I have been crafting and building things my whole life. Several years ago I decided it was time to jump on the 3D printing craze. “Jump into” is actually an understatement. Initially, I did my research and decided on a machine that I thought would suit my budget and needs. What I didn’t anticipate was the need for an engineering degree in assembly and programming degree for usage and inevitable hardware upgrades.

3D printing can be hard enough starting out. Am I using the right filament for my project? How do I operate the multitude of software out there (Slicers and modelers)? Where to find files that interest me, that I can use or would like. There are a million reasons why 3D printing can be hard, so why make it even harder with an inferior 3D printing machine?

Building off of my previous experiences with three 3D printers, I wanted something easy to set up and use out of the box without a four-figure price tag. My last printer (resin) was an Elegoo and was fantastic. This is why I landed on Elegoo’s Neptune 3 Pro FDM printer.

About Neptune 3 Pro

The Elegoo Neptune 3 PRO 3D Printer is an FDM (fused deposition modeling) machine. Among the central features of the ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro is the operation of the STM32 motherboard and all 4 axes by a silent stepper motor. Noise is reduced by as low as 47 to 48 decibels during printing, making the machine both simple to set up as well as quickly ready. The printer comes completely pre-assembled, accompanied by a tool kit for quick setup.

The 3:1 dual-drive extruder is manufactured from Japanese-quality SUS303 stainless steel with a reducer ratio of 3:1. It has a greater extruder force for better filament feeding, more constant extrusion force, and lower stitch formation. So it is not just more reliable, but also produces cleaner and faster prints than Bowden extruders. You can use different filaments, such as PLA, TPU, and PET.

The nozzle kit comprises a TC4 titanium alloy throat pipe, an aluminum alloy flat heat sink structure, and a brass nozzle. The widened aluminum heat sink paired with the front close-fitting efficient cooling fan for a lower temperature and reduced chance of blockage. Fans on both sides of the print head ensure effective cooling.

The top-level sensor used in the bed leveling automation is based on a non-contact high-precision sensor. It automates the collection of data in real-time from the hotbed to the Z-axis height and adjusts the height of the level to compensate for any irregularities and unevenness of the printing platform.

(Only applicable to metal printing platforms) Intelligent fan control: after printing, all fans will stop working at an average of low 50 to prolong their lives, reduce noise, and save power. Smart halt printing: the printer will pause automatically when the filament runs out or breaks, and you can resume printing after a power outage.

The dual Z-axis with dual-joint synchronous leadscrews and dual-motor drive offers more accurate printing and increases the stability and longevity of the print head, as the fixed leadscrew motor on a single-axis z-axis increases printing deviation. The 4-wheel V-guide rail pulley is made of POM for longer service life, quiet movement, and wear resistance.

An alternative PEI substrate with some coating and dashed steel sheeting for good adhesion and anti-distorting, so that graphics can be easily retracted or pull-away by pulling the print steel sheet. The detachable curved side screen is enclosed in the handheld or fixed on the ground.

The built-in print model preview function allows you to preview the model image before printing and observe the printing progress. The 250W high-power hotbed can heat up to 100 C and start printing. The integrated LED supervision bar on the gantry can be operated by pressing the touchscreen buttons conveniently to monitor the model printing in low light.

Technical Specs

• Frame material: CNC machined aluminum extrusion
• Modeling technology: FDM(Fused Deposition Modeling)
• Rated voltage: 115/230V 50/60Hz
• Forming size: 225X225X280(mm³)
• Platform size: mm
• Equipment dimensions:475445515mm
• MAX. nozzle temperature: 260° Celsius
• MAX. hotbed temperature: 100° Celsius
• File transfer: TF Card offline printing, online printing
• File format: .stl, .obj, .amf
• Filament compatibility: PLA, ABS, TPU, PETG, Wood, Marble, etc
• UI Language: English, French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese
• Resume printing: Yes
• Filament detection: Yes
• Net weight: 8.1KG

Pricing & Availability

The Neptune 3 Pro FDM 3D Printer has a list price of $300 from elegoo.com. As of publishing, the printer is available for $230.

User Experience

Giddy is an understatement for how I felt unboxing the Neptune 3 Pro. Based on how the N3P was packaged with care, I instantly knew that I had made the right choice. Everything was packed nice and tight in ample foam padding. Even if the Fed Ex guy hurled my package all over his truck, my N3P would be safe and sound. Setting up the printer was a breeze with included instructions and tools.

With many other printers on the market, you are dumbfounded by the assembly instructions and sheer terror of all the hardware. After around 25 minutes I had unboxed everything, perused the included instructions, and assembled the N3P. I will admit that I didn’t use the included tools (they seemed to be decent quality and would definitely work well for the average person) so this did speed up the process. This was about 3 hours faster than my previous printers. This means I was able to fully set up the N3P and print the included test print faster than the setup of some other popular printers on the market.

Elegoo did not stop with just the easy setup. The N3P is loaded with features. Features that are usually costly and time consuming upgrades for most standard machines. After years of tinkering, it almost brought a tear to my eye. Speaking of eyes, the first thing that mine locked on to when I was firing the N3P up was the removable color screen with capacitive touch.

Long ago in the early days of my printing (2-3 years), I had to use a knob for navigating a monochrome-colored screen. You had to bend over at a specific angle just to see. Elegoo brought me into the 21st century. Just pick up the magnetized display and tap away with leisure. As long as you use your slicer software correctly, you can see a rendering of your print right on the screen. Now I look back with disdain at my other machines.

On to the standard features of the N3P that are added on most other machines. One of the easiest ways to mess up a print right from the beginning is to have an u-lever bed. You won’t get the proper “smoosh” or adhesion. If you have ever gone to a group of printers with a problem the first thing they say is “Level your bed”. After the initial A4 paper shining test, you are done. The N3P has Auto Mesh Bed Leveling built directly into it.

The noncontact sensor scans 36 different points on the hotbed. It never has the chance to touch your print as many add-on bed levelers. It works in unison with the removable metal PEI sheet. The PEI makes removing tough prints a breeze. No more fighting with a scraper and risking damaging the print. All I have had to do is slightly bend the metal sheet and the print pops right off. Which is yet another common upgrade. At 225mm squared and 280mm high you can print a majority of things, you will want.

The next common upgrade that comes standard on the N3P is the Dual Gear Direct Extruder. This means no more feeding filament every which way and wondering if will break or jam up in the Bowden tube. This is usually one of the first upgrades I do and recommends to other people. The fact that it’s already done works perfectly, and matches the machine’s factory aesthetics is pretty awesome in my book. You just push down the loading tab and forget it.

The dual Cooling fans on the extruder are fairly quiet (which is usually a common part to replace as well), so an extra added bonus at around 48 decibels. The 32-bit Silent motherboard is another upgrade that cuts down on the noise even further. It’s also another painstaking upgrade that I have done more than once. The wiring and then the fire upgrade is a true nightmare. Thank you Elegoo.

Onwards and upwards. Elegoo managed to pack yet another upgrade from my other printers into the N3P. Dual motor Z screws. No more lopsided prints from the gantry becoming unlevel after a few prints. The pain of doing this upgrade on other printers is downright awful. This should be standard on Every printer, but I appreciate Elegoo more for just doing it for me.

All of this praise isn’t to say that there aren’t a few things that aren’t quite up to par. The included LED light is definitely bright enough to see the whole surface of your print, but while printing it does surge quite a bit. This means if it’s in your sight line or a darker room it’s very noticeable. I simply chose to turn it off with the removable controller.

The real pain Of the Neptune 3 Pro is the slicing software. Most people use Cura for slicing. You can keep multiple printer profiles on the standard free Cura and switch between them seamlessly. Elegoo has its own branded version of Cura which is outdated not upgradable like the standard Cura.

