Epson Picturemate Charm Personal Photo Lab

Professional small-format photos the easy way, with a compact portable photo printer roughly the same size as a loaf of bread and engineered like a nuclear powered toaster! It makes digital photography easy and fun for all the family, even the Windows print driver is comparatively simple. This is practically the swan-song for the once remunerative but discouraging and hindering and time consuming mercantile photo processing market.

The PictureMate 500 is marketed as a printing accessory for any digital camera, it supports direct printing from PictBridge cameras, general digital camera technologies and a computer is optional for most printing tasks, nevertheless it may not carry through complex manipulations, such as red eye reduction.

Slightly more highpriced and 40% rapidly and without delay than Epson’s basi PictureMate printer, this modified model incorporates portability with the stylish look and well-designed functionality of it is forefather with an bettered menu scheme to boot.

It recognises JPEG and uncompressed TIFF files automatically, resolutions ranging from 80 X 80 to 4600 X 4600, printing from a camera, a memory card, directly as a printer or from a camera phone thru the optional Bluetooth adapter (RRP £59.99); I just use my own inexpensive adaptor.

The stunning quality genuinely is what makes this a good system, everything else is just very nice, if you want to see any slight vertical banding or ink droplets (flaws found on all inkjet printers) you have to look genuinely closely, but different from other inkjet-based committed photo printers which use a 3 colour process, you get professional small-format photos not just photo sized printouts.

It uses an exclusive archival 6 pigment (cyan, yellow, magenta, black, red, and blue) and hi-gloss Micro Piezo inkjet technology contained within a single-piece cartridge which means the prints are of better quality and last two to four times longer than the leading brands of inkjet based photo printer models.

Borderless 4×6-inch (15cm x 10cm), printing at a solution of 5,760-by-1,440DPI, takes a little underneath 90 seconds. The print size is fixed to 6x4in and it prints comparatively tardily equated to regular inkjet models, but the prints have a rated lifetime of 104-years, as opposed to just 75 years for the frequent chemical procedure offered by mercantile developers.

It is controlled by 12 command buttons scattered around a 2.4-inch colour LCD (320×240 pixels), it mechanically optimises each photo for colour and quality all of which makes this printer a formidable compact personal photo lab.

As well as a set of defaults, it has a range of fun effects, such as adding one of 16 frames, or printing in black and white or sepia tones. You may likewise zoom in on, and rotate, a specific area, cropping the rest of the effigy from your photo.

Its LCD screen is good because it allows simple operation without having to have a PictBridge heightened camera and being restricted to using the camera’s display, where you either use the camera to control printing or ‘mark’ all the images beforehand from the cameras interface, which I find annoying.

The price per photo rivals traditionalisti high street processing. Prints cost approximately 22p each, this may sound comparatively high, but it’s rather reasonable equated to other committed photo printers – specially dye-sublimation models.

As a comparison, taking your images to Tesco costs 10p per print, but takes an hour no matter of the number of images. My local Sava-centre charge 35p per print (5-colour process), but this takes in regards to 50 seconds each;

Good points:

1) Competitive and cost effective, water, smudge immune fade free, lasting and professional small-format photographs in minutes at a solution of up to 5760 dpi. (saturation, skin tones, details all good).

2) The economical and commodious consumable packs integrate cartridge and paper for approximately 100 shiny 10x15cm photo prints is sold in a combo pack.

3) The 6 printing pigments are contained within a single-piece cartridge.

4) PictBridge heightened but does not require any specific technologies except for compatibility with one of the supported storage media formats.

5) Easy to use 3 step printing procedure with an intuitive interface and an bettered navigation structure for the printer’s menu system.

6) Selecting only photos on the storage media based on date of creation.

7) Printing and copying directly to/from CD-R/RW, ZIP disk or Flash media.

The capacity to mechanically print respective photo sizes including passport sized photos (I haven’t yet attempted to use this feature in anger, but I see no reason why the passport office will have to refuse the product – the effigy is up to you.

9) The biggest possible print size is fixed to 6x4in, conversely there are none of the paper handling difficulties affiliated with multiple paper sizes.

