All digital cameras -- well, almost all -- record their photos on removable memory cards. A lot of photo printers have memory card slots that let you insert the card, look at the photos on a small display, and then print them out. The problem is that even the best photo printers only have a limited number of photo editing features -- you may be able to do some cropping and color correction, for example, but you won't have the range of photo enhancements that you would have with software such as, say, Adobe Photoshop or Corel Paintshop Pro. And you won't get a really good look at them before you printing them out -- which prevents you from using expensive photo paper on a problematic photo.
A memory card reader (also known as a media reader) lets you copy your photos over to your printer and work with them using your favorite photo editing software -- without having to connect your camera. Memory card readers work using a USB connection, so they are very easy to deal with -- just plug 'em in. They're small, so you can drop them into your notebook case and carry them with you. (Incidentally, they're especially useful if you're traveling -- you can pop your camera's memory card into the reader, move all your photos onto your laptop's hard drive, and wipe the card to make room for more photos.) And they aren't that expensive -- you can get a decent memory card reader for about $25.
There are some computer peripherals that can come in handy, especially for photos and other files that you will eventually want to print out. The memory card reader is one of them.
Memory Card Readers
- Belkin 15N1 Media Reader USB 2.0
- Adaptec 16-in-1 Media Reader 7500A
- HP 16-IN-1 Media Card Reader-W/ PCI Card
- Kinamax USB 2.0 SD/MMC/RS MMC Card Reader/Pen Drive