This means all new features that make 3D printing easier and better quality are still out of reach of this very capable machine. Now you could always make a custom profile in the standard version as I did, but this too is a pain. Especially considering how elegant the N3P is. I appreciate the care and thought that went into the hardware, I just expect that kind of care to go into the software that makes this printer run.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, Elegoo’s Neptune 3 Pro is still the best FDM printer that I have ever owned or operated. The only real shame is the availability of them right now in the US. I would like to think that word is out on how awesome of a printer this really is and everyone wants to get their hands on it. So if you are reading this review and thinking of going in a different direction with a printer that is readily available, I ask you to consider this. There is a reason that a competitor’s machine is in stock and ready to buy. It’s because their machine isn’t as amazing or easy to use as The Neptune 3 Pro.

For more information, visit elegoo.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

This resin 3D printer is easy to use and budget-friendly.

3D printing is the future. This is what we have heard for several years now. We have seen silly representations in different mainstream mediums, but no Back to the Future-type results. I like most people dipped my foot into the 3D printing world with a filament-type printer. The whole idea of resin-based printing seemed a bit overwhelming.

After a year or so of modding and fiddling with my filament printers (Yes multiple, it is a very addictive hobby) I decided to venture out into the unknown world of resin. There are so many different brands and options out there, that it can be chaotic just settling on one to purchase. That’s the first ordeal. The second is how easy is it going to be to use. The third is how big of a build surface compared to the price and overall features are included in the printer. I landed on Elegoo’s Mars 2 Pro Resin 3D Printer.

DETAILS

The Mars 2 Pro Resin 3D Printer is ELEGOO’s first 6.08-inch LCD (features 2K resolution) 3D printer that uses a monochrome LCD and COB UV light source. It features 50μm XY precision and high printing speeds (1.5-2s/layer). The new operating system supports 13 different languages including Chinese, English, Japanese, Dutch, Korean, French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, and Portuguese.

The Mars 2 Pro Resin 3D Printer features built-in active carbon just like its predecessor, the Mars Pro. Active carbon helps to absorb resin fumes and works together with the turbo cooling fan and the silicone rubber seal so there are barely any fumes present when you print. The unit is made with CNC machined aluminum and the build quality is designed to be like a reliable workhorse.

The COB UV light source provides a high luminous maintenance rate, uniform light emission, and no spots. It also has excellent heat dissipation performance. The Chitu Box Slicer is another helpful upgrade that ELEGOO has made to the Mars 2 Resin 3D Printer. With the latest 8-times anti-aliasing function, users can get a much smoother printing surface. ELEGOO provides a 1-year warranty on the entire resin 3D printer and a 6-month warranty for the 2K LCD (FEP film is excluded).

Kit Includes:

• Resin Tank
• Build Platform
• Metal Scraper
• Plastic Scraper
• User Instructions
• Glove (3)
• Funnel (10)
• UL Adapter
• U Disk
• Backup screws
• Silicone Rubber Seal

Specs

• System: EL3D-3.0.2
• Slicer Software: ChituBox
• Technology: UV Photocuring
• Layer Thickness: 0.01-0.2mm
• Printing Speed: 30-50mm/h
• Z Axis Accuracy: 0.00125mm
• XY Resolution: 0.05mm(1620*2560)
• Build Volume: 5.08in(L)*3.15in(W)*6.30in(H) 129mm(L)*80mm(W)*160mm(H)
• Light Source: UV Integrated Light (wavelength 405nm)
• Languages: Chinese English Japanese Dutch Korean French German Russian Italian Spanish Turkish Portuguese
• Connectivity: USB
• Weight: 13.67lbs(6.2kg)
• Operation: 3.5 Inch Touch Screen
• Power Requirements: 100-240V 50/60Hz
• Printer Dimensions: 7.87in (L)*7.87in (W)*16.14in (H) / 20cm (L)*20cm (W)*41cm (H)

USER EXPERIENCE

Right out of the gate in initial research, I found that Elegoo seemed to be everywhere in the resin 3D printing world. I had seen the Mars 2 in action several times so it was only logical that I pick the Pro model. Yes, there is currently a Mars 3 model, but the Mars 2 Pro resin 3D printer is friendly for a person like me on a budget, especially since ELEGOO does usually have deals going on as well. 

Here is a quick reason why to use resin. Like most people getting into 3D printing, I wanted a quick turnaround on projects with minimal work at the end. What I soon found with filament printers is that after hours and hours of fine-tuning you still need to sometimes sand and even fill in small blemishes and sand again until you have your final product.

With resin 3D printing, that’s not really the case. With minimal effort, you get a very close final product. There are a few steps the user needs to complete right out of the printer, but I’ll cover that shortly. You are limited on the size that you can print but the quality of your project makes it so worth it.  

Right out of the box, Elegoo’s Mars 2 Pro It’s almost ready for production.  This is a huge benefit considering filament printers need to be assembled. You also have to do a lot of wiring, which is fine, but I want to get right to the printing.

Unpacking is easy as pie. The unit is fully assembled, except for the build platform. To get started you essentially plug the unit in and attached the build plate. Well, it is not quite that simple. You do have to level the bed and make small adjustments with the included tool.

Luckily the build plate isn’t too large at around 5 inches by 3 inches. Leveling is a breeze though. Simply follow the quick instructions and make the necessary adjustments on the touch screen. This part is very familiar as you use a standard sheet of paper to level your build surface just like filament printers. Again, this process is super easy compared to my previous 3D printing experiences. This alone makes the Mars 2 Pro Resin 3D Printer my new favorite printer.

While doing the initial setup I had a friend with 3D resin printing experience help me out. They use a different brand and immediately regretted not going with ELEGOO. To get started printing it’s as simple as installing the slicing software provided with Mars 2 Pro Resin 3D Printer on a flash drive. This is where things get tricky.

Due to previous experience using slicing software (you need this to convert files to a usable format for the printer) I was able to learn the ins and outs of the software. YouTube is definitely your best friend starting out. Once I got the hang of the slicing program, I exported files to the included USB flash drive and plugged it into the resin 3D printer.

Luckily I did research beforehand and already had some resin on standby since it didn’t come with any. The Mars 2 Pro did come with a wide assortment of other starter supplies like gloves and masks since the resin isn’t really something you would want to breathe in or get on your skin. Now all I had to do was set the resin tank over the LCD screen and fill to the marked line with resin.

Full disclaimer, I’m still not quite sure how the image from the LCD screen transfers over to resin. With a filament printer, everything is out in the open and easy to see and follow. With resin, it could very well be magic. The short of it is an image (a very thin slice of the model) appears on the LCD screen and that is where the resin adheres to the build plate. Repeat as many times as needed for the project to be complete. 

The next step is where it was a whole new ball game for me. I’m used to pulling the project off of the build plate and sanding and priming. Not with resin. Again, I did my research beforehand and had all the necessary materials on standby. With resin prints, you have to do an alcohol bath you get the uncured resin off of your prints.

All you need is a couple of water-tight containers and isopropyl alcohol (at least 95 percent, which can be ordered or found at local hardware stores). Place your project in the alcohol bath and swish around. I found that using a soft bristle brush worked perfectly.

One last step and you can play with your new creation. To fully cure the resin you need to let it sit in UV light. Whether that isn’t a specific UV box or just in direct sunlight. I chose a UV lightbox just because the sun’s heat could warp the final product. 

CONCLUSION

At the end of the day, ELEGOO’s Mars 2 Pro Resin 3D Printer gives you quite a bit of bang for your money. Especially compared to competitors’ prices. When you consider the ease of use, it’s a no-brainer.

