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KiiPix Smartphone Picture Printer review

REVIEW – I take a LOT of pictures with my smartphone and I like to print some of them to put in my journal to help me remember things that have happened. Small photo printers are cool, but they require an app and have batteries that have to be charged. Is there an easier way to print your favorite pics? Tomy things so with their KiiPix Smartphone Picture Printer. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The Tomy KiiPix Smartphone Picture Printer is actually a modern take on the iconic Polaroid cameras of the 70’s and 80’s.

What’s in the box?

KiiPix Smartphone Picture Printer
Instructions
*Fujifilm Instax mini film cartridge is NOT included

Design and features

The KiiPix device is made of white and black plastic and features a film ejection dial on one side that is used to advance and eject each print.

The prints eject from the side of the unit.

On the bottom of the KiiPix, you’ll find the printer paper compartment and the print count indicator.

The paper compartment opens to reveal the camera lens. That’s right, this isn’t really a photo printer, it’s actually an instant camera.

To use it, you’ll have to load a cartridge of Fujifilm Instax mini film into the bottom of the KiiPix.

Each Fujifilm cartridge has 10 films inside.

The film cartridge easily snaps in place and the door secures shut with a click.

The next step is to unfold/open the KiiPix by lifting the two “wings”. You will then see a white plastic frame.

The frame lifts out of the camera and is placed over the two wings to create a platform.

The frame is designed so that your iPhone or Android phone’s display rests over the opening so that the camera below it can take a photo of the phone’s screen.

To line up the photo, you need to have it displayed on the phone and then stick the frame (it has sticky strips on the edges to the display.

There’s also a tiny mirror that you can use to line up the image.

I tested the KiiPix with my Pixel 2 XL. Note that you don’t have to pair the KiiPix with your phone or load a special app. All you have to do is display the image on the phone’s screen that you want to print. The KiiPix will then take a picture of the image on the phone’s display when you press the shutter button on the side of KiiPix.

The first time you use the KiiPix, you have to rotate the film ejection dial until the first sheet is ejected.

Then you can take an actual picture and it will eject from the KiiPix when you turn the dial.

 

The 3.4 inch x 2.1 inch print comes out black, but the image will become visible within a few seconds.

Within about 90 seconds – 2 minutes, the 2.4 inch x 1.8 inch image will be fully visible. Check out the video below that shows the film developing over time.

The resulting photo quality was a mixed bag. My first image can be seen above and in the video had strange black arcs on the side and the whole print got much darker as time went by. Here are some more prints that I made.

My first two images were really dark, and then I read that you’re supposed to turn the phone’s brightness to the max. But even then, I still felt like the images were darker than I would like. I also ran into issues where I accidentally pressed the shutter button twice. Can you see which image that was? Yes, it’s the one with double flowers. That’s actually a cool “feature” that can allow you to make some creative photos by having double exposures. Then there’s the issue of the screen rotating when you don’t want it too like the selfie at 9 o’clock where you can see black bars on the side. That image is supposed to be oriented the other way…

What I like

  • No cables, no Bluetooth, no batteries
  • Doesn’t require an app

What needs to be improved

  • Doesn’t come with a Fujifilm Instax Mini print pack
  • Print quality isn’t very impressive

Final thoughts

The KiiPix has a few things going for it when compared to the more expensive small photo printers like my favorite HP Sprocket. First of all, the KiiPix costs about $90 less than the HP Sprocket. The KiiPix also doesn’t need to be charged, paired, or used with an app. But both printers require that you buy film/photo packs. I like the Zink prints from photo printers like the HP Sprocket better than the Fujifilm Instax Mini prints because the Zink prints have peel and stick backs which make it much easier to put the photos in a journal. The Fujifilm prints are also thicker and have a large white frame around them instead of the image being edge to edge like the Zink prints.

But when it comes right down to it. I prefer the smaller HP Sprocket style printer because I don’t have to line up the camera on top of the printer itself and the print results are much better and don’t depend on how bright the screen. In my opinion, the Tomy KiiPix Smartphone Picture Printer is more of a toy than a photo printer. Yes, it prints photos, but the results won’t impress.

Price: $39.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Tomy.

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KiiPix Smartphone Picture Printer review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 26, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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HP Sprocket portable photo printer review

If you’re like me, you probably take a lot of pictures with your phone. Flipping through pics on our phones is fun, but most of us don’t get a chance to enjoy them OUTSIDE of the phone. One way to do that is to print the pictures and one solution that can help you with that task is the HP Sprocket portable photo printer. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The HP Sprocket portable photo printer is a battery-powered printer that is about the size of a deck of cards and pairs with your phone and the HP Sprocket app to allow you to easily and quickly print your images on 2 x 3-inch sticky-backed paper without using ink.

