Lyra Research, the digital imaging authority, in partnership with CompuMetric Labs revealed the results of the recently conducted analysis called Snapshot Photo Printer Performance. The observation included testing of the Canon PIXMA mini320, the Epson PictureMate PM260 and the HP Photosmart A626 with new metrics.

Ann Priede, managing editor of The Hard Copy Observer, states, "In order to gauge the true performance of a compact photo printer, evaluators must measure the performance across all channels -- printing from just a PC, which is the most common method of measuring performance, does not provide an accurate picture."

The report tested photo display and print times from memory cards, PC, PictBridge and mobile devices using Bluetooth technology. The testing team confirmed that using an SD card for printing is 2.5 times faster than using Bluetooth on the HP Photosmart A626. The report advises to follow new metrics to check the performance of related devices with respect to displaying and printing through multiple media, direct-connect input channels.