If you are reading this for help in considering a purchase of your first 3D printer or your fifth printer, I assure you, this resin 3D printer is the one you are looking for. The only real downside of owning the Mars 2 Pro is that my wife won’t let me get another one…right now. 

For more information, visit elegoo.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

A printer that produces good prints, but lacks in the software and technical support area.

I come from a time when photos were captured on film and you had no idea what your image was going to look like until you get the film developed, which sometimes took 7 days for processing. I remember in my college days (20 years ago now) when we were still making scrapbooks with printed photographs. When smartphones became commonplace, we started seeing photos transition to the digital realm instead of the paper-based one. So what happens when you want to print your memories out to share? Do you go to a drugstore every time? What if you could just print the photos out at home? That’s what the Canon Selphy Square QX10 Wireless Photo Printer can do for you.

DETAILS

The Canon SELPHY Square QX10 is a compact, portable photo printer. It produces high-quality prints that can last up to 100 years thanks to the printer’s due-sublimation processing. The printer weighs less than one pound and it has a built-in rechargeable battery. The SELPHY Square products 2.7″ x 2.7″ prints on peel-off adhesive back paper and the ink film produces fast-drying images. The printer connects to your mobile device with the use of the Canon SELPHY Photo Layout 2.0 app. The printer uses Wi-Fi connectivity to communicate to mobile devices through the app.

USER EXPERIENCE

The printer comes in a Canon-branded box and is well-identified for the consumer. The unit comes with a multilingual user manual, Micro USB charging cable, a starter pack of photo paper, and the starter ink cartridge. Before I even set-up the printer, I found things I would upgrade immediately — the charging cable and the starting kit. The charging cable is Micro USB, which in my mind is ‘old technology’. It doesn’t seem very forward-thinking of Canon to release a new product with this older type of charging cable. Is it more cost-effective? Probably – but it’s not future-proof. The other issue I have is that manual calls out using a wall adapter to charge the printer, but they don’t include one. 

The other issue I had out of the box was the miniature starter set of paper and ink. The starter ink cartridge is only enough ink to cover the 3 sheets of paper included in the starter kit. According to the specs of the device, the printer can hold up to 10 sheets of paper. I think the sample kit should include at least that much and the ink cartridge should match that. It seems silly to me for the consumer to have to purchase those items right off the bat in order to get the most out of their device. Imagine if this was received as a gift and the giver didn’t realize that what was included was such a small sample? They would effectively be telling the recipient that they had to spend money to enjoy their gift. It looks like Canon sells the set for around $15 so I’m not sure why they wouldn’t just include one set with the printer when it ships.

The user manual booklet that comes in the box with the printer provides you with details on the device and then directs you to download the mobile app to complete the set-up. As it turns out, you can only print images directly from your Android or iOS smartphone (or tablets). The printer is not compatible with desktop computers. The first device I attempted to connect to the printer (via the app) was my iPhone 11 Pro. The instructions in the app tell you to scan a QR code that’s found inside the printer cartridge compartment. The QR code is supposed to connect you to the printer’s internal Wi-Fi network. I am assuming the code contains the Wi-Fi name and password for the device’s network. I tried a couple of dozen times to get this process to work and my iPhone would never connect. I tried to scan directly from the QR code on the plastic door of the compartment; I tried to scan the QR code from an enlarged photo I took; I tried to enter the information manually; I even tried deleting the app and reinstalling it AND resetting the printer, but I could never get the iPhone to connect to it. I kept getting a failure to connect message. Just as I was about to throw in the towel, I decided to pick up my iPad and give it a try. I downloaded the app onto the iPad and scanned the QR code and within a few seconds, the printer connected to the iPad. I still can’t figure out why there was a problem with the iPhone/printer connection, but I was at least able to use the printer.

Once the printer was connected, registered, and set-up, I selected a few photos of our family dog to print. The design interface of the Canon SELPHY app is pretty basic. You select your photo, choose a border size, the position of your photo, whether or not you want a date printed on the photo, choose a frame, add stamps or text, paint on the photo, select filters or embellishments, and then you print. 

Photos take approximately 45 seconds to print. The SELPHY Square uses a process called dye sublimation. With this process, the ink ribbon is heated and transfers the dye to a special photo paper. This process gives printed photos a much longer life (up to 100 years in some cases) than Zink-based prints. Once you send a photo from the app to print on the paper, the paper actually makes four passes through the printer ribbon. On each pass, the printer lays down a color. It goes in this order – yellow, magenta, and cyan. The fourth pass is actually a clear coat that helps to highlight the photo and protects the image.

The quality of the photos are actually very good. So, even though it seems as though I have had a lot to complain about in this review, I can’t deny that the product the printer creates is very nice. One thing I wish the software would do a bit better is to allow for some color/brightness adjustments. One the screen I thought the photos looked fine, but when they printed out, they were a bit darker than I expected. 

As far as cost goes, I the printer retails for around $150 and the Canon XS-20L photo paper and printer ribbon kit is around $15 for 20 sheets. That would mean that each print (not including this the device charge) costs approximately $0.75. To me, this is a tad on the expensive side of things since you can order larger photo prints from drugstores for about half the cost (4×4 print on standard photo paper is $0.39 per print). 

CONCLUSION

The Canon SELPHY Square is a unique mobile printer, but I think the software really needs some upgrades to make it an exceptional product. I also think the support for it should be beefed up, too since I had a lot of trouble finding answers for issues I had when I was setting it up. I hope that Canon refines this product and its offerings so that the next version is better than the first.

For more information, visit canon.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

Exceptional prints created on the spot. 

Back in December, we published a review about a photo printer from Mitsubishi that was designed for use in photo booths and kiosks — the CP-D90DW. It was a very interesting piece of equipment that we got to see in action again at the Mitsubishi booth at Imaging USA. I really had a lot of fun using the wireless printing option for this photo booth printer and was excited to have another opportunity to check out another high-capacity printer from Mitsubishi — the CP-M1A. 

DETAILS

The CP-M1A Dye-sub photo printer was “designed with excellence in mind.” It’s a 2019 Red Dot Award winner and is designed for photo studios and other business uses. Mitsubishi lists Photo Booth Integration, Amusement and Entertainment Photography, Event Photography, Mass Merchant / Retail / Kiosk Photofinishing Production as the main uses for this printer. It is the smallest high capacity printer in its class and can print up to 750 prints (4×6”) with one paper roll. It features a new quick and easy media loading design that’s very user-friendly. The printer offers matte or glossy finishes and it can print in multiple sizes from the same roll of 6×8 media including — 2-2 x 6, 4 x 6, 6 x 6 and 6 x 8-inches. 

“Designed with Mitsubishi Electric’s proprietary print-head control engine & image processing algorithms, the CP-M1A prints high definition photos and delivers superior color depth and extremely detailed output in bright and dark prints.” 

SPECS

• Print Method: Dye-sublimation thermal transfer
• Resolution/Gradation: 300 DPI, 256 gradations (8 bits per color, approx. 16.7 million colors)
• Print Capacity: 3 1/2 x 5″ – up to 800 prints, 4 x 6″ – up to 750 prints, 5 x 7″ – up to 400 prints, 6 x 8″ – up to 375 prints
• Print Speed: 3 1/2 x 5″ – Approx. 11.1 sec., 4 x 6″ – Approx. 12 sec., 5 x 7″ – Approx. 20.8 sec., 6 x 8″ – Approx. 22.5 sec.
• Print Area: Edge-to-edge (Full Bleed)
• Interface: Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (Type B)
• System Compatibility: Windows/Mac OS
• Memory: 128 MB
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 11.8″ x 13.8″ x 11.1″
• Weight: Approx. 30.9 lbs.

