I have had two of these. First I had one that my camera doced on to charge and you could print the pics without a computer. After 8 months it broke and I would have had to spend more than what I paid for it to have it fixed. A few years later my hubby got me a printer/scanner combo that if you bought the photo ink would print nice pics. The only problem now is that the ink costs so much. I have found it cheaper to either take my photo card to the drugstore or buy them online. Even with the shipping it comes out cheaper than buying photo ink and photo paper.

cyn

I had one for awhile.  I used it to print out pictures and send with cards home.... I found it was a hassle more than anything and yes, Cyn is right, the ink and the paper was too expensive.  I ended up donating it to the salvation army.

I wouldn't buy another one because I think it takes up space, costs money to maintain... OH!!!  and a big thing was, I couldn't put in my new 2gb memory card.  It only accepted the first memory card I had and that one didn't have any room at all, so when I upgraded my memory card, I couldn't use it anyway!!!  That was really bad. 

Make sure the one you buy connects via a USB and will fit all cameras and cards!!! 

Hope that helps! 

Walgreens has these great kiosk in the photo department you can use. They allow you to crop and edit and resize your photos fairly quickly. then you can buy prints they have great deals on a regular basis and they get better if you watch the sales. Printing your photos at home is more of a convenience than a money saver but if you do insist on being able to print your own photos be sure to check on the following.

 Ink Cost..... see if your local Walgreens has the ink refill service in the photo department. if they do make sure you get a printer that uses cartridges that you can have refilled. You will save at least 50% on ink and more if you watch for the sales and get your ink when it is on sale.

Paper.... there are lots of different papers out there for printing photos, shop around and find the best price and make sure any printer you buy can use that paper. I have seen some photo printers that require really expensive paper.

Card Reader.... I wouldn't worry too much about having a card reader on the printer but i would make sure its one that can be installed on your computer via USB even blue tooth. ( USB will be cheaper ) There are tons of card readers and adapters out there. check your Walgreens photo department they have USB adapters for most type of cards for under 10 dollars.

To get the most bang for your buck check out the combination printer/ scanners, Almost any ink jet printer will print great photos if you use the proper paper. I have gotten great results off of my Lexmark  x1270... i paid a few dollars more upfront but the savings on ink alone made it well worth the extra cost upfront and I haven't found a type of photo paper that it can not use yet.

TW0EDGE1:

Almost any ink jet printer will print great photos if you use the proper paper.

Someone suggested this to Mom and the woman has gone nuts with being able to scan and print photos along with making her own cards, invitations and other printables.

They do look good.

I've printed pictures with ours, but found that they will fade if left in the light.  I don't know if you have to use different ink or not, but I had one of my grandson made with the regular colored ink in the printer and after a few months it was hard to even see it.  It had been on a wall of my office, no frame or glass over it, just stuck to the wall.  Edey

well everyone needs a hobby and scrap book photo editing is a great one.

I agree with what tw0edge said for the most part.  I have a HP all in one printer, copier, scanner and it has a nook in front that fits the memory cards directly, so technically I don't need my computer to use my printer.  We priced the ink before we bought the printer.  DH buys ink online and it's so much cheaper.  I don't like to do the refill thing b/c it doesn't work for me.  Like other people have had happen, my ink gets smear-y and nothing prints out right.  I cleaned the cartridge heads, realligned the printer, etc., but nothing worked.  I just buy the ink.  HP also started making XL cartridges for some printers.  I don't know if other companies do this.  We have a few HP printers at work for when we need color copies or whatnot.  Anyway, I discovered that I could pay $17 for an ink cartridge of regular fluid weight or I could buy an XL one with 3 times the ink (fluid weight) for only $30.  And it actually lasted 3 times as long.  (Oh and those prices were store prices from when there was an emergency print job; we would normally buy them online where it's cheaper and you can get free shipping with a coupon code or if you order XYZ amount.)

TW0EDGE1:

well everyone needs a hobby and scrap book photo editing is a great one

I am so glad you think that. I would love to have some interesting looking photos or lay outs for memories rather than the old standard photo in a frame. I'll be expecting those soon...would be a nice Christmas present.   

whats your moms email address? i'll be sure to send her a link to this thread.