Photo printer for non-PC owner

jonbxx · 02-08-2011, 09:16

Hi all. My mother in law has been given a digital camera which she loves. She doesn't have a PC but takes the camera down to Boots to get photos printed from the memory card. At 38p a shot, this is working out quite expensive and a chore too.

What she would like is a photo printer to use at home. She is 75 and not tech savvy at all (I spent over an hour helping her sort out predictive text messaging on a Nokia phone I had never used before by phone!) So what she needs is something that will print out nice 6x4" photos with the minimum of fuss. Obviously she doesn't need any PC bells and whistles such as WiFi and, to be honest, having those soprt of functions available would just be confusing.

I was thinking of either a Pictbridge printer or something equally as simple to use.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I have been looking at the Canon Selphy range but any other suggestions would be great!

**Kymmy** · 02-08-2011, 09:18

What size prints will you want?? if you're happy with 6*4 then there's some good little printers on the market which are very simple to load up and use and provide good fade resistant prints.. If you want to go larger then you're looking at more complicated systems and designed to be more PC based though they will work independent.

jonbxx · 03-08-2011, 08:15

6x4" prints are all she needs. Do you have any good suggestions?

Many thanks!

**Kymmy** · 03-08-2011, 08:44

There's so many.. some just attach to the camera where as others will also take memroy cards and/or bluetooth (print from a phone camera), do you want a tilt up screen and are you happy with cheaper inks which fade after a few years or good inks or even sublimation printers (like some fujis)

Most go for kodak or canons as they were designed to be camera printers where as Epson or HP came from their PC printer technology..

Have a walk round some photo/computer stores as you really do need to see the item, see how it connects to the camera in question and also how easy it is to replace the ink (also costs of the inks)

Aragorn · 04-08-2011, 08:50

If you can find an old HP Photosmart Compact, both my mother and mother-in-law (80+) have been using them successfully. Something like this.
Alternatively, an All-in-one would allow her to photcopy documents as well.

LSainsbury · 04-08-2011, 17:52

How is she backing up the photos?? Or is she not bothered?

**Chris** · 04-08-2011, 18:39

Sounds like she's not bothered, seeing as she doesn't have a PC and prints everything out.

The only thing I would add to all the above is that there is a cost-per-print attached to a home printer, just as there is at Asda. It is merely disguised somewhat, behind the once-in-a-while nature of buying and replacing the ink tanks.

Does anyone know a reliable way of calculating the cost of home printing photos?

---------- Post added at 18:39 ---------- Previous post was at 18:37 ----------

- Also, tell her to use her local Boots, 38p for a 6x4 print is outrageous.

http://www.boots.com/en/Instore-Digi...-_-c9001_link1

jonbxx · 05-08-2011, 08:38

She's not bothered about backing up the photos. As far as she is concerned, printing them is backing them up (I know, but each to their own...)

That 38p figure came from Boots using the 'Instant Print' facility. If I can match half that price, I would be happy. The Canon Selphy printer uses a combined pack of ink and paper and works out about 25p per print which is OK if not the cheapest.

My biggest worry is that if it is too complicated, she just won't use it as she is very wary about technology. We bought her a Freeview box a few years ago and spent 2 hours showing her how to use the thing!

Thanks for the HP Photosmart link Aragorn, that looks good!