USER EXPERIENCE

One of the things I like the most about this printer is how easy it is to set-up. There is very little assembly involved and once it’s set, you can just print. Out of the box, I simply had to plug the printer in, insert the printer ribbon, and the paper cartridge. Then, I was ready to print. The only hiccup I experienced during the unboxing/set-up process was routing the paper roll. The illustrated instructions are clear to a point. The paper roll doesn’t have need flanges and the first roll comes ready to install. You do have to feed the paper under the roll until the red indicator light turns green. The instructions are clear about this point, but it doesn’t mention what you are feeding the paper into. I was able to feel the paper catch into some sort of channel right when the light turned green. I do love that Mitsubishi provided this LED indicator light as a way to let the person who is installing the paper know when they were on the right track. 

The next step after physically setting it up was to install the printer driver. This is a place where I experienced another small speed bump. I primarily work off of a Mac computer and when I went to install the driver from the product page of the printer (https://me-vis.com/professional-printers/photo-printers/cp-m1a-dye-sub-photo-booth-printer/), I got the following error. This is a security measure from macOS to ensure you know where you are downloading your software from. The package can be approved through Settings > Security & Privacy. After installing the driver on both my Mac and a Windows machine, I connected to the printer.

Now, I also want to point out that this printer is NOT wireless. In fact, the only interface available for this printer is USB Type B (Hi-Speed USB, Ver. 2.0). I want to make sure I also point out that this printer while it could be very useful to a standard consumer, it’s really designed for photo booths and kiosks. So, the fact that it’s not wireless is not really all that important, but what is important is the fact that a USB Type B cable is not included with the printer kit. I happened to have one in a mass of cables I had in storage, but I can’t imagine that everyone who would want to use this printer would have one handy. Because it’s an older style cable, I would suggest that an interface cable should be included with the kit. 

Once I got through the physical set-up and computer connection, I was finally able to start printing. As a test, I pulled up a random picture that was stored on the laptop and opened it in the Windows default Photos app. When I used the ‘print’ option from the app, the Mitsubishi CP-M1A a simple dialogue box appeared that allowed me to select the size of the print I wanted and whether or not I wanted portrait or landscape prints. I selected the appropriate settings and then clicked, ‘print.’ The printer went through a warm-up process and then I heard the paper spool up, along with some different whirs and mechanical noises, and finally, the print emerged, was cut and dropped into the receiving tray. The print was dry and didn’t smudge when it was handled. It was a fairly quick and very easy process. So, I set to printing many, many pictures we had saved. 

I found the easiest way to print in this manner was to load all the photos I wanted to print into the Photos app, organize them into an album, and then select prints in groups to send to the printer. Now, I want to mention that the album I started with had over 600 pictures in it. This is too much to print at one time, I found this to be a flaw of the Photo app and the communication to the printer from the computer. I did attempt to send all the photos at one time and the app crashed. So, I started sending them in groups of up to 30 photos at a time. I found this was an optimum number to send at one time. I also realized that all the photos in a given group needed to be the same orientation as the Photos app and the printer would not automatically print in the correct orientation without it being selected in the print dialogue. 

One other word of warning, when you are printing large groups of photos at one time, remove the receiving tray and make sure the photos have a safe place to land. At first, I tried to have the photos print into the tray and they quickly got caught and jammed up in the printer. Once I removed the tray, they printed smoothly and I didn’t have any other print errors. 

After several hours of printing off and on, I had a stack of approximately 400 photos that were produced by the printer. The spec sheet states that with 5×7 prints 400 is the maximum amount of photos that a single roll of paper media will print. Since I had a few issues (paper jam, resetting the paper roll, etc.) I’m not sure if I hit that 400 mark or just close to it. But, I would say that 400 prints for 5×7 photos are pretty accurate. I would also say that the printing time (~20.8 seconds) per print for glossy 5×7 prints is accurate. The specs on the machine state that, “Print speed is based on continuous printing operation in Fine mode with Glossy Finish. Single prints or starting prints will take slightly longer to include media initiation and feeding time.” 

CONCLUSION

The Mitsubishi CP-M1A High-Capacity Photo Printer is a really great option for an easy-to-use, high-quality photo printer. I was surprised at how good the prints turned out. One of them, a photo of my fiancé’s great uncle actually brought tears to his grandmother’s eyes. The printer definitely brings out the best in the photos it brings to life. Is this printer for the average consumer? No, but I could see photographers who want to provide that extra added service for their clients getting a lot of use out of this. 

For more information, visit mitsubishielectric-printing.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Quick high-quality photo prints on-location at events.

A few years ago, I went to a friend’s wedding. They had their photographer set up a photo booth. The idea was to give guests the opportunity to capture fun, light-hearted moments that were happening at the reception. The photo booth printed out two copies of each set of photos so that there was one for a scrapbook and one for the guest to take home. I always thought this, along with the do-it-yourself photo printers at drugstores were a great way to have instant verification that the photo you took was worth keeping. I had sometimes wondered though what it would be like to have one of those instant printers at my house. I actually had the opportunity to test out the Mitsubishi CP-D90DW Premium High-Speed Digital Photo Printer, which is designed to reside in one of those self-service kiosks that are popular in malls and drugstores nowadays. 

The Mitsubishi CP-D90DW Premium High-Speed Digital Photo Printer is designed especially for event photographers and photo booth integrators. It prints using a single roll of 6” media, but users have the option to print four different sizes — 2×6, 4×6, 6×6 and 6×8. I ended up simply printing out 4×6 copies of photos that had been stored on my phone. The printer is a dye-sublimation printer that actually requires minimal installation space. It includes onboard image processing that allows devices with low computing power to run the printer. 

The unit I had the privilege of testing out came with an Intel NUC Mini PC Kit. I can’t comment on the set-up between the PC kit and the printer because it came to me pre-setup. Together the printer and the PC kit create the SELFONE Wireless Print Station that can be used as an event photo booth. The Intel NUC unit that was paired with the printer I was testing isn’t the only option for a controller unit. There are drivers available for Windows version 7 or higher in 32/64 bit, MAC OS or Linux x86 based computers. These connected devices act as a portal between the printer and other devices — namely mobile phones. The image processing is off-loaded to the printer, which lets the computer focus on other tasks. 

Even though the computing system was set-up prior to my use, I did have physically set up the system. Out of the box, I had to connect the NUC unit to the printer using a USB 2.0 Type B cable. I thought this was outrageous considering how outdated that technology is. I don’t know what the reasoning would be for using this type of cable versus a newer type of USB cable, but I was still shocked to see this type of cable being used. The NUC unit had its own power supply/cable to connect and so did the printer. So, if you are using this system, be aware that you need two separate power outlets. 

In addition to connecting the printer and the computing unit, I also had to install the ink ribbon and the printer paper. This was a little complicated simply because it was difficult to determine how each of the rolls was supposed to be placed into the printer — what direction they were supposed to be pointed. The instructions are a little ambiguous as the illustrations just aren’t very clear. The first time I installed the paper I actually didn’t have it installed completely and so I wasn’t able to print. I kept receiving a printing error. This was frustrating as I didn’t know what the cause of the issue was until I spoke with someone at Mitsubishi. Once all of the pieces and parts are connected, you are ready to start printing.

The concept behind this wireless printing station is to allow users to connect directly to it so they can print their photos. “Shoot, send, print” is the process that is marketed along with this system. With that in mind, the set-up process wouldn’t be visible to the end-user and all they would base their opinion on is how easy it is to connect to the system and receive their print. As far as speed and quality go, this system is a perfect 10. I was surprised at how incredibly fast prints exited the printer and how they were already dry and ready to be handled. When it came to the interface that a user has to use in order to print, I was pretty disappointed. 

