A photolab for your desktop!

Introduction
Those of you who have been following my reviews will know that we have two Kodak digicams in our family, which continue to deliver exceptional results. We decided it would be nice to have our own photo printer. We opted for the Kodak photo printer dock plus because it was priced only a little more than the Kodak photo printer dock, but seemed like it was better quality and produced pictures faster. We decided to stay with the Kodak family in order to ensure compatibility and ease of use (which is very important when it comes to my wife).

About the printer
The printer itself is, in fact, impressively easy to use. One does not need a computer in order to use it; simply dock your Kodak camera on top; it will use your digicam's screen as a monitor, and you can select which pictures you wish to print. If you don't own a Kodak camera, you can use any PictBridge compatible camera in the USB port. Along with a navigation button and a print button, there is another button that will let you do two, four, or nine pictures per 4x6 sheet - so you can easily make wallet-sized photos or make an index photo for your collection. Other buttons include a cancel button, an "Auto Enhance" button, a "Slideshow" button, and a share button (used when the dock is connected to a computer). Colour cartridges go in the right side. On the left side, safe behind a rubberized flap are the ports. One will accept an SD memory card, another accepts a USB connection (which is PictBridge compatible), and a third is a video/audio output for using your TV as a display. There are three lights to indicate the charge in your Kodak camera, and it will charge your Kodak camera while it is docked. Rather quickly, I might add.

Included accessories
Kodak has bent over backwards to keep their docks and cameras compatible with each other; this dock came with an adapter plate, as did both of my Kodak cameras. They even included a Lithium rechargable battery pack to replace the two AA batteries that must be used in cheaper Kodak digiams, which was really nice even though I have no use for it. Also included in the box was the power adapter and plug, a USB cable, an A/V cable, a tray for holding the paper, a "Demo" 10 pack of paper, a colour cartridge, the Easyshare software, a getting started guide, a well-written tri-language manual, and little bits of paper describing the warranty, giving warnings, and advertising accessories. I'm very pleased to say there was nothing lacking, except for the fact that you will want to get more paper and colour cartridges (which are sold together); 10 pictures is just barely enough to get you started. As complete as this kit is, there are accessories, such as a travel bag, remote control, wireless USB adapter, an 8-in-1 card reader, and a Wi-Fi card. I have no use for these (except perhaps the travel bag); other people may find this wealth of accessory support to be valuable for their needs.

Using the printer
The pictures themselves are stunning. When printing, you need to be sure to leave adequate space behind the printer, because it draws the paper from the front, feeds it through a slot in the back almost all the way, then feeds it back through to the front again. It takes four passes for it to complete a picture; the first pass does yellow, the second pass does red, and the third pass does blue. I'm not sure what the fourth pass does; perhaps that's where it protects the picture, because the pictures are waterproof. A single picture is ready in just under a minute. I put them next to some prints that were done at Costco from a 35mm Pentax SLR camera, and I have to say I honestly prefer the ones done on the printer dock. The detail is rich; the colours are vibrant.

The software
The supplied software is okay, but it's not necessary to use this printer with a computer. It installs as a regular printer with a printer driver, and you could use your favourite software (ie; Picasa) to manipulate, enhance, and print your pictures. My wife prefers to use Kodak's software because it's easy to use.

Cost per print
One word of warning; if you think you can save money by printing your own pictures, you probably will not. Even without considering the cost of buying the printer, the cost of each print when buying the paper and ink in bulk ($59.99 CAD for 160) works out to 38 cents Cdn. per picture - before tax. While quite reasonable, many places will do prints for under 25 cents a print. However, those places usually make you wait, and charge around 45 cents per print for instant prints. Still, one must consider the cost of actually buying the printer to realize that they will have to make a large number of prints to break even. However, I do live in the city, within walking distance of a store that has a Kodak picture machine. Depending on where you live and how far you have to drive to get your pictures, this really may save you money given the current price of gas. Also, the cost of digital prints may cost more in places where there's little competition. I suggest that convenience and portability are better reasons for buying this printer. Imagine printing off your own pictures while on vacation to mail them back home as custom post cards. It doesn't draw much power, so you could power it using a cheap inverter for your car if you had to.

Caveats
The one main drawback of this printer is the fact that it will only do 4x6 prints. While fine for most people (as most photo albums accept a 4x6 printer), many people today are preferring larger pictures as the megapixel count goes up. Of course, the trade-off then would mean the printer would not be nearly as portable.

Conclusion
Kodak has been in the photography business for a long time, and they continue to lead with digital products like this. It's affordable, it's convenient, it's extremely easy to use, and the results are as good as you would get from a professional lab. Being able to do your own prints gives a certain sense of empowerment, and takes the hobby of photography to a whole new level. Gone are the messy and dangerous chemicals of yesteryear. I highly recommend this product to anyone who enjoys photography as a hobby and wants to print whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they may be.