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EPSON Expression Photo XP-8500 Printer review

For this review of the EPSON Expression Photo XP-8500 Printer, I am turning it over to my lovely wife who is obsessed with photography and documenting our family’s life.  Her experience with at home photo printing far exceeds mine so I will turn it over to her. 

I am scrapbook obsessed. Seriously. I am a firm believer that pictures shouldn’t stay on your phone forever and that all the little bits of your life have a story and deserve to be told.  So, every year, week by week, I document what is going on in our lives.  While I appreciate the prints from professional labs, I just don’t like waiting for my pictures.  So several years ago I started printing at home.  I print a minimum of 10 pictures per week, but sometimes many many more, so I need a printer that can keep up.

What’s in the box?

The Epson Expression XP-8500 all-in-one, manual/start here guide, CD ROM for product setup (everything can also be downloaded from the Epson website, power cord, 6 Claria Photo HD ink cartridges (cyan, yellow, magenta, black, light cyan and light magenta)

System Requirements

Windows – 10,  7, 8.x and Vista, Macintosh – OS 10.12.x, 10.11.x, 10.10.x, 10.8.x, 10.7.x and 10.6.8

Let’s take a look

Out of the box, set up was simple.  Just plug it in, lift the scanner glass to insert the ink cartridges and the printer walks you through the setup.  The calibration process is rather lengthy compared to other printers and requires you to print a few items and answer multiple questions about the print quality.  Overall, the set up took about 15 minutes.  I was then able to connect it to our wireless network and install the driver on my computer.

This printer has a small footprint (13.7″w x 13.4″d x 5.6″h) and it is lightweight (14.8 pounds).  You could easily place this on the corner of your desk and not lose much workspace.  Please note that these dimensions will be slightly different when the printer is actively printing because the paper output tray opens and slides out.

There are only two buttons – a power button and a home button.  The home button will take you to all the options – copy, print photos, scan, various prints, settings, and maintenance.  The Various Prints menu has a variety of options such as types of design paper, calendars, greeting cards and more.

There are three ways to load the printer.  The upper cassette is designed for photo paper in the following sizes: 3.5″ x 5″, 4″ x 6″, 5″ x 7″, 16:9 wide.  The lower cassette is designed for your copy paper, presentation paper, and legal sized paper.  There is also a rear paper feeder for one-off projects and it can accommodate a variety of paper sizes and types.

The printer has both SD and USB ports on the front so you can print without using your computer or phone.  I usually don’t print directly from a memory card; however, for me, this was convenient when scanning a document so I could automatically save it to the device.  Also, with the Epson Event Manager software installed on my computer, I was able to select my computer as the destination and the scanned document showed up on my computer screen a few seconds later.

There is not an automatic document feeder.  To be fair, most printers in this class do not have them.  Since I mostly use my printer for printing photos this wouldn’t deter me from buying this printer, but anytime I have to scan more than two pages at a time, I wish I had one.  This may be something for readers to consider if you feel that the scan and copy feature will be used often.

Let’s start printing.  There is a catch in the paper tray when removing and inserting but I found if I was a little too fast it was easy to pull the tray all the way out or push it too far in.  Once I realized this, I was a little more careful and it was easy to feel when it was inserted correctly.  When you insert paper into the tray, there will be prompts on the screen to select the type of paper to ensure proper printing.  I have other printers that I can hear printing from an adjacent room but not this one.  The printer is very quiet.

For everyday document printing, the XP-8500 can print about 9 pages per minute.  It can also print two-sided documents to reduce the amount of paper used (print speed is 4.7 ppm for all black ink when printing 2-sided).  There are certainly faster document printers out there but this was sufficient for my home printing needs.  After all, this printer is a photo printer first.