Bad points:

The only negative remarks I have are rather superficial and it will have to be cited that we computer science students seem to have a genetic propensity for pointless trivialities!

Generic issues:

1) It comes with 20 sheets of photo paper but the ink cartridge prints 100 photos. Because the paper input tray holds 20 sheets, that is all they supply, so buy an Epson PicturePack (Includes Photo Cartridge and 100 photo paper sheets RRP £21.50) or an 10 sheet pack or shiny photo paper (RRP £02.50)!

2) The rechargeable battery is not included (AAP £49.99), I would have salaried a bit more if it was. Okay, if this wasn’t being marketed as a portable system then fine it is an option, but it is and have you ever purchased a laptop without a battery? I have thence not located a provider within the United Kingdom that sells the optional battery.

3) No USB cable is included (RRP £2.50), perhaps they think it is unnecessary, but they do supply the computer drivers and have you ever purchased a printer without a data cable? I could perceive no batteries but no USB cable?

Hardware issues:

1) Like all photo printers I’ve used, it doesn’t mechanically resample images, the relative solution of a digital photo (ie it is total output size) is somewhat more spectacular than the photo paper so approximately 1.5 cm around the perimeter of the photo is not printed (note that the area to be got rid of is conveyed by a border when previewing photos individually).

2) Media gimmicks may not be accessed concurrently, not in truth a bad thing but annoying as I would like to setup a print run from 3 memory cards then walk away for a coffee.

3) Depending on the nature of your photos, the ink cartridge can, underneath particular conditions, only last for a little as when it comes to twenty pictures. I steadily get 88-95 prints per cartridge, but I tend to do my photo adjustments with Paint Shop Pro before printing other than as supposed or expected dark photos

4) The cover protecting the media card slots is more or less adynamic and just not very robust,

5) Unlike the media card slots, there is no cover protecting the EXT/Print and SUB ports, likewise these ports are rather deeply recessed into the body therefore preventing use of less compact flash media drives.

Printing issues:

1) When printing photos, the LCD screen displays the total sheets to be printed and the number remaining, I would like info in regards to the approximated lapse / time remaining. It would likewise be nice if it displayed the photo being printed as a background for the screen (like it does for the top level menu screen)..

2) Despite any claims by Epson, printing times are variable depending on elements such as ink level, complexity of the occupation and photo resolution. When printing groups of photos the time taken averages out to when it comes to 37 seconds for standard 5 megapixel prints. Printing 4 dissimilar Passport size photos takes in regards to 1 minute and 64 seconds and index prints (20 photos per sheet) takes when it comes to 1 minute and 5 seconds (not including ink charging time with is with regards to 20 seconds) .

3) The index view does not show how a good deal of sheets are required to finish the total job, this is commonly 1 per print but in the case of index, passport and double formats this is not true. This selective information is included when previewing photos individually.

4) This may sound like a strange complaint but, apart from photo enhancement being set to ‘off’ by default, there are no economy or solution options. You could say it’s a photo printer, so why create ‘bad’ prints? However, I often times want to speedily print a ‘throw-away’ photo on cheap paper. You may get economy paper so why waste ink on poor quality paper (and remembering the less ink you use, the more quickly the process)?

5) Good computer driver interface, but does not include all the photo effects & choices available from the printers interface. Note that the host apps native printing configuration overrides critical orientation, page area and aspect symmetry settings which need to be manually adjusted.

6) The preview option of the computer interface does not grant changes to the settings, you may only cancel. Although this isn’t hard, it is somewhat annoying if the host application does not save the last used settings so you ought to then start out again from the default settings.

Interaction Issues:

1) Photos are displayed in descending alphabetic order according to the photo file names, therefore photos from a camera will seem to be displayed in the order they were taken, but this is exclusively dependent on the naming conventions of your camera. This may seem quote disorienting with huge volumes of photos organised with real file names.

Most oftentimes photos are named with a short prefix then an incremental value equivalent to the total number of photos taken since it was primary used.

2) Cropping photos will have to be done one at a time, ie there is no way to employ cropping to a set of range of photos, annoying as this is often required for groups of photos and is time consuming.

