Epson PictureMate Personal Photo Printer

Rating:
Summary: Great picture quality but needs an image preview screen.
Review: I am an amateur digital photo enthusiast and recieved this for Christmas. At first, I loved it! The picture quality was great, very close to lab quality digital prints. It seemed fairly easy to use and had fun little editing features like cropping, sepia effects and the ability to print wallets as well as 4 x 6. However, once I previewed some other photo printers, including the little HP 375 portable unit, I found that having the LCD screen to view your photos before printing is a MUST unless you're connected to the computer (which sort of defeats the purpose of a little portable unit). With the Epson, you have to guess where you're cropping and can't see what your image will look like with different effects (black/white or sepia) until you print them. That, combined with having to print the index card to know what number your image is from your memory card (which only fits 20 images per sheet and changes once new pictures are taken) can really eat up your ink and paper...making it less cost effective than the suggested .29 cents per print for actual pictures. I think if this unit had the LCD preview screen it would be just perfect!

Rating:
Summary: Photo Lab in the House
Review: I got this printer with my Nikon 5200 camera (see review) - Epson and Nikon were running a promotion where if you bought both together they offered enough rebates to make the printer essentially free. After having this printer for a few weeks and 50 pictures, I would have actually paid for this printer.

Pros:

- Color and clarity are outstanding - I had a local drug store print up some digital photos and printed the exact same photos on the Picture Mate. Surprisingly, the Photo Mate pictures actually looked better. The colors were more vivid and a little sharper.

- Supports Pictbridge - With many newer digital cameras, the pictbridge technology allows you to select the photos you want to print from the camera. Just plug the camera into the printer, select the photos and come back later. (Only issue is that if you are printing a lot of pictures from the camera - make sure you are using an AC adaptor for the camera or your batteries may die in the middle of the operation).

- Cheap - Startup cost was essentially zero due to the rebates, but even without the rebates the printer is competitively priced with other dedicated photo printers. The running cost is about half of other printers - about $0.25 - $0.30 / print. This is about the same price as sending to a lab.

Cons:

- Speed - it takes about 2 minutes per print. That's great when I'm printing less than 30 pictures, but if one has to do more than that I would recommend sending to a photo lab.

- No LCD Preview - I would have preferred to pop in my memory card into the printer and see the picture on the LCD that is to be printed. A minor inconvenience with pictbridge technology, but it would have eliminated having to use the camera with the printer.

- Only 4x6 support - The printer will only print on 4x6 paper. Perhaps having an option for 5x7 would have been nice.

In summary, this is an outstanding little printer if you want a dedicated photo printer.

Rating:
Summary: The "Easy Bake Oven" of Photo Printers!
Review: I had this little gem out of the box and up and running within about 10 minutes. So simple, a 6-year-old could use it!
I love the compact size, and the quality is incredible. I used up my trial pack of paper in the first sitting, so be sure to order extra! Note: It is important to stick with the Epson paper; I tried it with another brand I already had and the quality was very poor. But what the heck, at $20 for ink AND 100 sheets of paper, who can complain? A Great Buy Overall!

Rating:
Summary: So far, so good
Review: I have only had the printer for a week. However, I have printed off approx. 20 pics and they look great. The built in LCD is very easy as it includes a wizard to walk you through steps to print as soon as you put in your card.



Rating:
Summary: Epson Picturemate is Amazing
Review: I received a Lexmark photo printer for Christmas and wasn't that impressed with the print quality. After reading a lot of reviews, I returned it and purchased the Epson. Wow, what a cool little printer. The print quality is simply amazing!!!! I took some pictures to work and they swore they were processed at a photo lab.

its prints kinda slow, but who cares with that kind of quality and cost per print.

My only complaints are a lack of a preview screen and it takes a while for the printer to ready itself when you insert the cartridge for the first time.

Rating:
Summary: Best value photo printer!
Review: I recently bought the Epson Picturemate and to my surprise, it has been one of the best photo printer I ever had. The quality is excellent and very easy to use. Here's a tip for those who are going to buy one, the cartridge included with the printer can last much longer than the 20 sheets provided. I am using regular 4x6 Photo Paper and it has been working as good as the original. After 30 prints, the ink status still shows full.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Quality & Printes Cheaper Then 29 cents!
Review: I used to only order prints from Ofoto.com. I tried Shutterfly, Wal-Greens, Wal-mart, Costco, RitzCamera, etc. None of them ever matched Ofoto. Either the color was off or the paper didn't feel right. Working in the tech department for a major office supply store I get to test out all the new printers. I've never been happy with the results though. The Canon almost got it right with there dye subs but I didn't like the cost and the fact the prints were on postcards. The HPs cost is 61 cents per print and the photos smudge real easy and basically disolve in moisty hands.

Last month I got to play around with the Epson Picturemate and for the first time I was actually empressed. I even did direct comaprisions to other printers we carry in store. This one is definitly one of the best. I know other reviewers said you have to use the paper that comes in the $30 pack. This is not true. You do get the best results, but Epson sells 100 sheets w/o ink for $15. Also you can use Epsons Dura-bright 4x6 paper, and even Office Depot glossy photo paper works great. There are other papers that work great as well you just need to change a few settings and experiment with different brands.

