In article <3325936B.7E43@lucent.com>, mikemccarthy@lucent.com says...

>1) I am trying to "auotmate" number the back of my prints with the roll
>number (as opposed to numbering by hand). Is there a special ink that I
>can use that will dry on "contact" so that it does not a) smear and b)
>get on other prints when I pile them up?

There was a stamp pad ink that I used years ago that would dry on
RC prints - and some newer papers will accept some ball-point inks
without smearing afterwards ('speriment, I guess...;-).

>2) In other groups, I have heard about the ALPS printer and its print
>quality and the ability of its dyes to resist sun fading. Anyone have
>any experience with this printer for reproducing scanned in photos?
>Anyone know the price point of the printer and the price of materials
>(ink, paper)?

They are a bit over $400 from discounters, with consumables running
around $6-7 a color, as I recall (and there is a set of metalic
colors in addition to the usual BCMY colors). Photographic prints
that I have seen look good (similar to HP color output - a bit garish,
but OK), but unless this has changed, the uniform dot pattern used
to mix colors makes the image look like a rough magazine reproduction -
the "error diffusion" random dot pattern of the Epson Stylus Color looks smoother (and the colors are more natural, but they fade FAST in the
light). Fairly ordinary ink jet paper can be used. The 600x1200 dpi
black-only printout from the ALPS is really first-class, as is
pure graphic color. And for $200 more, the Alps printer includes
a 600x1200 dpi scanner! [....]
Hope This Helps