The ‘app’ is a web-based app. I’m actually not sure if there are opportunities for owners to customize how users experience this, but the app I used felt like a throwback to the original iPhone apps. I had to navigate through the process using Safari on my iPhone (or iPad) and at times connection errors prevented me from being able to send photos to the printer. The basic process is this:

1. Connect to the WiFi signal from the printer. You will be automatically taken to your mobile web browser and will see a screen that says, “Connected to Wi-Fi Print service”. 
2. Tap on “Start Application” and then agree to the Terms and Conditions shown on the screen. NOTE: This is a step that you end up having to choose every time you use the app and sometimes between selecting photos. 
3. Once you agree to the Terms and Conditions, a menu will appear for you to select photos from your Photo Library, your Camera (take a new photo), or you can Browse your device. 
4. I primarily used my Photo Library while testing. So, you select an individual image and then it uploads to the printer. 
5. The printer processes and prints the image. Then you can select a new image and continue the process from there.

If you are printing multiple images (I chose to print out dozens from a wedding I captured as a gift to the couple – so it was a lengthy process), it can be a tedious process. I used this printer for quite a few days and could not find any option to select multiple photos at one time. I could understand this being a feature that is limited for-profit purposes (only allowing people to print one at a time so they can be paid for individually), but from my standpoint, it was a painful problem to deal with. 

As I mentioned above, I did run into several issues with connectivity. At times I would receive an “Unable to establish connection – server unavailable” or “Cannot Download Photo” error when attempting to select photos for printing. The photos were already on my phone so I don’t know where the ‘downloading’ problem came from. I think there are just some bugs in the system that are unavoidable from the end-user perspective. 

Even though I found some unfriendly issues with the system interface and physical set-up of the SELFONE Wireless Print Station, I was incredibly happy with the quality of the prints it produced. They were true to the colors on my phone’s screen and they were just stunning. The system that was sent to me retails for around $1,000. I could see this being a worthy investment for professional photographers who want to offer their clients a quick, easy way to print their photos. It’s also good for what it’s intended for, which is a photo print station at a given location — like a mall or drugstore. 

For more information, visit mitsubishielectric-printing.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

A Professional Photographer’s best friend

When I first started taking photos, I never thought I would ever get to the point where people liked my work so much that they would want to hire me to take photos for them. But, lo and behold, that’s happened. That client specifically wanted digital files, but I always felt that it would be great to have a professional photo printer in-house so that I could complete the job from start to finish without enlisting the help of a third party. Over the past few months, I’ve really developed a strong relationship with my Epson all-in-one printer. So, when I began looking into photo printers, I turned to Epson because I believe they make some of the best printers I’ve ever used. As it turns out, I found what I was looking for in the Epson SureColor P600 Inkjet Printer and it’s become this photographer’s best friend.

DETAILS

The Epson SureColor P600 is different from other printers in that it’s specifically designed to print high-quality photos and nothing else. This is a big difference from what most people are used to with all-in-one printers. The SureColor P600 features Epson UltraChrome HD ink created for exhibition-quality prints. The P600 delivers rich black tones thanks to Resin Encapsulation Technology. You can expect to have three-level black ink technology, which delivers smooth tonal transitions for incredible black and white prints. The ink cartridges are high-capacity so that you don’t have to change them as often and the printer is equipped to handle a wide variety of media including roll papers. You have the ability to create borderless 13 x 19” prints and panoramas over 10 feet long. The printer is WiFi ready and it features a 2.7” LCD touchscreen. You have the ability to print directly from your mobile devices and you can also print directly onto inkjet-printable CDs and DVDs.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

• Epson SureColor P600 Photo Inkjet Printer
• Power Cable
• Nine UltraChrome HD ink cartridge (Photo Black, Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Vivid Light Magenta, Light Black, Matte Black, Light Light Black)
• Roll paper holders
• CD print tray and software
• Accessory box
• USB and Ethernet cables not included
• Printer documentation
• CD-ROM containing printer drivers and software (Windows® and Macintosh®)

SPECS

• Printing Technology: Advanced Micro Piezo® AMC print head with ink-repelling coating technology, 8-channel, drop-on-demand, inkjet printhead
• Minimum Ink Droplet Size: 2 picoliters; Variable Droplet Technology can produce up to 3 different droplet sizes per print line
• Maximum Print Resolution: 5760 x 1440 dpi
• Maximum Printable Area: 13″ x 129″
• Nozzle Configuration: 180 nozzles x 8
• Ink Type: Ink Type: Pigment-based Epson UltraChrome® HD ink technology
• Ink Palette: 9-color Photo or Matte Black, Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Vivid Light Magenta, Light Black, Light Light Black
• Ink Configuration: Auto-Switching Black Ink Technology; Fully automatic switching between Black ink modes – Ink used during conversion; Matte to Photo Black approx. 3 ml (1 ml Save Ink Mode); Photo to Matte Black approx. 1 ml (1 ml Save Ink Mode)
• Replacement Ink: Epson Intelligent Ink Cartridges; Cartridge fill volume: 25.9 ml each color x 9 colors total; Ink cartridge shelf life – 2 years from printed production date or 6 months after opened
• Fade Resistance / Print Longevity: Color – Up to 200 years; Black-and-White – Up to 400 years
• Operating Systems: Apple macOS® 10.13.x-10.12.x, OS X®: 10.11x-10.7x; Microsoft® Windows®: 10, 8.1, 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)

USER EXPERIENCE

Getting the SureColor P600 set-up was very easy. This is one of the reasons that I really love Epson. Getting the printer online and connected to your network is a breeze. One of the beautiful things about Epson printers is that if you are running a Mac (I’m not sure if this is true for Windows or not) and it’s a network printer, you don’t necessarily need to install the drivers for the printer in order to use it. Mac computers will pick up the printer as a printer on the network and you can select it for printing. Now, you may not have all the printing features available, but you will be able to use it without all the fluff from the software package that Epson provides.

When you power up the printer, you will simply follow the on-screen instructions to connect the printer to your network. Once it’s connected, you will again follow the instructions on the printer’s screen for installing the printer cartridges. This is one place where I got a little overwhelmed. There are NINE cartridges to install. The process is a pretty foolproof since each cartridge is labeled and coordinates with a specific slot in the printer. The printer cartridges are expensive to replace. A full set will end up costing around $285 to replenish. This is just another reason that you want to use this printer specifically for photo printing and not anything else.

I was very eager to print using the SureColor P600. So, as soon as it was set up I loaded the printer with some premium photo paper and sent a photo of my daughter to print. This photo has a lot of black in it as she was wearing a black shirt and had a black backdrop behind her. I thought this would be a great test for the printer’s claims of smooth black tones. The photo took some time to print out and then after it printed, I had to let it dry completely. It printed out beautifully. I was shocked at how well the printer did. I honestly don’t think that a print would have turned out any better if I had sent it out to a print shop.

I had similar results with other types of paper and prints. Epson profiles the paper stock so that the user doesn’t have to manually adjust images before printing to account for the type of paper used. I love the versatility that the SureColor P600 provides for photographers. You have all the options — including canvas printing — that you would have with ordering prints from a shop. The only thing this printer can’t do is exceptionally large prints — like poster-sized.

CONCLUSION

When it comes to knowing the photos you take are going to have the correct color and feel to them, you can’t beat the quality Epson puts into the printers they make. This is by far the best way to print photos aside from sending them to a print shop. It’s a brilliant printer for professional photographers as well as enthusiasts. The size of the printer is a little hard to plan for as it takes up a full table top and the consumables are pricey, but if you are printing regularly and selling those prints, the cost is totally justifiable.

For more details, visit Epson
Find Epson on Facebook and Twitter.

A good, quality budget-conscience all-in-one printer.

