Despite being born into a “technologically advanced” generation and my undeniable love of computers, the accessories that could work alongside them always seemed like little more than expensive scams, and even the most utilitarian hardware such as printers had never interested me much. Sitting off in a dusty corner, our printers were frequently hand-me-downs or discontinued models bought on the cheap, capable of little more than transforming pages of black and white digitized letters into physical documents. When we finally upgraded our family printer into one that had color ink, it was a momentous occasion, but I still couldn’t get very excited about the lack-luster tones and low quality prints slowly crawling out of the paper tray. The last thing I would ever think of doing was trying to make serious prints of digital photography, so even as I became closer and closer with my camera, there was still no tangible proof of our countless hours together. Sure, there are plenty of new services online that will send you prints of your pictures these days, but the hassle of ordering, waiting for shipping, and exorbitant costs drove me away faster than you can click a browser window shut. Convinced that printing decent photographs in one’s own home was truly a fantasy, I was prepared to drop the notion when I found this new Kodak EasyShare printer- Or should I say, when it found me.
For full disclosure, I want you all to know that yes, I did receive this machine for free to review, but that doesn’t mean I was influenced in my opinion. Since I had very recently purchased a new printer for those black and white school reports that are always demanded, I wasn’t even sure if it was a wise thing to take in yet another bulky piece of equipment, especially with my limited dorm space. Nonetheless, I wanted to put it through its paces and see what this baby could do, with the hopes of bringing my photos back into reality.
First off, it’s easy to see even at a glance that this is not your grandma’s printer. With built-in scanner/copier capabilities in addition to those nifty photo-specific features that allow you to hook up your camera’s memory disk directly to the printer, no computer required, I could hardly even compare my archaic ink boxes to it. What really excited me, though, was a little slot meant specifically for 4×6 photo papers. Okay, you can call me a nerd now… But I have never been able to use this size paper before, even if I had been okay with the dismal quality- Sucking up those small pieces along with the next full-sized sheet of paper, my old machines wouldn’t register the presence of such a small object. Needless to say, this time it worked with incredible ease, and I have a feeling that homemade stationery and photo cards might become a big deal for my holiday mailings now… You’ll just have to trust me that it came out beautifully, because a picture of a picture really doesn’t do this print justice.
Best of all perhaps is the ink itself- Much cheaper than the standard cartridges, I won’t have to bemoan the cost of every single print. Tip-toeing so carefully along my narrow budget, this is one huge stress that I would be happy to push into the back of my mind while enjoying my photography.
In order to test out this feature, I selected a number of random pictures I had hanging out on my memory card, and it just so happened that I picked out a series of cupcake photos. As they shot out of the printer at lightning speed, I was amused to see that they told a story by themselves. To give you an idea of what I saw and then laid out on my desk together, here are those pictures in order:
(Yum!)
Now here’s the fun part- I have been granted an extra Kodak printer, and I want one of you to have it! Yes, you too can look forward to printing off pictures, holiday cards, and even reports if you should so desire, with all of the added features of this magnificent machine! I’ve learned well enough that you guys are too smart for my usual contests, so this time, I want you to earn this baby. Whip out that camera of yours and take a series of pictures, just like I did with the cupcakes. It doesn’t need to be of an particular subject, with any amount of time elapsing between shots, and it doesn’t need to tell a story, if you so choose. It might need an accompanying explanation, or it may speak for itself. You could capture an object in motion while the camera stays stationary, or your subject might be the same, viewed from all different angles. Okay, I think you get the point, so just get creative; it’s really hard to go wrong with this one! All I ask is that you have at least three pictures in this series, but you can certainly include more if it seems fit.
To participate, please post your submissions on your blog, link back to this post, and email me so that I’m aware of your entry (Hannah@mysweetvegan.com) by November 30. I will post a round-up and announce the winners on December 2nd. Good luck, be creative, and give it your all- I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!