Epson says this will print professional quality photos in as little as 10 seconds when printing in draft mode and I found that to be true.  I printed a majority of my pictures in a higher quality but the time it added was negligible.  I have been printing pictures wirelessly from my phone for almost a month and it produces crisp images with vibrant colors.  Also, the ink used is the Claria Photo HD ink, which Epson says will produce images that last up to 300 years in an album.  As a scrapbooker, archival quality photos is a must and it is awesome that an at-home printer can produce them.

When selecting a printer for home use, there are a lot of factors to consider – primary use, print speeds, running costs, etc.  If you are looking for a printer to document your memories, the Epson Expression Photo XP-8500 Small-in-One should be a high contender on your list.  At a retail price of $249.99, I believe you get a great bang for the buck and would highly recommend this printer to our readers.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Epson.  For more information please visit the product page and you can order from Amazon.

 

Product Information

Price: $249.99
Manufacturer: Epson
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Compact, vibrant colors, crisp images, long lasting prints, very quiet, easy set up, great value
Cons:
  • No automatic document feeder

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EPSON Expression Photo XP-8500 Printer review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 22, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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SHOTBOX portable photography light box review

As a product reviewer, the pictures that I take of the products that I’m reviewing are almost as important as the words I write about those products. The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” is still true and I want my pictures to be as good as they can be. I’ve been using a Canon 70D DSLR and a Canon Speedlite flash for years but now I’m actually switching over to using my Pixel 2 XL as my main camera and the SHOTBOX is going to make that transition much easier. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

SHOTBOX is a portable and collapsible photography light box that has been designed to be used with your smartphone.

What’s in the box?

I was sent the SHOTBOX Deluxe Bundle with the SideShot, Backdrops and Deluxe Tote, a PANELS Complete set,

SHOTBOX light box
SideShot smartphone holder
4 backdrops
2 glare strips
Smartphone shutter release cable
USB to power cable
AC power adapter
Instructions

Also included is black/white reversible floor panel.

The PANELS Complete set includes:
Magnetic base unit
12 Hematite magnets
4 panel sets that are separated into zippered storage sleeves

The panels include a variety of different textures and colors like you see above. They really help you get different looks for your product shots.

The deluxe carry tote is an awesome neoprene bag that has zippered pockets for everything that you see above except for the PANELS sets.

Setting up the SHOTBOX

The heavy duty plastic SHOTBOX is easy to setup because all you really have to do is lift up on the top and reach inside to position the back panel into the slots on the bottom.

The next step is to lift the support legs on each side to secure the box.

You can then slide in the reversible floor panel that has a white and a black side. In the image above, I have the white side up.

All that’s left to use the basic functionality is to attach the included AC adapter and flip the switch on the right to either have the left LED light strip on, the right LED light strip on, or both on.

Then the knob on the right will let you control the brightness. This knob also doubles as the power switch.

The LED lights strips are very bright and have a 50,000 hour lifespan which equals about 22+ years of use using the box for 6 hours a day.

At this point, you can start using the SHOTBOX to take product shots by placing the product inside the 14.25 wide x 15 tall x 15 inch deep box and shoot pictures either straight into the box from the front or from the top through one of the openings.

But to make the background look seamless, you will want to use one of the included backdrops.

The backdrop hooks to the back wall of the SHOTBOX to cover the back and the bottom like you see above.

If you want to create an even nicer background, you can buy the optional PANELS set which comes with a folding magnetic panel that slides into the SHOTBOX. Then using the included magnets, you can use a panel on the back and a panel on the bottom to create the look you want.

In the example above, I used a concrete panel for the floor and a brick panel for the back wall.

Here’s the resulting image. Very cool right?

Your options are almost limitless using all the different panels.

But wait, there’s more! You can also use the SideShot which is designed to hold your smartphone.

The SideShot has a support arm that fits into one of the openings on top of the SHOTBOX and then you can use the side knob on the SideShot to adjust the angle.

The included USB cable connects from the SideShot to the back of the SHOTBOX to provide power to the SideShot. Why does the holder need power you ask?

