For even more realistic photo output, try one of Tektronix's thermal dye offerings. The Phaser 450 offers some of the best output in its class, and it's among the fastest of such units. The accompanying software can also create custom profiles to match the commercial press used for final output. It should be on your short list for letter-size proofs and digital photographic output. Install the ribbon and paper, plug in the cables, install the software, and print.
Graphics are equally impressive, with fully saturated colors and crisp edges.
It takes a nitpicker's eye to see a hint of banding on some of the tougher test gradients. This printer not only matches the Phaser 450 in output quality but surpasses it. Setup is essentially the same as for the Phaser 450. More important, the output shares all of the high quality of the Phaser 450 but with even less banding. It occupied last place when printing our Photoshop image, but the splendid output was worth the wait.