How to use a Pictbridge-only Photo Printer with Windows XP PC?

[bunty.gopal]

Hi,

I recently received a photo printer - Polaroid P310 - which says that
it is a "Pictbridge" printer. There are no CD ROMs or drivers. I was
able to use this printer with my pictbridge Nikon camera but was not
able to connect this to my PC running Windows XP. All the picutres that
i had taken earlier are on the computer hard drive. Is there any
software that I can install on Windows XP to use the printer with my
computer and print the old photos?

Alternately, can i move the photos back from the computer to the
Compact Flash card in the Camera and then print them from camera?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,
GS

 

[ray]

Hi,

I recently received a photo printer - Polaroid P310 - which says that
it is a "Pictbridge" printer. There are no CD ROMs or drivers. I was
able to use this printer with my pictbridge Nikon camera but was not
able to connect this to my PC running Windows XP. All the picutres that
i had taken earlier are on the computer hard drive. Is there any
software that I can install on Windows XP to use the printer with my
computer and print the old photos?

Alternately, can i move the photos back from the computer to the
Compact Flash card in the Camera and then print them from camera?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,
GS

The pictbridge driver is probably a real problem. But there is no reason
in the world you can't copy photos to the CF card and print from the
camera - you may have to make sure they get in the correct folder.

 

[Ron Hunter]

Hi,

I recently received a photo printer - Polaroid P310 - which says that
it is a "Pictbridge" printer. There are no CD ROMs or drivers. I was
able to use this printer with my pictbridge Nikon camera but was not
able to connect this to my PC running Windows XP. All the picutres that
i had taken earlier are on the computer hard drive. Is there any
software that I can install on Windows XP to use the printer with my
computer and print the old photos?

Alternately, can i move the photos back from the computer to the
Compact Flash card in the Camera and then print them from camera?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,
GS

Those printers are essentially camera accessories, NOT computer
printers. Pictbridge is a protocol designed for allowing the camera to
communicate with a printer.
As for printing from files loaded to the card, maybe. Some cameras will
handle files moved back to a card, others seem unable to do this. It
won't hurt to try.
Next time, look for a printer that connects to the computer, NOT just to
the camera!

 

[Ron Hunter]

The pictbridge driver is probably a real problem. But there is no reason
in the world you can't copy photos to the CF card and print from the
camera - you may have to make sure they get in the correct folder.

Yes, there ARE reasons. Cameras often won't handle any picture they
didn't take, or that is not the particular compression scheme that
camera uses, or that have been edited in any way.

 

[J. Clarke]

Hi,

I recently received a photo printer - Polaroid P310 - which says that
it is a "Pictbridge" printer. There are no CD ROMs or drivers. I was
able to use this printer with my pictbridge Nikon camera but was not
able to connect this to my PC running Windows XP. All the picutres that
i had taken earlier are on the computer hard drive. Is there any
software that I can install on Windows XP to use the printer with my
computer and print the old photos?

Alternately, can i move the photos back from the computer to the
Compact Flash card in the Camera and then print them from camera?

Any help appreciated.

If you look at

 

[Bill Funk]

Hi,

I recently received a photo printer - Polaroid P310 - which says that
it is a "Pictbridge" printer. There are no CD ROMs or drivers. I was
able to use this printer with my pictbridge Nikon camera but was not
able to connect this to my PC running Windows XP. All the picutres that
i had taken earlier are on the computer hard drive. Is there any
software that I can install on Windows XP to use the printer with my
computer and print the old photos?

Alternately, can i move the photos back from the computer to the
Compact Flash card in the Camera and then print them from camera?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,
GS

That's a re-badged Lexmark 310, and isn't capable of being connected
to a PC.
Usually, that printer is sold bundled with a camera, because that's
how it's designed to be used. It does have card inputs (Compact Flash
Type I, Compact Flash Type II, Memory Stick, Secure Digital (SD),
Multimedia Card, xD Picture Card, MicroDrive, Memory Stick Pro), so it
should be able to read JPEGs from the inserted card.
So, yes, you should be able to put your image files on a CF card, and
the printer should read them.
Be aware of the lack of an output tray; the prints get spit out onto
whatever is below the front of the printer.

 

[ray]

Yes, there ARE reasons. Cameras often won't handle any picture they
didn't take, or that is not the particular compression scheme that
camera uses, or that have been edited in any way.

Really! On four digital cameras, I've never experienced that problem. And
the OP indicated, without saying so directly, that he wanted to reload the
pictures he had previously taken - one would think they would be
compatible.

 

[Ron Hunter]

Really! On four digital cameras, I've never experienced that problem. And
the OP indicated, without saying so directly, that he wanted to reload the
pictures he had previously taken - one would think they would be
compatible.

IF they haven't been edited, and recompressed, had the EXIF data
removed, or any number of other possible things that would cause some
cameras to choke on them.
My experience is with Kodak and Olympus cameras. The Kodaks are fairly
forgiving, but the old Oly didn't like anything to be changed.

 

[ray]

IF they haven't been edited, and recompressed, had the EXIF data
removed, or any number of other possible things that would cause some
cameras to choke on them.
My experience is with Kodak and Olympus cameras. The Kodaks are fairly
forgiving, but the old Oly didn't like anything to be changed.

OK - I was not aware of that. Other posts indicate that the printer has
memory card slots, so it's probably a moot point. In my experience
printers with built in card readers will generally handle whatever you've
done with a jpeg - though that experience is limited.