What’s in the box?

HP Sprocket printer
micro USB cable
10 pack of HP ZINK sticky backed photo sheets

Design and features

The HP Sprocket printer is available in several colors, but I was sent the white version of the printer which has bronze colored accents.

The small printer has a plastic case with one button on the side which toggles power.

On the back of the printer is what looks like a lanyard attachement point… weird. You’ll also find the micro USB port for charging, two status LEDs, and a reset switch/hole.

The front edge of the Sprocket is where the printed photo is ejected.

The top of the printer slides off to reveal the compartment where you place the photo paper.

The photo paper is packaged in 10 sheet packs and probably has some sort of coding that won’t allow you to use other types of ZINK paper that are marketed for other brands of printers like the Sprocket.

I’ve reviewed a couple other printers that also use this type of paper and they all include a special blue card that has to be left in the stack of paper face down when you install the paper into the printer.

Here we see the stack of 10 sheets of ZINK paper placed in the Sprocket printer.

A spring-loaded pressure lever keeps the paper in place so that it doesn’t jam up inside of the printer during the printing process. I’ve had this problem with another older printer that I reviewed years ago, so I like to see that HP has designed a solution for this potential problem.

HP Sprocket app




To print your pictures, you need to install the HP Sprocket app on your phone. This app will let you view, edit, and print the images in your phone’s memory, on your Instagram account, Facebook account, and Google Photos account.

The app also lets you do some rudimentary editing like cropping, adjusting levels, adding text, and stickers.

Printing is quick and easy and since the HP Sprocket uses ZINK photo paper, you don’t have to worry about ink drying, smearing your smudging. The prints are ready to use and pass around as soon as the print ejects from the Sprocket.

My favorite thing about the prints is that they are peel and stick. I usually have problems peeling the other ZINK photo paper that I’ve used with my other photo printers, but the paper backing on the HP ZINK paper is noticeably easier to separate. I like to use the prints to embellish the entries in my journal.

What I like

  • Easy setup
  • Quick photo prints
  • Crisp and good color

What needs to be improved

  • Only comes with 10 sheets of photo paper

Final thoughts

I’ve reviewed a couple other printers very similar to the HP Sprocket, so I wasn’t expecting the resulting prints to be much if any different than ones I’ve been using for years. But I actually was surprised. The prints from the HP Sprocket look a bit crisper and have more vibrant colors than prints from Polaroid and Panasonic ZINK printers which have always looked a bit washed out to me. The HP Sprocket app is a bit more polished as well compared to the other printer apps. If I was in the market for a pocket-sized photo printer today, my first choice would be the HP Sprocket portable photo printer. It’s a keeper.

Price: $129.99
Where to buy: HP and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by HP.

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HP Sprocket portable photo printer review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 16, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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The Canon IVY Mini Photo Printer – print your photos where you want and when you want


For those of us that like to be able to print photos on the go, there are a few options available to do just that task. A couple of days ago, I read about the Canon IVY Mini Photo Printer. It is primarily geared towards printing on the go from your Smartphone or tablet. It is very small and compact, and can easily fit in your pocket. Utilizing the Canon IVY Mini Photo Printer app, you can connect to it via Bluetooth and print 2” x 3” photos anywhere, and anytime, right from your phone. The paper for this printer has a peel and stick back.

The printer uses ZINK (Zero Ink) printing technology which prints using colorful dye-based crystals embedded within the paper. This is great since there is no ink to buy, nor does it suffer from ink drying up like inkjet printers. When printing, the printer uses heat to activate and colorize the crystals, and prints in a resolution up to 314 x 400 dpi. It has a paper tray capacity of 10 sheets.

The Canon IVY Mini Photo Printer is compatible with IOS 9.0 or later and Android 4.4 or later. You can purchase one at Amazon or B&H Photo Video for $129.

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The Canon IVY Mini Photo Printer – print your photos where you want and when you want originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 22, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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With the HP Sprocket Photo Printer you can share your pictures any place and any time


The HP Sprocket Photo Printer is a small and very compact printer that is designed to work with an IOS or Android app to print physical 2” x 3” photos from your Smartphone anywhere and at any time. It utilizes ZINK Zero Ink Technology and a special media that does not smudge, or tear, and is water resistant. The media also has an adhesive backing so that the photos can be mounted anywhere.

