Compact Photo Printer Review

by John, allprinterreviews.com Expert Reviewer
(USA)

We've come up with another Compact Photo Printer Review for people who are always on the go. If you have found yourself dashing about, looking for a photo lab most of the time because you need to have photos printed instantly from anywhere you may be, then it's about time for you to get yourself a highly reliable and dependable compact printer. Compact printers are meant to be always on the go, they should weigh light enough so you can lug it just any where you're off to. We tried and tested two dedicated compact inkjet photo printers and a dye sublimation compact photo printer for this Compact Photo Printer Review:

Compact Photo Printer Review checked out the set-up and design, direct printing capabilities, ease of use and overall functionality:


1. HP Photosmart A636 Inkjet Photo Printer Price: $138.96

Photo Quality ? Compact Photo Printer Review's first concern is photo quality. We checked out the photos produced by HP Photosmart A636 and we were definitely amazed. In fact,the photos you will get can even be better than those you get from labs. Skin tones are all natural and every line is well-defined while every color of the spectrum was applied in smooth transition. But of course, to achieve all this and at a resolution of 4800 x 1200 optimied dpi, you have to use HPs Advanced Photo paper in case you really need to present professional looking photos in the shortest time possible. In fact with this HP A636, you can have your 4 x 6 inch photo in as fast as 27 seconds at a cost of only 29 cents per page.

Direct Printing Capabilities- Print your photos directly using CompactFlash, Memory Stick, SD/MMC,XD, Pictbridge, Bluetooth or via HP Photosmart A636 or connect it to your laptop if you want to.

LCD Display and Photo Edit- You'll be so proud to bring this machine around because you'll have 4.8 inch color touch screen and stylus popping out in front. In fact, if you've no use for the stylus, it has its own quill holder for propping up. View up to nine thumbnails on the screen which you can scroll horizontally like a slide show using the navigation bar at the very bottom of the screen. Then you can proceed with your editing where several options are at your disposal. You can crop, remove red eye, adjust contrast and brightness and do some bit of touch up. Use the wide array of creative options to enhance your pictures by just single touch of the color screen.

Structure and Design- The machine is what you would call "plug and play" since all the needed installations are already loaded into it. The front output tray folds out to reveal the four media card slots. The input tray can load up to 20 sheets that accommodate varied sizes up to the 4 x 12 panoramic sizes. Although the printer is a bit heavy though at 1.52 kg, it has a built-in handle to make carrying a bit more convenient. It also has options for rechargeable batteries.

Additional Features- Compact Photo Printer Review was not disappointed looking for additional features even in such a small-sized printer. Choose "Create" on the menu and you'll discover a wide range of design gallery, captions, albums, greeting cards, draw and clip arts available as your selection. You can even combine all these fun creative ways to enhance your pictures.

2. Epson PictureMate Personal Photo Printer $149.99

Photo Quality- Epson PictureMate Personal Photo Printer prints as promised, definitely delivered lab-quality photos. Compact Photo Printer Review had doubts at first since there wasn't much offered in terms of photo editing. There's no monitor to preview the kind of pictures you'll be getting. Nonetheless, you will be satisfied with the lab-quality of the 4 x 6 inch photos which were actually faultless for a compact inkjet photo printer. It took longer to print though at 37 seconds per page but at relatively the same cost of 29 cents per page if you will use the Picturemate paper. Epson printers in fact have a higher resolution at 5,760 x 1440 dpi.

What is also remarkable is that you'll get your photos completely dry even if it takes a bit longer. We tested its claim for water proof and smudging and the photos passed the tests, so you can count on Epson's word about the photos lasting up to 100 years if kept on display and 200 years if stored in an album.

Direct Printing Capabilities- This dedicated inkjet photo printer is supported by a wide variety of media with 6 slots offered for memory cards, from SmartMedia, Sony Memory Stick/MemoryStick PRO, SD, MMC, XD-Picture, CF Type I and II.

LCD Display and Photo Edit- The compact printer's straightforward menus and touch buttons make printing quite easy, in spite of the lack of monitor and photo editing options. Instead, Epson PictureMate Personal is giving you a more practical alternative; a multiple print function that will allow you to produce up to 100 copies of a single picture with the ease of touching just one button. Another thing that makes printing easy is the cartridge level indicator to warn you of low ink levels. Still, it would be easier to crop photos if you could see an instant view of the cropped image. Compact Photo Printer Review contemplated the possibility of errors which can only increase the cost.

Structure and Design- It's a little bit lighter than HP A636 at 9 pounds wherein a convenient handle will provide the right touch of portability. Built and structure is nothing that surpasses the traditional since the machine doesn't have to provide spaces or compartments for other features.

Additional Features- Compact Photo Printer Review was a bit disappointed that this machine doesn't have anything to offer as additional feature other than its capability to save memory on CD. It would be fun to bring a good printer along that can also offer you different options. As a user, you'll need personal portable printers for fun while professional photos are best left to the more capable machines.


3. Canon Selphy CP760 Dye-Sublimation Photo Printer $113.28

Photo Quality- Canon Selphy CP760 uses dye-sublimation ink-technology which causes the machine to take about 52 seconds to finish printing a water-proof and fade resistant photo. The printing has to go through a process of heat transfer before it can perform its full functions. Nevertheless, outputs are exceptional at 300 x 300 dpi resolutions, once they come out. This at least makes the longer wait worth your time. However, you'll be limited to printing just the 4 x 6 inch photo size and you will also have to stick to Canon's proprietary paper to get the best results. We can't place much value on the cost since prices of the consumables vary where dye-sublimation is also a factor. Roughly, we estimate the cost at 27.7 cents for a 108-sheet capacity that costs $29.90.

Direct Printing Capabilities- Canon Selphy CP760 is supported by a variety of media for direct printing capabilities which include Memory Sticks, Compact Flash/Microdrive, Pictbridge, SD/MMC card and USB port for printing directly from a digital camera.

LCD Display and Photo Edit At least Canon has now provided the user here with a Canon 2.5in LCD screen using rubber buttons to set your auto editing preferences, like Portrait Image Optimize, Red-eye elimination or scene select. However, the user might find it disappointing not to find a print index you can use to make searching easier. Scrolling, through a lot of photo selections can be a bit tedious if you don't have a lot of time to spare. Nevertheless, once you have everything set-up , all you need to do is plug and print.

Structure and Design- Canon Selphy CP760 has the advantage of having the lightest weight among the three. Weighing just 2.1 pounds, the lightness makes it possible for you to just stuff it in your bag. However, once you clip the input tray to the front, it tends to add another foot when taking up desk space.

Additional Features- Compact Photo Printer Review was happy to find that Canon offers different media options as additional features; although you have to pay additional for this since dye-sublimation ink has a different technology than inkjets.

Summary of Compact Photo Printer Review

Clearly our Compact Photo Printer Review will readily settle for HP Photosmart A636. At its price of $138.96, it's more reasonable than Epson's cost of $149.99 where it's clear that Epson cannot offer the same functionality as HP does. All three printers relatively have the same quality and requirement for using their brand's dedicated paper to ensure quality. Our next choice would be Canon if for having the lowest retail price of $113.28, but still to get more of the other functions that HP A636 offers. One has to pay additional charges and add-up more costs just to be at par with Compact Photo Printer Review's Choice: the HP Photosmart A636 Inkjet Photo Printer.

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