You can now have physical copies of your digital memories, all thanks to the portable Kodak Photo Printer Mini. But does it produce good quality photos? Is it worth your cash? Read on to find out.
In an era where everything is fast becoming digital and paperless, there seems to be no room for physical copies of everything.
This might be more convenient for almost everybody (not to mention better for the environment too), this leaves those who’d want for something more tangible and permanent wanting for more.
And for people who take one too many pictures with their smartphones (and we can’t blame you; there are just too many great camera phones out in the market right now), sometimes no amount of memory storage is enough.
Thankfully, this is a happy problem. More importantly, there is a solution to this happy problem.
Presenting, the Kodak Photo Printer Mini (PM210).
THE BUILD AND DESIGN
The Kodak Photo Printer Mini is compact and portable, with a build that is only 3 x 6 inches in its dimensions – kind of like a large powerbank.
While the PM210 is definitely larger than most portable printers, it’s easy enough to slip this “mini” printer into your backpack and take it anywhere you need it.
The design is sleek and minimalistic, with rounded corners and smooth plastic finish.
The external features were also left to a minimum, with only a few key details laid out along the sides. Most notable of these key details are the output slot and the opening that reveals the ink-and-cartridge combination that prints your photos.
APPS AND CONNECTIVITY
The Kodak Photo Printer Mini is completely wireless, making it a portable device indeed. Apple users can connect the PM210 via the latter’s internal WiFi.
Android users, on the other hand, can connect their smartphones to the printer either via the PM210’s internal WiFi or via NFC (if your device supports it).
But what you really need in order to have the Kodak Photo Printer Mini work its magic is the printer’s accompanying app. The app is available for free both in the App Store and Google Play store.
From the app, you can easily access your phone’s gallery as well as your camera to either print pre-existing pictures or take a new one. You can also access your videos from the app, take a still from that video, and print it.
You can also connect the app to your social media accounts and allow it to print photos from those accounts. Currently, it supports Facebook, Instagram, and Google Photos. It also allows users to print from PhotoWonder, FotoRus, and Snapseed.
The app also allows for some photo editing right before you print it, though one can say that the app’s editing capabilities are quite limited.
Currently, the app lets you crop photos and add cutesy stickers. You can also adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation. There is also the option of adding preset templates, create photo collages, print out ID pictures, and even create business cards.
PRINTING PERFORMANCE
The printing process of the Kodak Photo Printer Mini is a bit slow compared to those of similar portable smartphone photo printers.
The PM210’s printing process is a four-pass process (yellow, magenta, cyan, and a protective covering in that order), giving us around 80 seconds of waiting time before a picture is ready. Compared to the Fujifilm Instax Share SP-3, which can print in 10 seconds, the PM210’s printing process takes ages to complete.
PHOTO QUALITY
The photo outputs, however, pretty much makes up for the slowness of the printing. The Kodak Photo Printer Mini is able to churn out clear images with sharp details and vibrant colors.
The glossy finish also gives your photos not only a good amount of protective covering (Kodak claims that this covering can make your photos last up to a decade, given proper storage) but also gives your photos a fancy, professional-looking quality.
The prints are quite small, just 2.1 x 3.4-inch or the size of a credit card (or a business card). Personally, the small prints look cute and just the perfect size for a photo album or a scrapbook.
AFFORDABILITY
The Kodak Photo Printer Mini is surprisingly affordable, on sale right now in Lazada for P5,990. Compared to most of its competition, the PM210 is definitely the least expensive of the bunch.
Upon purchase, the Kodak Photo Printer Mini unit comes with one free cartridge. Future cartridges might prove to be a little expensive, though, with a pack of 20 costing about P3,823.
THE VERDICT
While far from being perfect, the Kodak Photo Printer Mini balances affordability with quality performance.
The build may lean towards the bulkier side, but the design definitively is sleek and stylish. And while the app could use a little work and improvement, it is simple enough to use that even beginners will have no problem using it.
The printing process is slow, yet the quality of the prints blows the competition out of the water. And though the entire unit plus the cartridge costs a bit more, we daresay that this product is worth your time and money.
Get yours now in Lazada using your BillEase vouchers! Happy shopping!