Home of the Rant

Overview

Epson and Sony are both known for their products in the camera and digital imaging market, but what might not get quite so much attention is their at home and portable digital printers. Both are little more than the size of a lunch box and provide picture lovers the opportunity to make their own prints.

History

Founded in 1942, Epson has been one of the world’s foremost leaders in the micromechantronics capabilities. Since moving to the United States in 1975, the company’s focus has been primarily on fields of imaging on paper, screen, and glass.

In late 1945, Sony was established and entered the market first as a maker of transistor radios for commercial use. Fast forward to the mid-1970s, when Sony began to stake its claim as a world leader in consumer technologies as they launched the videocassette, the compact disc, and a home computer.

Facts

The Epson PictureMate 260 is not only an at-home printing option for digital images, it’s also a portable one with its easy-to-carry handle, and its “print alone” capability. Unlike the Sony DPP (although recent updates to the model now have this feature), the PictureMate 260 gives the user a USB connectivity feature that allows the user to “plug and print” up to nine different sizes including a portrait package.

Unlike the Epson PictureMate 260’s ability to plug directly from the camera and print, the Sony DPP’s file-sharing software only allows it to read files that come from its PC based operating system. While this does create an inconvenience to the user, the superior image quality and the fast print time – 42.6 seconds for a 4×6 image – can make up for it.

Features

Epson did well with the PictureMate 260 by giving it an optional lithium battery pack – although the adaptor will run an extra $49.99 – and Bluetooth abilities. The Epson PicutreMate 260 also comes with available drivers for Windows and Macintosh Operating Systems.

Both printers have a built-in 3.6 inch LCD display screen that features interactive menus that cycle through selected image sizes and settings. However, it is only the Epson PictureMate 260 that allows single-picture editing with such design options as adding in-text bubbles and caption boxes.

Expert Insight

While the bells and whistles of the Epson PictureMate 260 are nice, the overall print quality doesn’t meet the glowing remarks reviewers have for the Sony DPP. CNET editor Felissa Young said that even though Epson gives many of the features consumers may look for it does have “disappointing picture quality.”

Meanwhile Daniel Grotta of Computers Shopper says of the Sony DPP: “This fast, pricey snapshot printer has a few limitations, but it comes with good software and generates superior picture quality.”

Considerations

Each printer can be found in the same price range – $179.99 to $199.99 – but with the add-ons to the Epson PictureMate 260 needed to get the most out of all its features, the overall quality of prints from the Sony DPP may make it the better buy.