Practical, high quality photo printing at home
Pros:
High quality prints, ease of use, low price
Cons:
Single ink cartridge may waste ink; more expensive than outside printing
The Bottom Line:
The Epson Picturemate Dash offers fast, easy, high quality 4x6 borderless prints at a reasonable price.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
The Epson Picturemate Dash prints 4x6 borderless photos with astounding ease, speed, and quality. While I will still take large print orders to a processor, we are thrilled with our new found ability to make quick prints at home.
We wanted to buy a photo printer as a gift for our daughter, who has a nice digital camera but seldom gets prints made. Selection criteria included high quality printing, inexpensive to both buy and operate, and ease of use. The Picturemate Dash fit the bill, and we couldn't be more pleased.
The unit is small, about the size of a small lunch cooler, complete with a handle. Setup requires little more than inserting the ink cartridge (all colors come in one cartridge) and plugging in the power cord. Add paper and you are ready to print.
Using the Picturemate Dash is almost as easy. Insert your memory card into the correct slot (most major formats are supported). Browse your images on the bright 3.5 inch LCD screen. Photos can be edited on the screen, with zoom, color, brightness, and red-eye removal. You can even add decorative borders and elements from a small library of graphics. When you are happy with the image on the screen, press print, and in a few seconds you get a bright, clear, lab quality 4x6 print.
All of this can be done without the use of a computer. You can, of course, attach the Picturemate Dash to your computer via a USB cable and use it like any regular photo printer. Software is included, allowing you to access all the features from your PC.
I was a bit hesitant about the single ink cartridge, as colored inks tend to get used up at different rates, and having only one cartridge seemed like a potential waste. Epson however, has made the price point attractive enough to alleviate my concerns – about $30 per cartridge, which makes about 150 prints. For about $35, you can get a combo pack of ink and 150 sheets of paper, making prints less than 25 cents each. More than the drug store, but not bad for home printing.
Overall, our purchase has been a big success. Our daughter can print at will, without even turning on the computer. And she does, making scrapbooks and sharing photos with her friends. The grown-ups can share holiday and party print with friends and family before they even leave the house.
