WHY I BOUGHT IT
I have been using a digital camera for a long time now because I'm tired of having photos developed and only half of them being ones I like. Since then, I have always used Shutterfly.com to print out photos (which by the way, is an excellent service that I would also recommend).

Last winter, my boyfriend asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I had no idea. So even though I didn't REALLY want one, I thought it would be fun to have a digital camera printer. Because my apartment is small, I wanted to make sure it was a small printer specifically for digital photos, and not just a regular larger printer.

We did quite a bit of research and found that the PhotoSmart 230 was just what I was looking for. So, we bought it and I have no complaints. In fact, I'm so pleased with it that I am recommending it to all my friends.

SETTING UP & USING
The printer comes with very good instructions on setting it up. The directions are clear with visuals for additional verification that you are doing things correctly. I was able to set this up in a minute.

I did not look in the instruction manual to figure out how to use this. I'm not particularly good with figuring out electronics yet I was able to work this. The user interface was very intuitive. There are not a huge number of buttons, so it's easy (and fun!) to explore.

FEATURES
This printer is very small, lightweight and definitely portable. The only flaw is that it requires an outlet for power. Don't you think anything that is described as "portable" should allow to be run by battery?

This allows pictures to be printed out in 4 x 6 dimension and also a smaller size. The smaller size is quite nice - it allows for a border around your picture. It even allows a few border options. Visually and artistically, I like the plain white border.

There are 4 color modes to print out in : color, black and white, antique, and sepia. I can't tell a huge difference between antique and sepia, but it is a nice effect. Just like how black and white displays the picture in grayscale, the antique/sepia displays the picture in brownscale.

My favorite feature is that it allows you to zoom in on the picture. You can zoom in on a detail of the picture and even shift the picture around so you can customize which part of the photo you would like to focus on.

I WISH...
There are a few things I wish for in this printer:

(1) I wish it allowed to be battery operated. Not hugely necessary, but it would be nice.

(2) I wish it was not as expensive as $230!

(3) I wish it would print faster. It takes a while to print each photo which is a bit annoying. On the flipside, you can set it up to print a number of photos (each in different settings) and let it print out while you do something else.

RECOMMENDATIONS
After you print a page, do not get to anxious and touch it alot. Although the ink dries fast, you can still get fingerprints on it right when it ejects from the printer. Wait a while before tearing off the perforation. I've made the mistake of folding the perforation before the ink completely dried. It's not a huge deal, but you'll notice a little "smudge".

Also, I highly recommend getting the Premium paper. It is more expensive, but the printout looks wonderful on it. You won't be able to tell it is a digital picture printed out from your own home!


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 230
Operating System: Windows