At my place of work, I have access to two large industrial sized printers. They are great for big jobs, but I spend a lot of time working on layouts so I do a lot of proof printing. The color printer is in a completely different part of the building so it becomes a hassle when I need to print a single proof. So, I was looking for a smaller printer that I could use exclusively for proof printing in color. I’ve always liked Brother printers as the equipment holds up well over time. So, when I was given the option of using this Work Smart Series All-in-One Printer, I jumped at it. 

DETAILS

The Brother Work Smart Series WFC-J690DW is an affordable printer with a built-in scanner, fax machine, and copier. It’s an inkjet printer that can deliver high-quality printing from desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. The device has an automatic document feeder with a 100-sheet capacity paper tray. There are also bypass and 4×6 photo tray that can handle a variety of specialty papers. The Brother Work Smart Series printer supports duplex printing, which is great for saving paper stock. The printer has a compact design, which is ideal for home or small office use. It’s a wireless printer and connects directly to your WiFi network.

SPECS

• Supports Brother Cloud Apps and other Cloud Services like Google Drive, OneNote, Box, Evernote, and Dropbox
• Compatible with Mobile Devices: AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Brother iPrint&Scan
• Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hi-Speed USB 2.0
• Black & White or Color Printing
• Copy resolution: 1200 x 600 dpi
• LCD Display: 2.7″ Color Touchscreen
• Paper Handling Size: Letter, Legal, Executive, A4, A5, A6, Index Card (5″x8″), Envelope (C5), Envelope (DL), Envelope (Monarch), Photo (4″x6″), Photo (5″x7″)
• Paper Sheet Weight: 17-24lbs.
• Printing Speed: Black 12ppm, Color 10ppm
• Print Resolution: 6000 x 1200 dpi

USER EXPERIENCE

The printer itself is the perfect size for a smaller office setting. It measures 15.7 inches wide, which is only a fraction wider than most professional-grade laptops. It fits on the end of my desk really well at work. When it’s not in use, you can fold the paper tray up so that it’s not intruding on your workspace. The printer is designed in such a way that it’s perfect for compact desk spaces. When it prints, it has a minimal shake so your work isn’t disrupted by that printer’s tasks. 

Set-up of the printer was very simple. I have a real love-hate relationship with office equipment – especially fax machines – but Brother makes the process very simple. Once you connect it to power, the directions on the screen display the start-up instructions. You will be shown how to insert the ink cartridges and how to connect to your WiFi network. This printer is network capable and compatible with Apple AirPrint – both of these are features I was enthused about. Within about 5 minutes, I was ready to start printing. You will likely be instructed to update your device’s firmware once it’s connected to an internet signal and this might take up to 5 minutes on its own. 

I was impressed by the display’s responsiveness to touch commands. It’s small (2.7 inches), but it works really well. The printer does not have an Ethernet port, but it does connect well to wireless really easily. I’ve never had an issue with it disconnecting once it’s connected. There is one main paper tray that fits letter and legal size sheets of paper and with the bypass tray, you can feed 4×6” photos and other specialty paper, which is really good for my purposes. 

I thought the printer did a good job of printing text documents and images. If you are planning on using this for professional quality graphics, I think that might be a little out of the printer’s reach. While it does a good job with clarity, it’s just not meant for high-quality print jobs.

CONCLUSION

For me, when I print a proof of a layout, I’m mostly looking for a reference. So for that, it’s perfect. I think for everyday printing jobs and basic office tasks, this is an ideal workhorse for those types of jobs. If you are looking for a good budget-conscience printer, this is a good machine for that type of purpose. 

For more information, visit brother-usa.com.

Supertank printer lives up to its name.

When I think back to the first printer I ever used, I don’t recall what it was exactly, but I believe it was probably a dot matrix printer with that infamous endless connected paper. It always seemed like printing a single page took forever. Ever since, I’ve been searching for that ‘perfect’ machine that would not only provide a quick print, but also a quality print. I’ve usually only seen that with the huge, professional-grade printers — not the small business all-in-one machines like the ET-8700 from Epson. 

Details

The WorkForce Pro ET-8700 EcoTank All-in-One Printer is a wireless, cartridge-free machine that will change how you feel about print jobs. It’s ‘feature-rich’ and includes up to 2 years of ink in the box with the machine. You can maximize productivity with the ultra-efficient ink and print up to 16,000 pages black/11,000 color on one full tank of ink. As for speed, the ET-8700 will print at a speed of 24 ISO ppm in black or color. There are multiple paper trays (front holds 250 sheets/back holds 80 sheets) which help provide an added benefit of not needing to load the printer as often. It will print two-sided pages automatically. The printer has a large 4.3” color touchscreen and easy to use menus.

This machine is an all-in-one and includes four different devices — printer, copier, scanner, and fax machine. The printer is powered by PrecisionCore printing technology and it has full wireless capabilities. It’s very easy to print from iPad, iPhone, and Android tablets and smartphones. The ET-8700 includes Wi-Fi Direct and NFC capabilities for added connectivity benefits.

The printer ships with a manual, CD-ROM for product set-up, power cord, and DURABrite Ultra pigment ink packs (Two R02X ink packs: Black, Three sets of R02L series ink packs: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow). The ET-8700 all-in-one printer is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems as well as the mobile platforms.

SPECS

• Printing Technology: 4-color (CMYK), drop-on-demand inkjet technology/PrecisionCore 4S printhead
• Minimum Ink Droplet Size: 3 ink droplet sizes, as small as 3.8 picoliters
• Maximum Print Resolution: 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi
• ISO Print Speed: Black – 24.0 ISO ppm, Color – 24.0 ISO ppm
• 2-Sided ISO Print Speed: Black – 15 ISO ppm, Color – 15 ISO ppm
• Ink Type: DURABrite Ultra pigment ink
• Ink Palette: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
• Ink Configuration: 4 individual ink packs
• Replacement Ink: R02L – Standard-capacity ink packs: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black13; R02X – High-capacity ink pack: Black only13
• Ink Yield Information: R02L – Standard-capacity ink packs: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black: 5,000 pages13; R02X – High-capacity ink pack: Black only: 10,000 pages13

User Experience

The printer arrived in a very large Epson branded box. It had a lot of information on the outside of the box and even though the printer itself is larger than a standard consumer-grade machine, it’s not as big as the box makes it seem. It does weigh around 40 pounds so it’s recommended that you lift it with a partner. There is a lot of packaging around the machine to keep it safe during transport. Once you remove all of it and the printer from the box, you will see that there is quite a bit of blue tape stuck to the outside of the machine. It’s in place to keep all the different compartments closed while it’s packaged. That tape peels off easily and doesn’t leave a sticky residue.

Once you get all the tape removed, you will need to install the ink pouches. This was an interesting process for me because I’ve only ever installed cartridges or inkwells in the case of large industrial printers. So, I was surprised to find what looked like juice pouches inside the boxes of ink. When you install them in the ET-8700, you simply lay them inside the specified ink trays. Once the ink is installed, you can power it up and start the wireless connection process.

The interface with the ET-8700 is very easy to walk through. The gorgeous 4.3” display is very readable and responsive. I’ve used printers before with a touchscreen, but they haven’t been very easy to use. I’ve ended up having to use a stylus to control those. The screen on the ET-8700 is touch-sensitive and I’ve not had any issues with it responding to my finger presses. When the printer is finished initializing, you can go into the settings and connect it to your WiFi network. Again, I’ve used wireless printers before that had to continuously be reconnected manually. This Epson printer was simple to connect and I’ve not had a problem with it staying connected.

