When it comes to compact photo printers, we don’t usually hope for a whole lot in the way of extras. That’s because the most we’d expect to pay for a 4x6 photo printer is about 100 bucks, and the initially low cost of printing at home piles up over time as ink and paper are restocked.
Not so with the Epson PictureMate Show, which makes you pay coming and going. Once we recovered from the sticker shock of its $300 retail price, we soon warmed to its unique set of features. First off, its 7-inch LCD is enormous compared with the 2.5- to 3.5-inch screens that are typical of 4x6 photo printers. That means you can fire up a slideshow from photos stored on your camera’s memory card (CompactFlash, Secure Digital, SDHC, MMC, Memory Stick, Microdrive, or xD-Picture Card) or a USB drive, and actually enjoy the experience. In other words, this printer transforms into a digital photo frame, complete with cool transitions and animated themes. It even comes with a remote so you can control slideshows and start print jobs from afar. How many other printers can say that?
At $300, the PictureMate Show costs more than your average 4x6 photo printer, but since it doubles as a digital picture frame, you essentially get two gadgets in one.
And when it’s time to print, the PictureMate Show cranks out truly gorgeous snapshots--colors are bright and true, blacks are deep and solid. Unlike many color photo printers, it also handles black-and-white shots with aplomb. Better yet, the print time for a 4x6 shot is fast for the high output quality: We averaged 37.5 seconds in our tests. We also appreciated the PictureMate Show’s small touches, such as setting print preferences to borderless or automatically adding a 1/8-inch white border for a photo-lab finish.
Now for the catch. The printer comes with an initial ink cartridge and 20 sheets of glossy 4x6 paper, but you and your Visa are on your own after that. Epson sells 150-print packs of 4x6 glossy paper and an accompanying ink cartridge for about $38. Factoring in the printer’s price and the cost of your first 150-sheet print pack, you’ll pay a whopping $1.98 per print for your first 170 prints. After that, though, the per-print cost goes down to a much more palatable 25 cents. But isn’t a glorious smile from your Aunt Ida in Tacoma worth the two bucks?
In addition to 4x6 pics, you can also output wallet-size shots (two images per 4x6 sheet), which comes in handy for sharing that pic of your newborn with everyone you know. You can also control print size and other actions--like basic touch-ups--using the included remote. Removing red eye and cropping isn’t as intuitive a process as editing photos on your Mac using an app like Photoshop Elements, but it does the trick in a pinch.
It's a digital photo frame and printer all in one. Prints dazzling 4x6 snaps in about 38 seconds. Print directly from your memory card or an attached Mac. Supports tons of memory card formats.
Pricey for a compact photo printer. Ink only available in bundles with paper.