Another little tip for you shoppers out there. $29 is not the final price per print. Each ink cartrige can print about 120-140 sheets and you can find the ink/paper pack for $21 to $26 w/ free shipping. Bring the cost down to 21 cents per print! Also there are third party ink cartridges that give you the same quality output (just not sure about longevity) for $15 (ink cartrige only). If you really shop for deals on paper and ink you can get great prints that cost as low as 19 cents per print.

And I really don't have to talk about the quality of this printer. Its been echoed so many times here. If you have any questions about the quality just take a picture with your favorite digital camera and go to a local retail store and make a test print off their demo unit. You'll be sold on the spot. The only downside about this printer is the monocrome display. That's it. If you can live with that (and at 19 cents you should be able to) then you'll love this printer.

Epson also sells a carrying case for $30 specifically for the Picturemate. I'm buying this printer with the case for my sister who is into the Stamping Up parties (To the guys: she sells stamps). It's absolutly perfect for her.

For people who are comfortable using photo editing software and like to touch up photos on their PC before printing. Do a search for a program called Qimage. Most people don't know this, the picturemate (and all photoprinters) when the get a printer above their factory ppi setting, the printer will actually resize and resample the photo. The result is not-so-sharp pictures. You can avoid the resampling and improve your prints dramatically with Qimage. I first learned about it in the Dpreview forums. They have a 30-trial demo and Qimage works with any printer. I highly recomend it.

Anyway, it's a great printer. And it can do more then advertised with a little tweaking and smart shopping.

Rating:
Summary: Just got it
Review: Just received this printer. Bought it for my wife who is getting used to our digital camera, but still needs her actual pictures. Anyway, we were all excited to receive this. Finally got it. Opened it. Popped in the memory card and started printing.

To be honest, the pictures are very good, but after reading some of the glowing reviews, I was a tad dissappointed. You can still see the really tiny, tiny dots (I have a 2 megapixel camera - not sure if that affects quality.) I compared a photo to the same digital photo that Costco printed and the Costco photo was smoother.

My wife also noticed the slight difference but thought I was being too critical. She did not seem to mind. She thought the convenience of being able to simply print out 4x6 glossy photos was worth it.

And that is the best part of this printer. I have tried to print out pictures previously on inkjet printers. Laying them out right, trying to maximize the paper usage because it's not cheap. Trying to print em out at a reasonable cost. Trimming them. The whole process can be a pain. This simplifies it so much. Pop in the ink. Pop on the paper. Pop in your memory card and just a couple of button presses later you have some nice pictures. Anyone can operate this.

Update 1/15/05 - I'm trying to like this printer because of it's ease of use and value - I seem to get more than the recommended # of prints from an ink cartridge, but the quality is not good. Way too many of the tiny little dots. These pictures are just not smooth - not like real lab pictures. Either I am doing something wrong or my the printer is not that good. For comparison, I did print out some and printed some at Costco - the Costco pictures were much better.

After looking at my performance and rereading some of the other reviews, I need to question them a little.

Rating:
Summary: Like Good Coffee or Fine Wine, it is an Acquired Taste
Review: The PictureMate is definitely the best in class. But I will tell you I had a little trouble from the get-go, that once I worked out, left me with an excellent little printer. I am an aspiring Professional Photographer, which is to say I get paid for my work, but I am still learning, and still hoping to get a whole lot better. This printer is filling a definite need in my work. I tend to use it as a proofer, get a quick print of what I am working on, and for the benefit of my customers. Also, it is a great way to get your prints, since I have found that people seem to enjoy 4x6's, even when you give them stellar prints in larger sizes, and I can understand why. I have found that with Digital, I take an awful lot of photos, and surprisingly enough, a good percentage are printable. I like to print my images and really see which are making the final translation to great prints. Also, I have found that no matter how much you Calibrate your Monitor, you still need to print to feel the print, to see where you are, and to see if a great monitor image translates to a great print. I think the greatest reward is when you find that a print far excels what you see on screen, and realize that it could have been thrown by the wayside.

I think I got a defective product on my first try. The printer was noisy, quirky, and slow. But once I learned how to use the printer, and exchanged my bad for for a good one, I have fallen in love with it. I print from a Mac. Make sure you uncheck the Enhance Fine Details checkbox from the Print Settings dropdown in the Print Menu, so that your prints will print in a reasonable amount of time. Checked it takes 8 to 9 minutes, unchecked it takes 2 to 3 minutes (considering the durability and excellent color is fine). In extensive tests, I can see no difference in quality.

In considering comparable printers, I found an important consideration the ongoing cost of printmaking. The PictureMate refill runs $29.00 for a 100 sheet refill that includes both ink and paper. I found that I get between 120 and 140 prints from the ink cartridge. Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper costs between $10 and $15 for 100 sheets, so the actual cost per print drops from the advertised 29 cents to about 25 cents. The competition has an operating cost of 50 to 60 cents per print. Throw on top of that the Epson Quality, and the long-lasting durability, and hands down the Epson wins.

Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Photo Printer
Review: This Epson PictureMate is fantastic!! When it was delivered, I set it up and was printing photos is 20 minutes!!! Even my computer/printer/camera challenged husband was raving about it. It couldn't be any easier to use whether you are printing right from your memory stick or flash card, or printing from your computer. This is the best $$ I've spent in a long time. No need to configure photos in a photo program on the computer, you just tell the PhotoMate what you want on the touch screen and your pictures start printing. It will print whatever you want however you want it. Amazing!! You won't be sorry, that's a fact.