The rise of small, moveable printers lately has in some half been pushed by the rejection of a ‘digital solely’ world. There is no such thing as a doubt that we have now seen an elevated want to remodel our most cherished moments into tangible keepsakes, and printers that supply an all-in-one bundle that may connect with your smartphone or pill to print your images on the go make it simpler than ever to take action.
The Kodak Step Slim guarantees comfort in addition to a chic design and progressive, easy-to-set-up options that get rid of the necessity for messy cartridges or faffy printing processes. Like different moveable printers on this class, the Step Slim doesn’t use inkjets or any type of conventional printing – as a substitute, it makes use of Zink printing, which makes use of warmth to activate color crystals embedded within the ZINK paper, leading to vibrant and smudge-proof prints. We’ll be trying into the printer’s design, performance and ease of setup on this overview, in addition to the way it stacks up in comparison with a few of its very succesful rivals.
Kodak Step Slim overview: Key specs
| Connectivity: | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Printing format: | 2 x 3in |
| Weight: | 454g |
| Platforms: | iOS, Android |
| Printing technique: | Zink printing |
| Paper pack dimension: | 20 images in a single pack |
Kodak Step Slim overview: Setup
The printer itself is available in a small bundle, and though we knew about its moveable credentials we had been impressed by the neatness of the bundle and the unboxing course of is simple – simply plug within the included mini USB charger and insert the small starter pack of movie and also you’re able to go.
We discovered that pairing the Step Slim with a smartphone or pill was a hassle-free course of. Allow Bluetooth in your gadgets after which obtain the fitting Kodak app. A phrase of warning right here – there are fairly a number of apps to select from so make you get the newest one – we used the newly launched Kodak Step Prints app, which additionally means that you can customise collages, edit and crop photos and pull by images from social media to print with a contact of a button.
We additionally discovered that loading the zink paper is a simple course of, because of the Step Slim’s user-friendly and thought of design. The enter tray neatly accommodates the paper, and you’ll simply slide it in with out the necessity for exact alignment, which makes reloading on the go simpler.
Kodak Step Slim overview: Design
The design of the Step Slim is neat, and it’s so compact that it feels similar to a smartphone in its dimension and really feel. It might be straightforward so as to add this to a small pocket in a digicam bag, permitting you to print take a look at photos for bigger shoots on the go, for instance. The slide and click on entrance cowl lifts off to permit you to add the Zink movie to the printer, and it switches on and connects to your gadgets by way of a small button on the highest. Total, the entire course of takes seconds and means that you can get printing very quickly.
The printer itself additionally seems to be the half – it’s obtained a easy matte end and appears to withstand scratches, smudges and fingerprints. Moreover, in contrast to another moveable printers, there aren’t any sophisticated interfaces or menu gadgets to navigate by, as every part goes by the Kodak app. The Step Slim embraces simplicity and the one method you already know it’s on is an LED indicator that communicates its standing and connectivity.
Kodak Step Slim overview: Performance
One of many options of the Step Slim we preferred is its wi-fi connectivity choices – you may connect gadgets by each Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, offering ample versatility, though we expect that almost all of individuals will in all probability simply use the less complicated Bluetooth choice that connects to telephones and tablets. Connection is comparatively simple by cellphone settings, after which the choice to print by way of the gadget ought to seem within the Kodak app. A few notes on the app – we discovered it initially slightly glitchy to make use of however as soon as it’s discovered the printer it really works fairly nicely. Secondly, we take pleasure in utilizing an iPad to edit and print images, however sadly, there doesn’t look like a local pill app, so you need to make do with a repurposed iPhone choice when you’re utilizing iOS.
As soon as arrange, permitting the app entry to your cellphone images and printing is remarkably simple. The digicam comes with 5 tester sheets of paper and a pack of 20 is round £12, so in the end it’s a extra inexpensive method of printing your images than printing by conventional builders.
The dimensions is 2×3, so very small, and frustratingly you need to edit your 4:3 cellphone photos to suit the ratio earlier than you print if you wish to management the composition – in any other case, it’ll crop mechanically. Not a deal breaker, however a local 4:3 format choice can be good.
On the subject of the all-important query of print high quality, that is the place the Step Slim leaves slightly to be desired. We discovered the print high quality to be considerably inconsistent, with washed-out tones and the marginally doubtful therapy of distinction, regardless of the color rendition being pretty correct. Zink printers make no bones in regards to the high quality being lower than dye sublimation printers or extra conventional inkjet printers, however we’d recommend that the output of Step Slim isn’t actually adequate for sticking in your cherished photograph albums.
What it does do nicely, nevertheless, is print on the go, because it’s extraordinarily moveable and if you’re searching for one thing you can slip in a small bag or your pocket, then we’d advocate having a look.
Ought to I purchase the Kodak Step Slim?
If portability and printing on the go is your primary standards for a printer, then there’s loads to advocate the Kodak Step Slim. It’s practical, straightforward to make use of, easy to arrange when you’ve performed so and obtained over any app gremlins, and produces small prints that may act as tiny keepsakes of moments in time. For extra skilled images printing and even household album images nevertheless, the standard is just not adequate and we’d advocate spending a bit more cash on a dye sublimation choice just like the Canon Selphy 1500.