With the Photo Printer 500, people can view and edit their pictures on a large, bright, 3.5-inch LCD screen — the world’s largest on a snapshot photo printer. The LCD screen can be closed, making it more convenient to move around the home or take on trips, as well as protecting it from dust.

Pictures are enhanced with Kodak PerfectTouch Technology, automatically delivering better, brighter pictures without the use of complex menu commands. Red-eye reduction is also available at the touch of a button. Your prints will last for a lifetime thanks to the Xtralife Lamination, which also makes them waterproof and stain-resistant.

A thermal printhead uses heat to transfer ink dyes from a mylar sheet and fuses them in the paper. This is a subtractive color process, the color dyes are transparent and can be placed on top of each other to create up to 16 million colors and produces a picture the equal of conventional photo prints.

PictBridge Direct Printing

Shown here connected to a Kodak Easyshare V550 camera.

Printing from Flash Cards

The left slot accomodates CompactFlash cards (Type I only, no Microdrives), the middle slot handles SD, MMC, Memory Stick and xD-Picture Cards. The far right slot is a SDIO (input/output) type for use with the Kodak Wi-Fi card.

The controls: Menu button calls up the onscreen menu system where you select your printing settings, wireless settings, editing options, menu language and etc. The Rotate buttons lets you rotate portrait mode images for proper display on the LCD. The Slideshow button begins automated playback on the LCD. The Crop button lets you easily crop the frame for subject content or to fit a 4:3 aspect ratio image into the 3:2 format used by 4×6-inch prints.

The Cancel button stops the print. Press the Bluetooth button to enable/disable the internal radio receiver. You select pictures and navigate the menus by pressing Right or Left on the 4-way controller just like your digital camera and print the picture displayed on the LCD by pressing the center button. Red Eye Reduction is used when printing without a computer, press it to automatically remove red-eye in your pictures. The Transfer button works with the Kodak EasyShare Software when connected to a computer to automate downloads from your flash cards.

The LEDs warn if the paper is out and tell you when it is time to replace the ribbon cartridge.

Wireless Operation

The Kodak Photo Printer 500 is ready "out of the box" to communicate with Bluetooth equipped camera phones, laptops and PDAs.

Print from Computer

When the printer is connected to your computer it also functions as a card reader. You can transfer images and movies from either card slot to your computer, there's even a dedicated Transfer button that launches the Easyshare Software to do it.

Print Sizes

The Photo Printer 500 can print 4 different sizes:

• Full photo 4×6"
• 3×4" credit card size with borders
• Multiple 2×3" wallets
• 1.3×2" mini photos

You can also choose from four different color modes: natural, enhanced (vivid), black and white or sepia toned.

To make "perfect" 4×6-inch borderless prints you need to use your camera's (3:2) quality mode. This 3:2 aspect ratio yields an image that fits perfectly on the 4×6- inch size paper with no cropping. Most cameras create a 4:3 aspect ratio image which printed at 4×6" requires cropping some of the top and bottom of your image. For this reason Kodak offers the smaller 3×4-inch print size.

Kodak 4×6" Print Packs

The PH-40 print packs contain the ribbon cartridge and two packs of printing paper with 20 sheets in each pack. The ribbon is good for all 40 prints, separating the paper into two packages helps keep it fresher. The street price is $24.99 so the "per print" cost is rather high at $0.62 each.

The PH-80 print pack for $39.99 will make 80 prints ($0.50 per print). For the greatest value buy the PH-160 print pack, it's $46.99 and makes 160 prints which lowers the cost down to an economical $0.29 each.

Steve's Conclusion

The Kodak Easyshare Photo Printer 500 was made for users of digital cameras other than Kodak models, this isn't a Printer Dock, it's strictly a photo printer. If you have an Easyshare camera then you'll want to get the Printer Dock Series 3, it also makes 4×6-inch prints -and- it charges your camera's battery when docked and makes transfers simple.

The printer is very compact and lightweight and its big 3.5-inch color screen makes viewing and editing a pleasure. It's a perfect match for anyone that wants a home printer capable of making photo lab-quality "jumbo" size prints. Dye sub printers use a dry ribbon, no messy inks to fool with and you always know exactly how many prints are remaining. This printer takes those features and adds Kodak's PerfectTouch Technology to automatically improve the color and brightness and you have red-eye removal at the touch of a button.

The unretouched digicam image

After pressing the Red Eye Reduction button

I had no problems using the printer with my Sony VAIO laptop with its builtin Bluetooth wireless connectivity and the Kodak Easyshare Software or connected directly with the USB cable. The jury is still out as to whether the Wi-Fi capabilities are all that useful or not. It's only useable within a hundred feet or so and it's just as easy to remove the card or plug in a cable to make prints. Maybe in the future when all digicams have Wi-Fi builtin as a standard feature, right now it's really nothing more than a gimmick that will cost you another $100 to use. And this comes from a self-confessed "gadget freak" with a wireless router and laptop, a cellphone and a van with Onstar.

Printing at home is handy but it comes at a cost, you have to buy the printer and then the consumables. With many places like WalMart and others making 4×6-inch prints for twenty cents or less you need to decide if the convenience is worth the price. Buying the Kodak PH-160 Print Pack for $46.99 gets the per print cost down to $0.29 with this printer. Many of the inkjet photo printers have much higher per print costs and inkjet prints are nowhere near as durable or fade-resistant.

The Kodak Easyshare Photo Printer 500 is extremely easy to use, produces brilliant color photos that rival conventionally processed prints both in quality and longevity. If you have a PictBridge compatible digicam you might want to consider the soon to be available Kodak Easyshare Photo Printer 300, it will lack the color LCD (which isn't needed for PictBridge mode) and will be less expensive.

NOTE: Printer may slow down when thermal head needs to cool. Print speed is dependent on picture size, number of continuous prints, and environmental conditions.