On average, smartphone users take about20 photos a day.
I spent a few weeks with theHP Sprocket 34 Instant Photo Printerand overused it to the point of abuse.
Theres no doubt that it did make printing pictures much easier for me.
It has a nice, textured effect on the top panel.Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
I also got to play around with my pictures.
The companion app offers a full-fledged photo editing service.
There are options for tweaking brightness and contrast and adding filters, stickers, and text.
The colors are pretty decent.Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
I could also crop the images to my liking.
Apparently, this paper embeds millions of tiny crystals that heat up to produce the colors in your pictures.
Its form factor makes it easily stowable, too.
Look at the lines on the right side of the image.Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
It can easily fit into a large back pocket or small bag because of its slim and lightweight body.
The printer also looks good on your desk.
Whats the catch here?
This is what it looks like when the top panel is removed to restock the Zink paper.Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
The biggest compromise here is quality.
The quality was very inconsistent.
Dont expect pro-level printing anyway.
There is a lot of room for improvement in terms of the clarity of the images.
If you cant compromise on quality, youre better off printing the photos professionally.
And honestly, even with the imperfections, it gives the photos almost a Polaroid feel to them.
The Sprocket starts to heat up every time you simultaneously print more than 10 pictures on it.
The battery life is also shorter than youd expect.
The Sprocket works for around one hour before youre tethered to a socket.
Printing isnt a hassle once the paper is correctly stocked until the Sprocket heats up and dies on you.
But anytime I tried to restock, there was considerable back and forth.
It didnt recognize it at first, and I had to make numerous adjustments till it finally did.
I wouldnt recommend it if youre looking for ten-out-of-ten image quality, though.
Despite some performance hiccups, I really enjoyed the gear, and my friends were equally amused by it.
Its a nice way to print out impromptu mementos and keepsakes from your daily adventures.
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