Epson PictureMate Personal Photo Lab

I recently switched to digital photography when I bought the Canon EOS Digital Rebel, but I still love to have physical prints of the photographs I make—as any traditional scrapbooker would. This means that the quality and ease of printing photos for my scrapbooks is very important to me. To have my very own personal photo lab was always an exciting possibility, but until very recently printing photos on an ink-jet printer just didn’t offer the quality or longevity that I desired. Epson now offers a portable printer that does just that—the PictureMate Personal Photo Lab.

The Specs
There are a whole host of specifications describing the power and usability of the PictureMate. A detailed list can be seen here. Some that are especially notable for use by scrapbookers are:

• Prints have a 200 year lifespan when stored in protective sleeves of an album and a 100 year lifespan when stored behind a glass frame.


• Prints are water and smudge resistant.


• PictureMate is capable of printing up to 4” x 6” borderless prints.


• The printer is compatible with 7 different popular camera memory cards.


• Weighing only 5.5 lbs with a built-in handle, it is completely portable.


• PictureMate can be used both with or without a connected computer.

Longevity of Prints
While this isn’t something I’m able to test on my own (unless you know of a time machine I can borrow), I also don’t have to just accept Epson’s word that prints from the PictureMate will last up to 200 years. You can read about the testing conditions they used to reach this conclusion at Wilhelm-research.com. According to the information at Wilhelm, the Epson PictureMate prints far outlast any other 4” x 6” photo printer and ink with a life of 104 years (under glass)—even longer than professional lab prints. The next printer listed was rated at only 40 years.

Quality of Prints
I was skeptical when I heard that this printer would print lab-quality images on a personal printer. However, the banding and digitized look I was expecting to see (even if only in small amounts) was absolutely non-existent.

I printed a photograph from my computer that I already had printed at a professional developer to compare the two. I saw virtually no difference in the quality. The only differences I could see was that the Epson PictureMate print showed fewer shadows than the professional lab print, making them slightly less dimensional. The professional paper is slightly glossier than the Epson paper which may have contributed to the difference in how the shadows printed.

Ultimately, the photo not only looked just as good as the professionally printed photo, but it also felt the same. The thickness of the paper and the durability of the print seemed nearly identical to the professionally developed print.

Just to be sure I was really seeing this lab quality print from a printer sitting on my own desk, I tried it again with a more color-saturated photograph. The results were the same. The quality of prints is absolutely superb from the Epson PictureMate.

Ease of Use
No matter how great the prints look, ease of use is most definitely a factor when looking for a way to print your own photographs. I tried using the PictureMate in a couple of different ways to see how easy it was to use for various purposes.

Without a Computer
One of the neat features of the PictureMate is that it can be used with or without a computer. This makes it much more portable and usable in a wider variety of situations.

Within about 15 minutes I had unpacked the printer from the packaging, followed the instructions for setup and had printed a photograph. That setup time also included posing my cat to take a few test photos with my digital camera to fill up the memory card. Easy? Most definitely.

The PictureMate comes with excellent step-by-step documentation for setup as well as instructions for how to use the various features and really get the most out of your photo printer. The booklet for using your PictureMate without a computer is small and compact and can be easily referenced. You can even do photo editing such as print in black and white or sepia, crop, correct or enhance, and print a date stamp on the photos. You can also choose to print single photos, a range of photos, or all of the photos on the memory card – all without a computer.

There was only one drawback I saw to using the PictureMate without a computer. In order to preview the photos, since there is not a color LCD screen on the printer, you need to print a proof sheet of the images. Depending on how many images you have stored on the memory card, it could take 4-5 pages of photo paper to preview them all. Printing multiple proof sheets can significantly increase your overall cost-per-print. One way to avoid printing proof sheets without using your computer is if your camera supports DPOF (Digital Print Order Format). DPOF allows you to use your camera to pre-select which photos and the number of copies you want to print.

Cropping the images without using a computer was also a little more difficult and requires a printed template sheet to show options for where the crop marks would be. These templates also raise the cost-per-print if you print multiple templates for different photographs. Epson does suggest that you can use one printed template as a guide for all photographs.

If you’d like to use this printer primarily without a computer, my recommendation is to be sure your camera supports DPOF and won’t be sacrificing paper for proof sheets that will eventually be thrown away. It’s certainly a handy machine if you’re traveling or would like to print copies of photos for family and friends right from your memory card.

With a Computer
This is likely how I will personally use the PictureMate most often. With it hooked up to my computer, I can easily print photos after editing and cropping them with my photo editing program. It’s just as convenient and easy as sending a document to my regular printer.

While the printer does come with software (Epson Film Factory) to facilitate cropping, editing and printing, I found that the photo editing program I use regularly is more convenient for me to work from. The Epson software is great for anyone without a sufficient photo editor, but if you use a high performance image editing program, you’ll likely be more satisfied with printing from those programs you already use. The Film Factory Software does offer templates for printing wallet-sized photos and other combinations of sizes on one 4” x 6” sheet which I did find to be helpful.

Even if you decide not to use the Epson software, be sure to install the drivers and User’s Guide on the software CD. The drivers will allow your computer to recognize the PictureMate, and the User’s Guide is a fantastic easy-to-understand manual for using the Epson PictureMate with your computer.

I ran into a small snag during installation when the test print sheet printed on my standard computer rather than the PictureMate, which left me unsure as to how to print the test sheet on the correct printer. After ending the installation process and re-booting, I re-inserted the software disk and installation resumed and recognized the Epson printer as one of my installed printers. I have not had a problem with the software since then.

*Note: The USB cable is not included with the printer, and will need to be purchased separately. Luckily I had one at home, so I didn’t need to make a special trip to buy one.

Speed
It takes approximately 2 ½ minutes to print each photograph. If you’re printing one or two photos at a time, this wait is no problem at all. If you tend to print in bulk, be prepared to wait a little longer and spend a little bit of time adding paper to the printer. The printer can hold up to 20 sheets of paper at a time. Within an hour you can print up to 24 photographs. That comes out to basically a 1-hour photo lab in your home—open 24 hours. Not bad when it means you don’t have to drive anywhere to drop them off and pick them up.

Cost per Print
After the initial cost to purchase the PictureMate (retailing at about $200), your cost per photo printed is about $0.29. The ink cartridge is sold with a package of 100 sheets of photo paper. Since the cartridge and paper set sells for $29.99, you end up paying about $0.29 - $0.30 per print. On average, the ink runs out about the same time that the paper does and Epson offers a refund for up to $0.29 per leftover sheet if your ink happens to run out before the paper. With the cost of digital prints at various retailers ranging from $0.18 to $0.39, the Epson PictureMate prints are very comparable in price.

Overall, I’m thrilled with the performance and convenience of the Epson PictureMate. If I had one wish, it would also print 5” x 7” and panoramic prints for some added variety. This will be a wonderful machine for those late night scrapbook pages I create. When the idea hits, I don’t have to wait for the photos to arrive from the developer, nor will I have to sacrifice quality from printing them at home.

Learn more about the Epson PictureMate Personal Photo Lab.

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