Sony PictureStation DPP-FP30

4.0 stars

"Great printer for the price point" on August 14, 2007 by clokverkorange

Pros: compact, easy to operate, software is a breeze

Cons: paper/ink packs can be hard to find in some brick-and-mortar stores, no color options (black, white)

Summary: I'm fortunate enough to live near a Sony Factory Outlet, so I managed to get this item for just over fifty dollars. At that price, this item is a steal. I'm sure the gas I used to waste taking trips back and forth to Target to use their picture station makes up for the low cost of this item.

The fact that it doesn't have an LCD screen and memory card slot doesn't bother me much. Sony does offer a model with the LCD screen and memory card slot, the model above this one I believe, but in reality, I don't want to spend more for things that I largely wouldn't use, so this printer works for me.

Another thing I like about it is the definitive Sony style. It has a nice, low form factor and takes up very little space on my desk, and uses USB so I can still hook up my real printer without having to swap cables. I would have preferred to see this in traditional Sony black, and the lack of color options does make me knock off a point.

In terms of print quality, you would be hard pressed to tell a print made on this printer from a real photo, the quality is that good. Also, the Sony picture paper is set up to resemble a postcard on the back. I sent a picture printed on this to a friend as a postcard and he still doesn't believe that it was just a picture I took and printed out.

Last but not least, CNet's gripe about the cost per print is meaningless. For the convenience of editing, enhancing, and printing your photos in the comfort of your own home, the price per print is amazingly cheap. The lowest price I found on the 120 print packs was 30.97. That's just over 25 cents a print. For the quality and convenience, that's a price I'm more than willing to pay.