The PictureMate Flash shares the same body as the PictureMate Snap, although it's about 1.25 inches taller with the bottom-mounted CD burner. The burner also adds an extra 1.3 pounds for a total carrying weight of 6.6 pounds.
With the burner, you can easily back up the contents of a memory card. Simply insert a memory card into one of the device's built-in slots, and press the Save button. You'll be prompted to insert a blank CD into the slot-loading burner. You can opt to back up all the contents of a memory card, or you can pick and choose the photos you want to burn. Once you insert a CD and press OK, the burn will proceed automatically, and the CD will eject once the burn is completed. You can also print images stored on a CD: insert a CD, select the CD drive as the source of photos, and proceed as you would typically with a memory card or other flash storage device.
While the burn is proceeding, the machine will ask if you'd like to print a CD index. If selected, the printer will generate a sheet of thumbnails, representing the burned images, on 4x6-inch photo paper. Each sheet holds 56 thumbnails with extra space for a handwritten memo. The printer even prints dotted lines to help when trimming to fit into a jewel case.
Convenience aside, is the CD burner really worth the higher price tag? If you plan to use the printer mainly at home and already have a CD burner, the short answer is no. Saving the contents of a memory card to PC before burning is an extra step, but it's not a huge hassle. Even if you plan to tote the photo lab around, we still can't fathom forking over a extra $100 for the burner. Memory card capacities have increased dramatically--thus very few people would actually need the burner to clear a memory card.
What's more, toting the Epson PictureMate Snap and a few USB flash drives is considerably more convenient than dragging around the heavier PictureMate Flash and a handful of blank CDs. If you're looking for a home personal snapshot printer, save yourself the C-note and choose the PictureMate Snap--and put the $100 toward something you really want.
Product Specifications:
Product Description:
Epson PictureMate Flash PM 280 - Compact photo printer - Color - Ink-jet
Printer Type:
Compact photo printer - Ink-jet - Color
Form Factor:
Portable
Dimensions (WxDxH):
8.5 in x 6 in x 6.9 in
Weight:
6.6 lbs
Inkjet Technology:
Epson Micro Piezo
Ink Palette (Colors):
4-ink - Cyan, magenta, yellow, black
Max Media Size (Standard):
4 in x 6 in
Max Media Size (Custom):
4 in x 6 in
Print Speed:
up to 0.8 min/page - Photo - 4 in x 6 in
Max Resolution ( B&W ):
5760 dpi x 720 dpi
Max Resolution ( Color ):
5760 dpi x 720 dpi
Interface:
USB
Preview Screen Size:
2.5"
Card Reader:
Card reader
Media Type:
Photo paper
Total Media Capacity:
20 sheets
Manufacturer Warranty:
1 year warranty
Modem:
None
Networking:
None
Type:
None
Copier Type:
None
Printer Features:
CD/DVD printing
,
Borderless printing
Power:
AC 120 V
Battery:
None
System Requirements:
Apple MacOS X 10.2.8 or later
,
Apple MacOS X 10.3.9 or later
,
Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP
,
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition