Picture Maker ???????'s

[MayMom]

Does anyone have the Epson Picture Maker. From what I understand, it is a printer that prints out 4X6 pictures from any digital camera... I would be interested in this instead of having to wait at Target and WalMart for my prints....I also think it may be cheaper than paying to have sets of pictures printed at a store. Anyone have any advice or information???

 

[ohiominnie]

We have the Epson PictureMate (is this what you're talking about?) We have the Deluxe model. It has the flip up screen and you can edit (to a point) your pictures. I love it! I love the portability of it. In fact, when I was a cabin counsellor at our church camp this summer, I took it with me and printed out pictures for all the girls and they made their own scrapbook pages to take home with them. We also have a HP Photosmart 8450 which I like b/c I can network it into the computer and actually be able to download pictures from my card (like for ebay)


HTH.

 

[DMRick]

It's prob not cheaper, but it is convenient. The prints are .29 each.

 

[Miss Kelly]

Does anyone have the Epson Picture Maker. From what I understand, it is a printer that prints out 4X6 pictures from any digital camera... I would be interested in this instead of having to wait at Target and WalMart for my prints....I also think it may be cheaper than paying to have sets of pictures printed at a store. Anyone have any advice or information???

Thanks for asking this question. I was thinking about getting one of these for my Mom, but I was wondering how well it worked. Also, what is the lowest price on one of these? Thanks!

 

[disneyred]

In general, I have been told that printing your own pictures at home will cost more than having them printed outside...(take into account all costs : paper, ink, etc...)

 

[MayMom]

I Have done some research today and it seems there are 2 choices...the Epson PictureMate and the Kodak Picture Maker....they come out to 24 cents a piece, but I HATE having to have prints made at the store...it is always is PACKED with people, usually I forget the stupid camera, and I have so many things to do while I am at the store I forget to pick up the prints after ordering them.... it would be SO nice to have a machine at home that does it for you....
here is some info on the epson printer:http://techbargains.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=3264976/search=epson+picturemate
There are 30 reviews and most are very good....I wonder if I can buy this from WalMart or Target???

 

[DMRick]

I Have done some research today and it seems there are 2 choices...the Epson PictureMate and the Kodak Picture Maker....they come out to 24 cents a piece, ???

The Epson paper and ink come packaged and the usual price is $29.00. They guarantee 100 pictures, although most agree you can get a few extra.

Two weeks ago the Epson (older model, without the viewer) was $79 at Office Max for people who have the Max Perk, or whatever their card is called. The pictures are nice, but I'm also very happy with the pics from Walmart, Staples, or now Office Max. It's all about convenience.

 

[MayMom]

DMRick - you seem to know alot about these printers...do you own one personally?

I got the 24 cents per picture price from the Epson webpage....but it wouldn't come to 24 cents if the paper is $29.00 for 100 pages would it?

 

[DMRick]

I owned one for a short time, and resold it. I found one of my printers, the canon printer (ip1500) did as good a job. I actually liked the coloring better. I go the Epson cheap, and had no problem reselling it. Perhaps the paper, in the last couple of weeks has gone down in price. For me, buying it using a Staples coupon does lower the price. My niece loves hers, but money is not an issue with her, convenience is. She often gets more than 100 per package, but that is what they guarantee.Here is the photo pack at Staples (maybe they sell double packs at Epson that bring the price per down?):

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/s...Id=-1&productId=103981&cmArea=ATCH:SEARCH:SKU

DMRick - you seem to know alot about these printers...do you own one personally?

I got the 24 cents per picture price from the Epson webpage....but it wouldn't come to 24 cents if the paper is $29.00 for 100 pages would it?

 

[LeesyUD]

I have not tried it yet but am getting one for Christmas, but I 've heard the HP printer is very good and it seems cheaper to print on that printer. if you get a good deal on the value pack paper and ink, which comes with 200 sheets and 2 cartridges, you can do it for .24 a picture.

