Epson makes choosing the paper and ink cartridges for your PictureMate Pal very simple: paper and ink come in print packs, with the amount of ink calibrated to the number of blank sheets in the pack. That is, once your paper runs out, so should the ink. The ink cartridge is one simple cassette you insert into the back of your printer. All you need to do is choose between Glossy and Matte finishes. The Glossy pack includes 150 sheets of paper and costs $38, which works out to about 25 cents per print. The Matte pack contains 100 sheets and costs $33, or about 33 cents per print. These costs are about the same as the per-picture cost for the Canon Selphy DS810, and well under the cost of using the Kodak Easy Share Printer Dock Series 3 device.
The Epson PictureMate Pal printed 4x6 photos at a rate of 1 page per minute (ppm), right in step with Epson's estimate and slightly slower than the Canon Selphy DS810's 1.11ppm. The photo quality was acceptable, definitely good enough for casual snapshots. The prints revealed sharp details, though we did see very slight graininess in color blocks and the image lacked a certain warmth and brightness. We like the colors produced by the Selphy DS810 better.
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Epson backs the PictureMate Pal with a one-year limited warranty. Phone tech support is available Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. PST, though it's a toll call. If you would rather not pay for the call, you can e-mail your question to Epson's tech support; they promise to respond via e-mail within one business day. The company's Web site offers downloadable drivers and manuals as well as FAQs.
What You'll Pay
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