Because it lights up too! The SideShot has two LED strips of its own that shine into the SHOTBOX to provide more light on the product that you’re photographing.

When the SideShot is in position you can then place your smartphone upside down or sideways on the SideShot ledge so that the main camera points through the opening that looks into the SHOTBOX.

Here are some product shots that I’ve taken with the SHOTBOX and my Pixel 2 XL.

The first shot above of the fidget spinner was touched up in Photoshop to adjust the white balance and crop. The other two shots were straight out of the camera, so you can see that there can be some shadows that may or may not need to be cleaned up. But there is a way to minimise or even prevent shadows and glare, which is important if you use the SHOTBOX to take pictures of documents.

The SHOTBOX does a great job if you need to take pictures of documents. To do this, you just place the document on the bottom of the box and then use your smartphone or camera to shoot straight down from one of the openings on the top of the box.

You may run into glare issues from the side LED strips like you see in the image above.

To fix that, you can use the included glare strips which are magnet strips that you place over the LED light strips inside the SHOTBOX. These strips will cause the resulting image to be darker, but you can fix that with some post processing in Photoshop or even in your camera app.

Final thoughts

I won’t beat around the bush, I love the SHOTBOX. It’s allowed me to simplify my photography setup so that I no longer need a DSLR. The SHOTBOX is easy to use, folds down and can be stored when I don’t want to leave it set up on a desk, and just plain works great. I have tried another small light box, but the SHOTBOX is the one to get if you’re serious about document scanning and small object photography.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by SHOTBOX. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $109.00 for just the SHOTBOX, $290.50 for everything reviewed here
Manufacturer: SHOTBOX
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Well made
  • Lots of features and add-ons
  • Easy to adjust LED light strips
Cons:
  • None

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SHOTBOX portable photography light box review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 18, 2017 at 11:38 am.

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This handy gadget lets you take 360 NoMatterWhat

The NoMatterWhat Fusion Lens is a lightweight battery-free attachment for an iPhone that allows the phone’s front and rear cameras to capture seamless 360-degree content. The companion app combines and processes the images from both cameras into a 6K resolution composite image.  The composite image is available as 360 view or tiny planet mode. Currently, the app is limited to 360 images but in the future, the app will be able to take 4K video. The app includes native social sharing on Facebook and Instagram. The Fusion Lens will be available on Indigogo in the near future. In the meantime, you can register your email on the NoMatterWh.at  site to be notified of news regarding the lens system.

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This handy gadget lets you take 360 NoMatterWhat originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 18, 2017 at 11:15 am.

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Prynt Pocket iPhone photo printer and camera grip review

If you own a smartphone, I am willing to bet that you have more than a few images on your phone. Except for a Canon 70D DSLR that I use to take most of my product review shots, I use my iPhone 7 Plus to take all my personal shots. 90% of those images stay on the phone and don’t get shared which is kind of sad. Remember the Polaroid cameras from decades ago that had a built-in printer that printed and spit out the picture as soon as you snapped them? The Prynt Pocket iPhone photo printer reminds me of a smaller version of that product. 

What is it?

The Prynt Pocket is a photo printer and camera grip made especially for the Apple iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 5.

What’s in the box?

Prynt Pocket grip/printer
Zink paper pack with 10 sheets
MicroUSB cable
Quick start guide

Design and features

The Prynt Pocket is a more compact version of the Prynt Case which Elizabeth reviewed earlier this year. It is available in several colors including the black version that was sent to me. It’s made of plastic with a textured grippy covering.

One side of the Prynt Pocket has a molded grip with a lanyard loop on the edge.

The bottom of the Prynt Pocket has the slot where the printed image comes out, a micro USB charging port and a charging status LED.

The top of the Prynt has an expandable slot with a lightning connector that can accommodate different sized iPhones.

Depending on the iPhone model, it may or may not be able to fit in the Prynt slot with a case. My iPhone 7 Plus would only fit with a very thin case like the Totallee thin leather case. Other cases I tried made the phone too wide for the slot.

