| Product: |
Epson Picturemate 500 |
| Date: |
09/06/07 (162 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great photos, easy to use
Disadvantages: Replacement cartridges are expensive
I have had this printer for over a year now, and I love it. I am a keen photographer and I love using this to print my pictures.
The printer weighs 2.8kg (6.2lb) without the battery and ink cartridge. It is quite small and fits nice on my desk in my bedroom. In storage position the instructions tell me that it is 256mm (10ins) wide, 154mm (6.1ins) in depth and 167mm (6.7ins) in height. It has a handle, which makes it really easy to carry.
When my parents bought this printer it came with a free bluetooth connection. My mobile phone has bluetooth so I sent some photos to my printer. This was very easy to do, but the quality of the photos was not very good because of the low resolution on the camera on my mobile phone. I probably won't use this feature very much. The photos were still of a reasonable quality though, so if I'm out and about without my camera, I could take a picture on my phone and print it when I get home.
I find it is really easy to use. There is a colour LCD screen that can be lifted up when in use. Both paper trays (where paper is inserted and where photo comes out) also fold down which makes it much easier for storage. The LCD screen allows you to view the photos before selecting the ones that you want to print. Photos can be printed in a variety of forms. The printer only prints on 6 x 4 size paper. (The paper tray holds 20 sheets at a time.) Photos can be printed with or without a border. Two can be printed per sheet, again with or without a border. You can print 4 on a page (photo ID) which are passport-sized photos. I use these photo ID's to print little pictures to put on my student diary! An index of all the photos on your card can also be printed.
My favourite features on the printer are the borders. There are lots of different Disney designs, including Winnie-the-Pooh, Cinderella, Mickey Mouse and Disney Princesses. This can make a beautiful difference to the photos that you print.
The photos can be cropped and the brightness adjusted before printing. This is quite simple to do but the 90-page instruction book gives lots of details on how to use the printer and the various settings. The instructions also give details on any problems that might occur and how you could rectify them, including details on changing the ink cartridge (there is only one cartridge with 6 different inks in.) My dad inserted the first ink cartridge and he said it was pretty straightforward. I have since used several ink cartridges and it is easy to insert. I think I print approximately 80 or 90 photos on my printer before the ink is flashing low now. Replacement ink cartridges cost around £28 (Argos) depending on where you shop. One ink cartridge comes with 100 sheets of photo paper. The ink cartridge states that it can print 100 photos, so the ink and paper should run out at the same time. However, I print a lot of ID photos, which more ink to proportion of the paper so I do sometimes run out of paper.
You can view a slide show on the screen of all the photos on your card. The memory card can be inserted straight into the printer or you can connect the camera to the printer using a lead. The printer is compatible with quite a few different memory cards. Uses CompactFlash (I & II), xD-Picture Card, SmartMedia, SD Memory Card, MultiMedia Card, Magic Gate Memory Stick, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, IBM Microdrive, an adaptor is required for Mini SD Card, Memory Stick, Duo Memory Stick and MagicGate Memory Stick Duo memory cards.
You do not need to have a computer to use this printer but it can be connected to a computer using a USB cable. The printer also has an optional battery, which makes it easy for transporting. I am very pleased with the printer. The quality of the photos is fantastic and the printer is easy to use. It also prints fairly quickly.
The paper I've been using is Epson photo paper, but any 6 x 4 photo paper will work well. I have bought some cheap 6 x 4 photo paper but the ink just smudges, so it worth paying a bit more for the paper.
I got my printer for Christmas 2005 and I believe it was around £130. It is currently available from Amazon for around £55.
Summary: A great small printer for printing 6 x 4 (or smaller) photos.
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