 8x6 is fast indeed. The CP9550 on the other hand prints a 6x4 in 15 seconds and a 8x6 in 32 seconds. These figures alone show the 6850 to be twice as fast as the 9550!

It is worth noting however, that both printers occasionally need to stop to cool the printhead, and this may affect the actual throughput of the printers. If speed is important then we recommend testing both printers before purchase with real images.

Print Media
The Kodak and Mitsubishi both use a roll fed system and the method of loading is similar. The CP9550DW does however have the advantage of being able to be loaded from the front, this means that 9550 printers can be stacked upon each other and so can be reloaded with media when in a flight case.

As the chart above shows the 6850 does print more images per roll, possibly due to the fact that the printer is slightly larger and can accomodate a larger media roll. It cannot however print 9x6 prints, which does seem a little unusual for a professional printer.

Print Media Costs
One of the advantages of Dye Sublimation is the fixed cost. The table shows the costs per print of the 6850 compared with the CP9550.

Conclusion:

Size & Weight:	The CP9550 is the lighter and smaller of the two printers
Connectivity:	The CP9550 can be used with either PC or Apple Mac.
Print Sizes:	The CP9550 has a wider range of print sizes and can print 9x6 images as well.
Print Speed:	The 6850 is faster than the CP9550, although check delays through cooling on both printers as this may affect throughput.
Print Media:	The 6850 contains more images per roll
Print Costs:	The CP9550 is cheaper per print on all print sizes

ICC Colour Profiles for Kodak & Mitsubishi Dye Sublimation Printers

What we think:
If you are looking for the fastest printer and can compromise on weight, image sizes, price per image and Apple Mac connectivity, then the Kodak 6850 is the choice for you.

If you need to print from an Apple Mac or print speed is not the only factor, then the CP9550 does seem to tick all the boxes. With a lower cost per print and a wide range of image sizes you can't go far wrong with the CP9550DW