Digipic nerd still can't work kiosk
Written: Feb 06 '01
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Pros: Copying actual hardcopy photos,
Cons: Confusing input options, poor in-store help, can't mix pictures on one sheet
The Bottom Line: Not worth it unless you have a valued print to duplicate or blow up; anyone who can make JPEGs can get easier prints from a photo finisher or online.
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| MaxWebster's Full Review: Kodak PictureMaker Kiosk Printer |
Since the Picture Maker kiosk is supposed to be "walk up and use", I figured it was an ideal way to print out my digital photos. I have a Coolpix 950 with 128MB compact flash, CD-ROM burner, and use online services like Shutterfly. How hard could this consumer device be?
Well, I've visited 4 places trying to get a print and haven't yet succeeded.
On the Kodak web site, if you search for "picturemaker" the first link takes you to a section where you can search for kiosks in your area.
* First stop, a Long's drugstore found via the web site. Sign on the kiosk saying "out of order".
* Next stop, a Safeway supermarket right next store, where the web site said there was another kiosk. Here there was a tall yellow Kodak booth, but with only a drop box for pictures, no kiosk.
OK, maybe Foster City isn't big enough to have a working kiosk. Let's try Berkeley.
* Third stop, a Walgreen's in Berkeley. Examining the console, I don't see anything that looks like a CompactFlash slot. The Kodak literature and the on-screen menu state that you can print pictures from a digital camera. But upon closer examination in the demo, it looks like the closest match is for a PCMCIA card. Who has a PCMCIA card in their digital camera? Not me anyway. The kiosk has a sign "the staff will be happy to answer your questions about this kiosk". After a 1/2 hour+ wait to talk to the clerk behind the photo desk, he disavows any knowledge of the kiosk.
* Fourth stop, back to the original Long's. Now the kiosk is back in operation. Again no compact flash slot. This one has slots for a CD and a diskette, in addition to the photocopier-like scanning bed. The one in Berkeley didn't appear to have a diskette slot. This one doesn't appear to have the PCMCIA slot. Are they all different? Again the photo counter is staffed by disinterested teenagers.
I consider bringing in a CD or diskette, but I don't know if there is some special format requirement. Also I don't know how the "pick photos" option will work, because I'd like a 4x6 of one photo, 3x5 of another, a few wallet size prints, etc. I'm not sure how many I can pick out for one sheet.
On the Kodak site, I dig a little deeper into the demo. It actually lets you walk through all the operations and see the screens, which is very helpful. Here I learn that "digital camera" to them means "PCMCIA card". Also "CD" means "Photo CD" or "Picture CD". Despite my CD burner, I don't know if I can make CDs in this exact format. It seems like a waste to burn a CD just for use in the kiosk, especially because the demo shows that all the layout options for a sheet -- multiple 3x5s, wallet size, etc. -- only apply to a single photo. So basically you just need one photo that you really really like and want to have several copies of (or a single blowup).
So, rather than an alternative to ordering half a dozen pictures from Shutterfly, it seems that the Picturemaker is only intended for duping one picture at a time. The only formats that seem viable (unless you've invested in Kodak products and services already) are (a) a great big JPG on a diskette, or (b) a print that you already have and can scan. Despite going to a great deal of trouble recently to order prints from Shutterfly (downloading their plugin and uploading about 50 JPEGs), going the kiosk route seems to me like significantly more bother if you already have the picture in JPEG format.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 6.99
Operating System: Other
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Epinions.com ID:
MaxWebster
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Member: John Russell
Location: Berkeley, CA
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 1 member
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