 

[czycropper]

I have the Epson Picture Maker without the screen and I really like it especially for emergency picture printing (like when my DD realized she had to bring photos of the family the morning they were due). I have gotten the ink/paper packs on sale or I get them at B&H Photo which sells them at a reasonable price. I wish I would have waited a couple of months & then I would have gotten the one with the screen - oh, well!

 

[safetymom]

The Picture Mate is a great printer. You now have a choice of matte or glossy paper. If you buy the larger pack of paper your cost is 24 cents a print. You typically get more than 100 prints out of the ink cartridge. If you get to the end of your ink and you still have paper left Epson will buy the paper back from you.

They are waterproof and smudge proof. They also last longer than traditionally printed photos.

Look around for deals. Many stores are having holiday specials.

I love my Picture Mate.

 

[safetymom]

You can also hook the Picture Mate up to your computer and print just like a normal printer. You can also transfer pictures from your computer to the memory card in the Picture Mate if you had one in.

The Picture Mate also has the longest archival life of any of the printers.
www.wilhelm-research.com contains lots of information about this.

 

[DMRick]

I liked the Epson one better than the HP one, and I'm traditionally an HP person. They also seem more smudge proof than the HP (I have photo's from both).

I have not tried it yet but am getting one for Christmas, but I 've heard the HP printer is very good and it seems cheaper to print on that printer. if you get a good deal on the value pack paper and ink, which comes with 200 sheets and 2 cartridges, you can do it for .24 a picture.

 

[waspnest]

You can also hook the Picture Mate up to your computer and print just like a normal printer. You can also transfer pictures from your computer to the memory card in the Picture Mate if you had one in.

The Picture Mate also has the longest archival life of any of the printers.
www.wilhelm-research.com contains lots of information about this.

Exactly what I was going to post. I know the other companies are catching up, but for a scrapbooker, I liked Epson's longevity, hands-down.

You can get the ink and paper cartridges cheaper on amazon, and free shipping if you get 2 (to get you over $25). You can buy extra paper, but it's not free shipping on amazon. I've been told that if you watch the office supply stores, they'll have the paper packs BOGO. From talking with other users, I think it's average to get about 130-140 prints from a cartridge.

With photo printers, if you want the archival quality, it's important to use the ink and paper that are meant to go with the printer - using off brands can give poor quality and make the prints fade much faster.

I have the picutemate (old one, without the LCD). I have it hooked to my computer so I do all my editing and selecting which photos to print there. When I have a huge batch to print, I still order those on-line, but for smaller batches, or when I need just one or two more (or another copy) to finish a scrapbook page, it's great!

 

[DMRick]

From talking with other users, I think it's average to get about 130-140 prints from a cartridge.

Wow, I've not had anyone tell me they had that many out of a cartridge. I assume you buy just the paper then, since you only get 100 in a pack. BOGO free of the ink and paper kit..that's also great and I've not seen that. May make me wish I'd kept it LOL.

 

[safetymom]

www.atlex.com has the paper and ink pack for $21.59 You can buy an extra pack of premium glossy 4x6 sheets for when you go past 100. I typically get about 140 prints from a cartridge.

 

[msbegin]

We have the Picture mate, I love it. It is a bit slow, but I'm not sure if any others of the same quaality are any faster, so I won't complain about that.

I used it when we went to visit relatives in Canada. I was able to print pics & give them to relatives up there on the spot. They were amazed!

 

[safetymom]

I don't know which version you have but the Picture Mate express and the deluxe version print faster than the original version.

 

[waspnest]

Wow, I've not had anyone tell me they had that many out of a cartridge. I assume you buy just the paper then, since you only get 100 in a pack. BOGO free of the ink and paper kit..that's also great and I've not seen that. May make me wish I'd kept it LOL.

It's the extra paper packs that you can find BOGO, not the ink and paper packs. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

I've known a couple people to get around 200 out of one cartridge. That's not normal at all, but it can happen.