I printed from my MacBook Pro and iOS mobile devices. Epson provides packaged software for download on their website, but it’s not necessarily needed for Mac users. I downloaded the package, but my fiancé didn’t and he was still able to connect. Connecting to the iPhone and iPad were easy as well since the printer connects to the WiFi network. If you want to print from your phone, you simply select “print” from the options menu on printable items on your phone and then select the “EPSON ET-8700 Series” from the printer menu. We printed from different points in our house and never had an issue with the printer capturing the item we were printing.

Print quality from the ET-8700 has been absolutely amazing. Text prints out crisp and images are bright and full of color. Aside from the classic dot matrix printer I mentioned before, I’ve worked with industrial, commercial-size laser printers, inkjet printers, consumer-grade laser printers, and of course, I’ve seen the quality that a professional print shop can produce. The ET-8700 is just as good as, if not better than the printer that we use at my current job. I would not be embarrassed by to show a client something that was printed from this Epson printer.

We’ve not come close to using the ink provided with the printer and while Epson mentions a 16,000/11,000 page life cycle for the included ink, I think it will last us much longer than the estimated 2 years. As far as speed goes, I thought the ET-8700 printed exceptionally fast. To test its speed, I created a document filled with Lorem Ipsum text. The document was 24 pages long with text from the top of the page to the bottom. There was a 1-inch margin all the way around each page. I made the document 24 pages long since the specs of this printer call out 24ppm for its speed. So, I timed the printing using the stopwatch on my iPhone and tapped start at the same time that I clicked print on my computer. From start (sending the document to the printer) to finish (the printer pushing out the last page and spooling down), printing 24 pages of black text took 1 minute and 8 seconds.

I had a good opportunity to test out the scanning/copying function of the ET-8700, too. Shortly after getting the printer set-up, a friend needed to have a copy made of a 30-page (front/back) booklet with information about his house. This booklet was comb bound and the comb had to be carefully removed before scanning the booklet for copying. After the booklet was separated from the comb, we sent it through the copier portion of the printer to be scanned and then printed out. I set up the 2-page booklet to print out as a 2-page booklet and hit start. The entire process took less than 10 minutes from start to finish and even our friend was surprised at how well it worked and how good the copy looked.

Conclusion

As a marketing professional, I can say without a doubt that this is the easiest, most efficient printer I’ve ever worked with. Not only does it not take up a lot of desk space, but it also prints incredibly well no matter what type of task it’s given. I’ve been in awe of this devices since it arrived and I’ve never been able to say that about a printer. The WorkForce Pro ET-8700 EcoTank All-in-One Printer is an investment at nearly $1,000, but it’s one that is worth it. The set-up is easy and the quality of the prints are beyond compare. I really can’t recommend the Epson ET-8700 enough.

For more information, visit epson.com.
Find Epson on Facebook and Twitter.

A perfect option for printing out individual photos from mobile devices. 

As our world becomes more and more digital, I find myself really enjoying paper products even more. They are becoming rarer with each year — each month that passes. One of the most precious pieces of paper is a photograph and it’s probably also one of the rarest these days. We typically just open up a photo on our phone and pass it around to family and friends but it’s really hard to compare to a printed photo to hang on your wall or place in a frame. Fortunately, some camera companies like Canon have started creating personal photo printers that allow you to print directly from your mobile phone. 

DETAILS

The Canon Ivy Mobile Phone Printer is a miniature photo printer that prints out 2”x3” photos from your smartphone or favorite social media platform. Photos can be customized by adding frames, emojis, stickers, filters, text, collages, and more. The printer is smaller than an iPhone and can fit into most pockets. It only weighs 5.6 ounces so it can go with you wherever you go. The printer doesn’t actually use ink — it prints onto ZINKTM Zero Ink paper, which features colorful dye-based crystals that are actually embedded inside the paper. The paper is smudge-free and has peel & stick backing. The ZINKTM paper is water/tear-resistant, too. The printer will also print in ‘tile print’ mode, which will allow you to print in up to 9 tiled sections so you can have a larger image to display. The Canon Ivy Printer is available in three different colors — mint green, slate gray, and rose gold. 

USER EXPERIENCE

The Canon Ivy Printer comes packaged in a simple but nicely branded box. It’s very easy to unbox and it comes with a short (about 6 inches) Micro USB cable, a visual quick start card, and some paperwork about safety and warranty regulations. The complete manual is available within the mobile app and that is, in fact, the first step in the set-up process — downloading the app. It’s a free app and is available for both iOS and Android devices. 

Once the printer is charged, you can connect to it via Bluetooth. At this point, the user experience is highly involved with the mobile app. You can either take photos and print them immediately or select photos that are already stored on your phone. When you select a photo, the app will adjust it so that it fits the photo size of the printer. This is a simple photo editing program built into the app and with it you can easily add text and/or stickers to the photo before you print it. This feature is a little like editing photos in Snapchat before you send it to friend.s. It’s a nice feature to have but not something you have to use if you don’t like it. In addition to the markup options, you can also brighten your photos, change their tint, and adjust their contrast. Because the editing details are all described by icons, it’s a little difficult to determine which control is which. 

As a test, I pulled a photo from my Camera Roll on my iPhone of a pair of bookends. The photo shows a colorful, detailed desk accessory and I wanted to have it printed out to see if the detail of the photo remained. I’ve actually had the opportunity to use a different pocket printer by a different company and the colors weren’t very vibrant and details weren’t very prominent once the image was printed. The same is not true of the Canon Ivy printer. The photo was bright, colorful and you could see all the fine details the same way you would if you were looking at it on the phone screen. 

The printer does make quite a bit of mechanical/roller noise as it prints. I was surprised about this considering how small the device is. It wasn’t loud per se but it wasn’t quiet either. The first time you print a photo from the printer, the blue information sheet will feed out of the printer first. This will happen every time you print using a new package of ZINKTM photo sheets. Once the blue sheet fed through the printer, it took about one minute for the photo to print out. 

CONCLUSION

The Ivy photo printer from Canon is the perfect option for someone who takes frequent photos with their phone but would like to have a printed keepsake. The Ivy printer is small and very easy to take with you from place to place. I would recommend this to all types of users and think that people who like adding embellishments to photos would really get a kick out of the photo editing options. 

For more information, visit canon.com.
Find Canon on Facebook and Twitter.

Design and print labels directly from your smartphone.

I like to stay organized but these days, with how hectic my schedule has become, that can be a difficult task. I try to be diligent about keeping things in their proper places but when those places keep changing, it is nearly impossible. Simple labels can be a necessary tool to give you the opportunity to keep your things organized and in their proper place. I like the concept of creating labels for everything but hate the older embossed-style label makers. I would rather work with something digital, but many digital labelers require software or you have a basic handheld digital label maker. Until recently, there just wasn’t a good middle ground option. Fortunately, Brother designed the P-Touch Cube label maker, which works directly with your smartphone, for people just like me.

Details

The P-Touch Cube is a convenient printer for personalized labels that are created directly on your smartphone or tablet. Users have the option to choose from a wide variety of pre-designed templates or they can design custom labels using the 450 symbols, 60+ frames, and numerous fonts. The P-Touch Design & Print app works with both iOS and Android operating systems and it is compatible with voice-to-text functions as well as spell check. The label maker connects using Bluetooth and the P-Touch app. The device works with TZe tape in widths up to 12mm. While the label maker only prints in black ink, you can use different color tape to make your labels stand out. The TZe tape is laminated so it’s fine for use indoors or outdoors. The tape is water resistant, fade resistant, temperature resistant, abrasion resistant, and chemical resistant.

User Experience

The P-Touch Cube arrives in a colorful Brother-branded box. There are several images on the exterior of the box that show the product, the app, and different ways to use the device. The box outlines several different uses for the labels produced by the Cube including Kitchen, Storage, Garage & Garden, Home Office, Occasions, and Personal ID. The package includes the label maker, 1 black on white standard laminated TZe starter tape, a user’s guide, and the AC power adapter.

