Hasta La Gadget!

When Pandigital announced the first ZINK-enabled printer capable of making 4-by-6 “zero-ink” photo prints, it was a foregone conclusion that ZINK would introduce new paper sized to match. The first generation of ZINK-enabled devices–which include the Dell Wasabi PZ310 Mobile Photo Printer, Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer, and the Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera–were limited to 2-by-3-inch prints on ZINK paper, which uses embedded dye crystals that turn color when heated in lieu of liquid ink or toner.

ZINK has since introduced photo paper in both 3-by-4 and 4-by-6 sizes. ZINK Imaging considers 3-by-4 the ideal size for mobile printing from pocket-sized handheld devices, with 4-by-6 targeted for home printers. That said, the Pandigital Portable Photo Printer can output 4-by-6 photos without the need of a computer, so consumers can bring the printer with them. ZINK says that additional paper sizes will be forthcoming.

Epson‘s just kicked out another in the PictureMate series, and if you’re into home printing of family memories, you’ll probably want to take heed. The PictureMate Show is a compact printer of super high quality (5,760 x 1,440) 4 x 6-inch photos in about 37 seconds. It also doubles as a photo frame, with the 7-inch, WVGA tilt display on the front of the unit. Anyone who’s spent any considerable time with a printer at home trying to print photos knows that the main concerns are always speed and quality of the final product, so it’s nice to see that Epson’s got its priorities straight here. You can grab up the PictureMate Show now for $299 — and the full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Epson unleashes PictureMate Show photo frame that’s also a printer

Epson unleashes PictureMate Show photo frame that’s also a printer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Need a digital photo frame? Need a printer? Need them to happen within the same enclosure? If you’re one of the oddballs who curiously answered yes — and you don’t actually need it until after the holiday shopping season — Sony’s got you covered. The DPP-F700 digital picture frame with one-touch printing that we saw pop up internationally just last month has finally been blessed with a US ship date and price, and if you’ve paid any attention whatsoever to the headline, you’re probably well aware of what those two data points are. The frame itself will boast a 7-inch display (800 x 480 resolution), 1GB of memory, a multicard reader and will print out “professional quality” 4- x 6-inch photos at 300 x 300 dpi. There’s also a nifty “screen capture” mode that prints out exactly what’s displayed during a slide show, though there’s literally no telling how pricey those refills will be.

[Via Slashgear]

Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

Sony’s S-Frame DPP-F700 digiframe / printer hybrid hitting America in January for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Selphy ES40 –Canon’s small-format “talking” printer–isn’t a great conversationalist; if anything, it’s rather shy and reticent. (In its favor, it doesn’t mindlessly babble.) It’s actually multilingual–French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Mandarin, as well as English. Its female voice sounds reasonably human–it’s no robotoid voice-box.

Other than its verbal ability, the ES40 is a fairly standard portable, dedicated small-format photo printer. It uses thermal dye technology to output its 4- by 6-inch prints. It’s about average in speed, and except for a problem printing diagonal lines like spokes on a bicycle (they come out jagged), prints very nice-looking photos. Its main shortcoming is its relatively high running cost compared with some other small-format printers such as the Editors’ Choice Epson PictureMate Dash.

As I mentioned, the Canon Selphy ES40 is no Chatty Cathy–it took some rather creative interrogation techniques to get it to speak (see our video “quick look”). The two times when it talks are when it finishes a print, and when you access the Creative Print Mode to add frame or clip art, change layout, or apply special effects to the photo. There’s really nothing it says that isn’t also imparted through the LCD screen itself. But it is a fun extra, which might appeal especially to kids, people whose first language is one of those represented, and the visually impaired. And that’s on top of a very capable small-format printer that outputs beautiful prints.

HP is reportedly working on a plan to combine its PC and printer divisions. There’s not a lot of information in the way of details or date, at the moment, but HP co-CEO Mark Hurd, who is said to be leading the charge, has reportedly come close to finalizing a plan.

The Wall Street Journal, the primary source of the story, is citing “people familiar with the situation.” According to the anonymous sources, current PC head Todd Bradley would lead the combined unit. No word on what would become of printer head Vyomesh “V.J.” Joshi.

HP tried a similar move in 2005, under the leadership of CEO Carly Fiorina, who was ousted later the same year.