3) when printing photos with frames, they may not be rotated or cropped and there is no preview when printing photos with frames from a media card, as opposed to the 16 default frames where there is. This means the manipulation must be done elsewhere first.

4) After scrolling through a set of photos and then printing a single image, the index preview returns to the introductory effigy in the set, not from the former position, quote disorienting with huge volumes of photos.

5) Scrolling through a set of photos may start out at the beginning or from the end of the group but the index view could be more effective if there was a way to ‘skip’ forward and backwards through each set of 9 photos, in addition to scrolling forward and backwards through the photos individually.

6) There is no way to filter photo formats, all JPEG and TIFF images are shown, I would like to select which types are displayed. Also I would like it to discern any ‘unpaintable’ images (ie too big/small/wrong resolution), rather of ignoring them.

Software Issues:

1) The directory structure of the storage media is ignored by the preview and selection displays, ie all photos are grouped together disregarding of their physical emplacement within the storage media.

A file explorer type view or a good deal of separation amidst photo sets would be nice. Note that the display may be sorted by date, but that’s not rather helpful sufficient for a huge volume of photos.

2) The date & time stamp, colour, size and position are not configurable, annoying if photos take place to include yellow, orange or red in the botton right area (depending on orientation). There is no format for a 2 digit year and the most compact format is american ie yyyy.mm.dd, (ie backwards and full stop (not slash) delimited)

3) Depending on the relative resolution, photo previews are not generated without any delay and initially invent a low-res picture on the LCD but refines speedily – not a real issue but this may be time consuming if scrolling through a lot of preview displays looking for a photo.

4) There is no provision to organise or manipulate the images on the storage media, since the directory structure is altogether ignored, but I would like the capacity to selectively delete groups by date or chosen photos and the capacity to format the media, without doubt this may be done from the camera but that’s not always possible, I often times find someone has taken the media reader and the camera is in use.

Summary:

Even with the above trivialities, the Epson PictureMate 500 (PictureMate Deluxe in the US) is an extraordinary product that anybody may use. RRP approximately £125.35, 256x154x167mm (2.8kg).

I think this is the most affordable, portable photo printer system on the market. Currently I give it 9.9/10 but I would give it 10/10 if Epson would repair the navigation and preview ‘issues’. I confess it is likely that it would not be commercially viable if all the above ‘issues’ were to be addressed; but most could be effortlessly ‘fixed’ by making comparatively little alterations to the firmware.

Box Contents:

Epson PictureMate 500 Personal Photo Lab;

Power Cords;

PictureMate Photo Cartridge;

PictureMate Photo Paper – 20 sheets;

User’s Guide Kit: CD-ROM and User’s Manuals;

Main Features:

Light with easy carry handle;

DC and optional lithium-ion battery power;

Optional Blue tooth print adapter;

PictBridge heightened operation;

Not dependant a PictBridge camera;

PIM & ExifPrint complaint;

Brightness, saturation, sharpness correction;

Photo enhance, rotate, interference control;

Show/Print index prints;

Special Features:

Show/Print by date;

Printing with/without borders;

Printing 2 photos per sheet with/without borders;

Printing black & white, sepia tone (old-fashioned look);

Printing with/without time & Date stamp (orange);

Digital zoom (cropping);

View memory media as a slide show;

Supported storage media formats:

CompactFlash Card;

Memory Stick;

Secure Digital Card;

SmartMedia Card;

xD Picture Card;

Memory Stick Pro;

MultiMediaCard;

MicroDrive;

Epson Picturemate Charm Personal Photo Lab

EPSON PICTUREMATE CHARM PERSONAL PHOTO LAB

Brilliant results and superior durability

The PictureMate Charm delivers amazing quality and detail, plus true-to-life skin tones. You get professional quality photos that are smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant, so you may handle them right after printing. Place them in an album or portion them with family and friends, worry-free.