The Prynt Pocket doesn’t use ink to print pictures, it uses special Zink thermal printer paper. It’s exactly the same type of sticker paper used with the Polaroid Zip printer. At least I thought it was the same.

The Zink paper comes in packs of 10 sheets. The pack with the special blue top sheet loads into the Prynt paper cartridge.

The Prynt Pocket comes with one pack of 10 sheets. I was also sent a box of 40 sheets with my review sample. Instead of opening the extra box after I had used the first 10 sheets, I pulled out an old package of Zink paper that I use with my Polaroid Zip printer. Although the paper looks and feels identical, right down to the blue top sheet which is used to tell the printer the type of paper, the old pack wouldn’t load into the Prynt Pocket. It was very slightly too wide. Grrrrr…

After you have the right paper loaded into the cartridge, the cartridge slides into the slot on the top of the Prynt Pocket.

Unfortunately, that’s as far as the cartridge can be inserted. A little less than half of it remains sticking out of the Prynt. This isn’t a huge problem if all you plan to do with the Prynt Pocket is print pictures that you’ve already snapped. But if you want to use the Prynt Pocket as a camera grip, it makes the whole setup feel pretty awkward.

Even if the cartridge wasn’t sticking out the top of the module, the grip is still awkward to hold and use. The shutter button is too close to the edge of the grip and needs to be more centered.

Let’s print some pictures

To print pictures with the Prynt Pocket, you will need to install the iOS Prynt app on your iPhone. You’ll also need to create an account to use the printer which is annoying.

 



But once the app is installed, you’ve created an account and are logged in, the rest is pretty easy. You can choose to print images in your existing library or take a new image.


The app has some basic photo editing capabilities including cropping, enhancing, and even adding some text.


Another fun feature is the ability to record a video that will play when you view the image through the Prynt app. Think of it like live images or Harry Potter style images.

After you’ve chosen a picture to print, you just press the print button and in a few seconds, you’ll have your printed picture.

The image comes out of the Prynt completely dry since actual ink isn’t used.

The quality of the images is about the same as other Zink printers that I’ve used. The colors are a bit washed out with a yellowish or greenish cast to them.

The best part about the images is that the paper is peel and stick. This makes it easy to stick the pictures in your journals, which has been my main use for them. Even if they aren’t the best quality prints, they are more than adequate to make me relive the memory of when I took them.

Final thoughts

At $149.99 for the Prynt Pocket and the relatively high cost (.50 cents) for each print, the Prynt Pocket isn’t very economical compared to other Zink printers like the one I mentioned earlier in the review. That said, the Prynt Pocket is fun to use and it’s really handy for people who like to journal like me. If you are shopping for a photo printer that’s plug and play and has a built in camera grip, this is the one to get.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Prynt. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $149.99
Manufacturer: Prynt
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Easy to use
  • No Bluetooth pairing required
Cons:
  • Can't use other versions of Zink paper with this printer
  • Grip is awkward
  • Expensive

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Prynt Pocket iPhone photo printer and camera grip review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 11, 2017 at 12:44 pm.

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The SureFire FirePak puts 1500 Lumen on the back of your iPhone

iPhones take pretty decent low light pictures, but they don’t do that well capturing low light video. If you’re tired of dark grainy videos, shine some light on your subject with a SureFire FirePak illuminator.

The SureFire FirePak is a 4.6-inch illuminator that clips to the back of an iPhone 5, 6, or 7 series iPhones with a special included case.

The FirePak features two high-performance LEDs that have an output up to 1500 lumens and a reach of 50 feet. The light has four brightness levels that can be customised using an app on your phone or manually with a side switch on the side.

With mega brightness comes a mega price tag of $299.00 when you buy it through SureFire’s site, but if you order through Amazon, it’s only $149.00.

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The SureFire FirePak puts 1500 Lumen on the back of your iPhone originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 2, 2017 at 10:00 am.

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