Ho Hum Average - But a Few Neat Features
Written: May 29 '02
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Pros: Lightweight, easy to use, low ink indicator, uses media cards
Cons: takes a long time to print high resolution photos, grainy photos
The Bottom Line: Overall it is an average, easy to use printer for the price. The photos are acceptable to me in being able to place them in my photo albums.
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| richsmomnj's Full Review: Kodak Personal Picture Maker PM100 InkJet Printer |
Along came my 3rd child – I realized that I hardly had ANY printed pictures of my 2nd child, only 3 CD’s full of photos taken with my digital camera. TIME FOR A PHOTO PRINTER!
I’m a graphic artist and a stickler for perfection of high quality printing. I went to several computer stores and put many color photo printers to the test. I have said in my many reviews – HANDS ON is the best idea and way to truly find what you are going to be most happiest with. From the sample printouts at the stores, I knew I wanted to stick with Kodak quality.
I liked the Kodak Personal Picture Maker by Lexmark for several reasons:
1. The price was right.
2. The quality printout was very good for the price and the ink cartridges were somewhat cheaper than other photo printers and easily refillable (I have refilled them twice and would probably say it’s about time to purchase a brand new one). New cartridge about $25 for black and $32 for color. Refills about $15.00.
3. Several ways to print:
You can use this printer without a computer.
(a) It has a port in which you can hook up your external Omega zip drive and you can print stored photos directly from your zip disks.
(b) If your digital camera has a Smart Media or Compact Flash card, you can take those cards, put it into the printer, and go right to print, eliminating the need to first download pictures from your digital camera to your computer. You just stick the card into a slot on the top of the printer. Press the index button on the top of the printer. This will print out a page of thumbnailed (small) pictures from your camera which are numbered. To print the pictures you want, just select the number(s) you want. All the controls for selecting copies, paper size, cropping and the like are on the top of the printer and easy to understand.
4. You can print from your computer using the software they include or if you have PhotoShop or any other graphic utility program, you can also print from there.
5. It is capable of 1200 x 1200 dpi (at the finest end). Be aware – it takes a LONG time to print out photos in this mode (about 5 minutes for a 4x6 photo).
Personal experience: My dad had to take pictures for his insurance company of cement which was splashed on his car. I took some pictures with my digital camera and printed them out on the photo printer. The print was clear and crisp of the tiny splash marks the cement had made. I was impressed. So far I haven't encountered any paper jams. Text quality is average. Image resolution is average. Colors ARE vibrant.
In all honestly, unless you are going to spend $300 or more on a photo printer, the quality for the most part is all going to be the same. Keep in mind that using high quality photo paper WILL make a difference when printing from ANY photo printer at a high resolution. Again, hands-on is the best way to go. GO to the store and print out samples. Find one YOU will be happy with. Then come home and do your homework – find the best price for the printer you like the most. The quality of this photo printer is equivalent to others on the market for or about the same price or less. This price range ($50 - $250) does still give you that “grainy” affect to the photos. We purchased this printer online from smartbargains.com at a price of $49.99. (I’m a bargain hunter – it was on special and usually is priced at about $110).
Overall it is a nice, easy to use little printer for the price and the photos I have printed out are acceptable to me in being able to place them in my photo albums. One of the best features is the ink cartridge indicator that appears on your computer during printing. It lets you know exactly how much ink is left in both the black and the color cartridge – no more GUESSING games of when your ink is gonna run out on you!
In case you wanted to find out more about this printer – here is the info contained on the box and in the packaging:
It requires: 8MB RAM, 20 MB hard disk space, CD-ROM drive, Windows 95 or 98.
Capabilities: 1200 x 1200 dpi, stand alone printer, also works with PC, reads CompactFlash cards and SmartMedia cards directly, standard parallel printer interface, Accu-Feed paper handling system accepts paper weights from 16 to 150 lbs., integrated paper exit tray, accepts photo and plain papers, envelopes, labels, greeting cards, iron on transfers, prints on paper sizes from 4" x 6" to 8½" x 11",
It comes with: User's Guide, Photo paper sample – 5 sheets, Lexmark Z11 series ColorFine printer driver software, Lexmark High resolution color cartridge, Adapter attachment for Iomega zip drive, One-year exchange warranty.
Size: 16.2" x 8.4" x 7.2"
Weight: 6.6 lbs
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 49.99
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
richsmomnj
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Location: Waretown, NJ
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 6 members
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