Getting started with the P-Touch Cube is incredibly simple. You plug the printer into a power source and press the ‘on/off’ button. There is an LED light on the top that indicates the device’s connection status. The first time you power it on, it should be blinking green as it searches for a Bluetooth device to connect to. On your phone or tablet, you need to download the Design & Print app and visit Settings. From here, you select tap on the name of your printer and the two devices will connect. I did notice that it can take up to 15 seconds or so to connect to the printer. But, once you are connected, the printer stays connected to your phone — even when you power it down and then back up again. The only issue I ended up having with connectivity was when I unplugged the printer completely for long periods of time and even then, I just had to reconnect it using the same method. All in all, the label maker is very easy to communicate with.

The app is easy to navigate, too. When you open the app, you will get the option to start with one of their templates. The nice thing about this is that they are pre-sized for certain things. For example, under the Home Office category, there is a Flash Drive label that is designed to fit on most standard flash drives. When you use this option, you can only enter so many characters, which will guarantee that the label will fit the side of the Flash Drive. When you print it out, the label actually has a cut line on it, too. I also tried making my own labels. I did this when we were re-wiring our home entertainment center. I printed out labels for the various cables that were connected to our TV and A/V Receiver. The P-Touch Cube ended up being ideal for this because I could customize them to say things like “X-Box” or “Apple TV”. And because the labels are self-adhesive, I didn’t have to worry about getting a covering for them or finding a way to stick them to the various cables.

Conclusions

The P-Touch Cube is the ideal label maker for smartphone users. Brother makes it so easy for users to be able to connect, create, and print labels on the spot that I can’t imagine any other way to do the job. This device takes what can be a complicated job and turns it into something very simple.

For more information, visit brother-usa.com.
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Years ago, when I was in high school, the big thing to do was have miniature photo albums to carry all your precious memories in. My friends and I would get prints of our photos and share them. Now, all photos are all digital. But what happens if you want a print out of really good photos that you take with your phone? Typically, you have to send the digital file to a photo lab like at Walgreens or Wal-Mart. It’s not a particularly difficult process, but sometimes you just want to print out photos at home. I’ve used standard printers before, but just haven’t been happy with the quality. One of the simplest solutions is to invest in a personal photo printer like this one from HP.

The HP Sprocket Plus Printer is a compact printer for mobile photos. It’s designed to work directly with your smartphone and is just about the same size, too. The printer comes packaged with 10 sheets of HP Sprocket Plus Zink photo paper and a short (about 12 inches) Micro USB cable for charging/powering the printer. With the printer you can print 2.3 x 3.4 inch photos directly from your phone in just a few seconds. The main features of the Sprocket Plus include:

• 313 x 400 dpi resolution
• No ink cartridges needed
• Connects using Bluetooth 4.0
• Compatible with Micro SD cards up to 256GB
• Supports borderless printing

Setup is easy. You download the Sprocket app for your mobile platform (iOS or Android) and connect to the printer using Bluetooth. When you start up the printer, you will get a notification on your phone (if you already have the app installed) that says that the app wants to connect to the printer. If you allow it, you will be able to see your Camera Roll and other albums in your Photo library. I have an iPhone 7 and didn’t have any issues connecting to it. You can also connect to Instagram, Facebook, and Google to print photos stored in Social Media accounts without having to download them first.

The only thing I noticed that was a little slow was the app’s connection to my phone’s photo library. I would save a photo from a shared library and reload the app photo list and it would take a few seconds for the new photos to appear. Once you select a photo, you can edit it in the Sprocket app. You can do the ‘magic’ fix tool, which automatically adjusts brightness and color. You can also manually adjust brightness, contrast, and exposure. The Sprocket app has some built-in filters, too, and you have the ability to add text and drawings to photos. Once you make your edits, you simply send it to the printer.

I tested this out with a few different photos. I found that the colors were not exactly what I had hoped for. The reds aren’t quite as vibrant as they show on the phone and even black and white photos have a purplish tint to them. Overall though, I’m happy with the prints. It’s a nice way to display memories without having to visit a photo lab. The Sprocket Plus Printer is easy to connect to and communicates well with the mobile app.

The HP Sprocket Plus is a really nice option for mobile printing. Will I still use photo labs? Yes. But it’s nice to have this as an option for quick photos prints on the go.
BUY FROM AMAZON

For more information, visit hp.com.
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Once upon a time, we lived in a paper world. Everything and I mean, everything had paper copies. While there are still a lot of business out there that operate using paper — like doctor’s offices or lawyers — much of our world is now done electronically. Not only does this help the environment, but it also helps us all with saving space and reducing clutter. Several years ago, I was working for a video production business and that is where I first became acquainted with scanners. At the time, the scanner was a huge flatbed scanner that took up an entire desktop. It was massive and an office had to be planned around that piece of equipment. Fortunately, scanner technology has evolved along with the rest of the world and so it’s pieces and parts have gotten smaller. That said, I just recently discovered an amazing device in the Epson DS-320 Portable Duplex Document Scanner. It’s small — it’s portable — and it captures paperwork and other materials beautifully.

The Epson DS-320 scanner is touted as having the fastest scan speed in its class. It’s specs state that it can handle scanning jobs up to 25ppm and will tolerate paper thickness between 51.8 – 230 g/m2. It has a 20-page automatic document feeder and is a full-featured duplex scanner. The hardware is somewhat flexible in that it can be powered by either USB or with its AC power adapter. This is great because it can cut down on extra cables when you travel. The DS-320 scans color documents with ease (48-bit input/24-bit output) and features a maximum scanning resolution of up to 1200 dpi (to achieve faster scans, use 300 dpi). The scanner has support for both Mac and Windows operating systems and comes with some of its own software. For its size, the Epson DS-320 really packs a powerful punch.

While many people just use their phones to scan pictures and documents these days, I still have a very valid reason to use a real scanner. When I go to conferences, I end up with dozens of business cards. Having to take a single photo of a business card and then manually input that information into a database is a painful process. The DS-320 scanner is ideal for business people who need to be able to scan documents, receipts, or business cards on the go. While it isn’t the smallest scanner in the market — it still weighs 2.4 pounds — the quality of the scans are perfection. To me, it’s the ideal option for scanning on the go.

Set-up of the scanner is very, very easy. You simply plug it in and download the necessary drivers/software from Epson. As I mentioned above, there is some software that comes with the driver package. This software package includes:

• Epson Scan
• Document Capture Software
• ABBYY FineReader OCR
• NewSoft Presto! BizCard
• EMC ISIS (software requires Internet connection for download and installation)
• Driver Support: TWAIN, ISIS

Since one of my primary uses of this scanner is for business card scanning, I was very interested in the BizCard software. So, I started it up and grabbed a stack of business cards. I was amazed at how well the DP-320 and the software worked in tandem. I scanned a single card as a test and found that not only did the scanner get the material captured within just a few seconds, but the software was about 90% accurate about the information it collated into sorting fields. To me, this was very impressive. So, I put about 5 cards on the scanner and pushed ‘scan’ in BizCard. Again, I was impressed because I only had to press ‘scan’ once and the scanner pulled through all of the cards for input into the software. The only issue I ran into was with thicker business cards. If you have standard business cards, the DS-320 won’t have any issues with it, but the ‘specialty’ cards that are thicker than the standard will likely jam.

This is a remarkable scanner that provides a valuable service especially for the traveling business person. The Epson DS-320 Portable Duplex Document Scanner with ADF is portable, but also powerful. I think it’s well-worth the investment.

For more information, visit epson.com/DS-320.
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