On average, smartphone users have approx. 20 photos a day. This number seems low, but when I looked back at the photos I took and thought to myself, „This would make a nice printout,“ I didn't do it because it was a bit of a pain to print. It happens many times. .I spent several weeks with HP Sprocket 3×4 Instant Photo Printer And I used it so much that I abused it. I plastered the entire room with photos (23 to be exact) and gave some of them away as postcard-like gifts to quite a few friends.
There is no doubt that it printed a photo many It's easier for me. For a long time, I wanted to decorate my room with photos of my favorite people and places, but I was too lazy to go to my local CVS and print the photos. It was very convenient to be able to connect to the printer via his Bluetooth on my phone and select photos from my camera roll in the HP Sprocket companion app.
I was also able to play with my own photos. The companion app provides full-fledged photo editing services. There are options to adjust brightness and contrast, add filters, stickers, and text. You can also crop the image to your liking.
![Photo of one of the photos printed by Sprocket.](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/ c9f4331bb3e0c67ad9cb2fd2a66d6c25.jpg)
It doesn't use ink to print, so you don't have to worry about refilling cartridges, but you do need to stock up on HP's proprietary Zink paper, which is built into the printer. Apparently, the paper is embedded with millions of tiny crystals that are heated to produce the colors in the photo.a 50 packs cost $40This is by no means „cheap“, so I'd like to reiterate that while Sprocket is a great convenience option, it's not necessarily cheap.
Its shape also allows for easy storage. Its slim and lightweight body easily fits into large back pockets or small bags. The printer also looks great on your desk.
instant photo printer Only $130, It is very convenient to link your mobile phone and print what you need, and it is convenient to carry. What are the pitfalls here? The biggest compromise here is quality. The quality was very inconsistent. Some photos have visible imperfections, such as lines or random colors that appear out of nowhere. For example, one day, my friend's lips turned purple for some reason.
![One of the photos printed by Sprocket has an unwanted line in it.](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/ c_fit,q_60 ,w_645/fc15cb81ee068155d3d87d79db7d2ed9.jpg)
Don't expect professional level printing anyway. There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to image clarity. If you can't compromise on quality, it's better to have your photos printed professionally. About 20% of the photos I printed had visual defects, some of which were so minor that I didn't notice them when I hung the photos on the wall. That makes this a good device to have on hand for casual photographers. , convenient printing. Even ignoring some of the resulting flaws, colors are vibrant and rich, images are sharp, and contrast is excellent. Honestly, even with imperfections, it can give your photos an almost Polaroid-like feel.
![Sprocket printer photo. A stack of Zink paper is visible inside.](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60 ,w_645/778c0381b7b72deb7287d025fb872c2e.jpg)
Sprocket starts to heat up whenever I print more than 10 photos at the same time. If it gets too hot, printing will stop and the companion app will display a Please Wait message. Battery life is also shorter than I expected. Sprocket will run for about an hour before being connected to a socket. However, this is not a big problem since he rarely uses the instant printer for more than an hour at a time.
Finally, every time I refilled the printer with Zink paper, it was an annoyance for at least 10 minutes. If the paper is stocked correctly, printing shouldn't be too difficult until the Sprocket gets hot and runs out of breath. But every time I tried to refill it there was quite a back and forth. It wasn't recognized at first and I had to adjust it many times until it finally did.
Overall, HP Sprocket is very suitable for casual prints that you want to display in your room. However, it is not recommended if you are looking for image quality of 10 out of 10. Despite some performance issues, I really enjoyed the device and so did my friends. A great way to print instant keepsakes and keepsakes of your daily adventures.