The printer’s resolution is 313 x 400 dpi, and it can produce a print in approximately 40 seconds. The printer holds 10 sheets of paper at a time. With the dedicated app, you can print, edit photos, add filters and even grab images from social media. The built-in rechargeable battery means that this is a portable printer that is always ready to go.

If you would like to purchase one, you can head over to Amazon or B&H Photo Video and pick one up for $129.

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With the HP Sprocket Photo Printer you can share your pictures any place and any time originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 9, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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KODAK Photo Printer Mini review

Back in the day, the only way you could see a picture that you had taken with your camera, was to have the film processed and prints made. Today, most images that we take are passed around digitally via email, and social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Is there still a place in this digital world for physical prints? KODAK sure hopes so and have created the Photo Printer Mini to get the job done fast and easy. Let’s see how well they’ve done.

What is it?

The KODAK Photo Printer Mini is a portable wireless color photo printer for Android and iOS devices that uses a WiFi connection instead of a Bluetooth connection.

Design and features

The Photo Printer Mini is about the same size as a large backup battery at 6 x 3 x 1 inch. Included in the box is an all-in-one print cartridge and a micro USB charging cable. The printer is available in white, black, and gold. As you can see, I was sent the white version.

There are 2 status LEDs on the top of the printer. One status LED is for power and printing, and the other one is a battery status LED.

On one side of the KODAK Photo Printer Mini, you’ll find a power button.

The micro USB charging port is located on one end of the printer along with a reset switch.

On the opposite end, you’ll find the print eject slot.

And on the other side is the print cartridge door.

The door opens to provide access to the all-in-one print cartridge. The cartridges combine paper and ribbon in one package and come in 20, 30 or 50 prints per cartridge.

The cartridges are easy to insert and remove.

An 8-print cartridge is included with the Photo Printer Mini. This is the only consumable that you need to worry about with this printer. I think KODAK cheaped out by only giving you a cartridge with 8 prints instead of a 20-print cartridge. You can find refills on Amazon where the price ranges from $19.99 each for the 20-print cartridge, up to $35.73 for the 50-print cartridge. The 20-print cartridge is also available with sticky backed prints so you can use them as stickers.

The app


Before you can print your first picture, you’ll need to install the app on an iOS or Android device. I did my testing with a Google Pixel 2 XL. This printer uses a WiFi connection instead of Bluetooth, so you will have set up the WiFi connection including the password.

If you have an Android smartphone, you can also tap the phone on top of the printer to quickly launch the app. But I still had to manually connect the printer to my phone each time by going into the WiFi network list.

If you look at the two images above, you can see that the app is trying to connect to the printer. I saw this message quite often and found the connection between my phone and the printer to be very fiddly.

Once connected, you can access photos from your phone’s camera roll, Facebook, Instagram and a couple other social media platforms, Google images, or even screen grabs from your videos.


The KODAK Printer app has some built-in editing features that allow you to crop, rotate, add frames, stickers, and do other rudimentary adjustments to the image before printing.

After you have chosen and edited the image, all that is left to do is print it. Printing is relatively quick and the print is dry and ready to handle immediately after printing is finished.

See it in action

As you can see, the print time is pretty quick.

The credit card sized 2.1 x 3.4 inch (54 x 86 mm) photos are printed in seconds and dry instantly.

I don’t quite understand the purpose of the small perforated tab that tears off the image though. It leaves one side of the print with a fine serration.

I’ve reviewed other wireless printers over the years like the Polaroid ZIP which use dye-incorporating paper (ZINK) and I find the KODAK Photo Printer Mini’s image quality to be superior in sharpness and color. That’s because the KODAK printer uses dye sublimation thermal transfer with 256 gradations and 16.7 million colors. It also puts a laminated protection layer over the print that is fingerprint and water resistant.

What I like

  • Sharper and more colorful prints compared to other small printers that use ZINK paper
  • Quick and easy to use when the WiFi connection is behaving
  • Fingerprint and water resistant prints

What needs to be improved

  • WiFi connection is too fiddly
  • Only comes with an 8-print cartridge

Final thoughts

Except for the problems that I had with the WiFi connection dropping between the printer and my phone, I would say that this is the easiest portable wireless printer to use and prints the best-looking prints. As long as you remember that you’ll need to buy extra printer cartridges, the KODAK Photo Printer Mini will let you have fun bringing your favorite digital prints into the physical world.

Price: $99.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by KODAK.