Kodak EasyShare printer dock plus series 3 compact photo printer review

Kodak promises a perfect solution for its camera users with the Easyshare printer, but what about everyone else?

19 March 2006 0:26 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Kodak’s answer to anyone wanting to print their digital images is the Kodak EasyShare Series 3 Printer. The model designed specifically for Kodak cameras is its first stumbling block as if you haven’t got a Kodak camera then the printer is virtually pointless.

We say virtually because rather than opt to include a x-in-1 card reader the Series 3 printer features Bluetooth built in, wireless support via a Kodak Wi-Fi card and of course a USB connection so you can print from a connected computer.

If you do own a Kodak camera then the fact that you can dock your model directly on top of the camera will be very appealing.

Connecting your camera means it can double up as a screen so you can view your images before you print and the printer also doubles as a charger and docking station.

When connected, the printer also allowed us to fix red eye on some of our images.

When it came to printing we where happy with the print quality. The printer, rather than printing all colours at once runs four passes - magenta, cyan, yellow and then finally a clear gloss to protect the image.

The result is a slower print and one that requires plenty of space as the printer feeds out the back, but the prints are worth the wait. Colours are well-balanced and the print quality good.

Verdict

This is a tale of two halves. If you've got a Kodak camera then it's great. The ability to turn it into a docking station for your camera will certainly appeal to new digital camera users as will the ability to use the cameras LCD screen to preview images before you print.

We also like the fact that as long as you've got a Bluetooth enabled phone you can print to it wirelessly without really having to worry about dongles and the like and it will certain mean you print more pictures that you ever have before.

Of course all this is theoretical if you haven't got a Kodak camera. If that's the case, then this isn't one for you. We recommend you look at the HP 375 or Epson Picturemate 100.

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Review Recap

Made by: Kodak
Price as reviewed: £105
Latest price: Compare prices
The good: Bluetooth built in, Kodak camera acts as screen
The bad: Only works with Kodak cameras, needs plenty of space to print
Quick verdict: If you’ve got a Kodak camera then this is a great choice, however all other camera owners need look elsewhere
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