“…the combining of fast speed, low cost per page, and high-quality prints that are both rugged and long-lived puts the Charm way out in front of it is competition, and earns it a spot as Editors’ Choice for 4- by 6-inch devoted photo printers.” David M. Stone, PC Mag.com (10.28.09)

2.5″ color photo viewer

With it is large, 2.5″ color photo viewer, PictureMate Charm makes it easy to select and print gorgeous photos. On-screen instructions walk you through everything — selecting, previewing and even editing your photos for printing. Remove red eye or heighten colors. Then, preview your changes immediately. With the LCD photo viewer, you may view your photos with precision detail. So, you get to see incisively what you’ll get before you print it! And, there’s no wasted paper!

Convenient compatibility

Whether you’re at home or on the go, PictureMate Charm is the worry-free way to print your digital photos. PictureMate works with any digital camera — just insert a memory card¹ and you’ll be previewing your photos in seconds! You may even use PictureMate with PictBridge^™ appliances and your Bluetooth^®-enabled camera phone².

Fast photo print speeds — without compromising quality

PictureMate Charm, you get superior, pro quality prints at unsurpassed speeds — 4″ x 6″ photos in as fast as 37 seconds!^† No other portable, small-format printer may offer such performance. That’s what makes PictureMate the perfective solution for printing photos on the go. It’s fast, easy and offers awful results. With PictureMate, it’s requiring little effort than ever to achieve particular quality and get prints that are better than those from a lab or photo kiosk, or traditional, film-processed prints.

Choose from multiple layouts and other options

Print stacks of photos to part with family and friends. It’s having little impact than ever with PictureMate Charm. Best of all, you may print each photo just the way you want it. Select from respective layout options, remove red eye, and much more! Then, when you’re ready, print in black-and-white, color or sepia, without altering the introductory file. And, when it comes to size, the choice is up to you! Choose wallet, classic borders, borderless and more! It’s never been posing no difficulty to get better-than-lab-quality photos, made to order!

Black-and-white	8 per page	Wallet size	Classic border	Borderless
Sepia	Proof sheet

The smart tool for professionals

Medical and dental pros may use PictureMate Charm to track a patient’s recovery procedure — all while ensuring his/her privacy. Architects and real estate agents may speedily and without apparent effort document the stages of a project on the occupation site, or spotlight the features of respective properties. With the optional rechargeable battery, it’s easy to print photos to percentage with clients no matter where you are.

Features/Benefits

• Print your favored photos, PC-free — print photos directly from any digital camera
• Get pro quality photos, fast! — print vibrant 4″ x 6″ photos in as fast as 37 seconds^†
• Portable printing — grab the handle and take PictureMate Charm to parties, events, the office, even your vacation getaway!
• Share prints for generations to come — smudge, scratch, water and fade immune prints mean lasting photos that last longer than traditional, film-processed photos³
• Get your photos, your way — print usual photo sizes, black-and-white or sepia
• Easily edit photos — remove red eye and more
• Print stacks of photos at an everyday, low print price — all the pictures you want at an lowpriced price
• Ready to share — instant-dry photos make it easy to give pictures to family and friends right away
• Print in the outstanding outdoors — operate PictureMate Charm for hours on a single battery charge (with optional rechargeable battery)
• Print wirelessly — optional Bluetooth adapter²
• Weight and Dimensions (W x D x H) — Weight: 7.9 lb, Printing: 9.1″ x 13.5″ x 10.5″, Storage: 9.1″ x 6.7″ x 5.7″

Eco features

• ENERGY STAR^® qualified
• Designed to be Recycled⁴

What’s in the Box

• PictureMate Show personal photo lab
• Initial photo cartridge and paper for with regards to 20 4″ x 6″ photos
• Power cord
• Quick begin guide and CD

PictureMate products
Your photos, your way

PictureMate is the perfective accessory for your digital camera. It’s like having your own personal photo lab, all in the ease of home. Print in the kitchen, den, anywhere, even while on the go — anytime, day or night. It’s easy — no computer required. Get beauteous photos, fast. And, percentage them for generations to come. With an everyday, low print price, you may print all you want! PictureMate fits your needs, your schedule and your life.

Epson and PictureMate are registered trademarks, Epson Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark and Better Products for a Better Future and PictureMate Show are trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks Copyright 2009 Epson America, Inc. 8/09