MODTHEBOX.COM - Canada's Premier Case Modding Source - Reviews - Samsung SPP-2040 Digital Photo Printer Review

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Interfacing with the Samsung SPP-2050 Digital Photo Printer can be accomplished in a number of ways. As a standalone unit, all that is required is to insert your compatible compact flash card into the 7-in-1 card reader. By flipping the 2" LCD display upwards, consumers use the navigational buttons on the front of the unit to customize their photo displays. There are a ton of features built into the SPP-2040 which include viewing or printing multiple images, printing enlargements, adding colour mode/brightness/sharpness effects, adding borders and custom layout options.

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For the diehard PC user the Samsung SPP-2040 Digital Photo Printer can also be used a normal desktop printer. All that is required is to attach a USB2.0 or USB1.1 cable to any PC and install the driver application software. The driver software guides you through set-up and configuration options and prints a sample photo image to confirm that your installation is working correctly. For those consumers who lack any digital editing software, Samsung provides its own custom software application called PhotoThru which works only in Windows based systems. The PhotoThru software is as basic as it gets providing minimal features for locating images on your hard drive.

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Once your sample images have been located a toolbar menu provides options for text, rotating, cropping, enlarging and adding effects to any photo image. There are three additional menus for adjusting image levels, colour and image effects. After a photo has been adjusted to its desired preference, clicking on the print option allows you to create a hardcopy version of your masterpiece.

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As advertised, printing digital images was very quick with the SPP-2040's Dye-Sub process created photo quality images in less than a minute. It was very neat to watch as the photo paper is taken from the tray and processed through the base of the unit. Consumers should make sure that there is at least 200mm or 7.9 inches available behind the unit for clearance during the Dye-Sub printing phase. I was impressed with the final results using two 2048x1536 sample JPEG images. All colours and saturation levels were very bright and image quality replication was superb. Samsung does state in its user manuals that all images printed from the SPP-2040 are waterproof and fingerprint proof. As a test I applied several droplets of water on my test photos right after they had finished being printed. I let the water sit from 30-40 seconds and towel dried them off without noticing any colour streaks or fading. As a second test I used my fingers to touch every aspect of each photo and tilted them at an angle to see if I could see my finger prints. You still can leave your fingerprints on the photos but its very hard to see with the naked eye.

Conclusion:
The Samsung SPP-2040 Digital Photo Printer is a unique and compact all-in-one solution that caters to amateur and professional photographers everywhere. Samsung has done a good job in incorporating an abundance of useful and easy to use features into one product. Consumers will appreciate the sleek light weight design and easy to navigate 2" LCD display menu options. The product is perfect for everyday use and has a nice non-complicated button layout. Menu options built into the SPP-2040 as well as the PhotoThru software allow consumers to easily adjust colour mode/brightness/sharpness effects, as well as add borders and custom layout options. By far one of the best features of this product the built-in 7-in-1 card reader that supports a variety of different formats that include Compact Flash Type I and II, Smart Media, Secure Digital, MultiMedia Card, Memory Stick & Memory Stick-PRO, and xD-Picture Cards. I was a little disappointed that the package I received did not include bundled USB cables as well as the driver and application software CD. It was a little bit of an annoyance to have to purchase a cable as well as track down the software on Samsung's website. As previously mentioned, the Quick Install Guide was absolutely useless and novice users would be better served to consult the 81 page PDF file that is located on the Samsung website. While the Samsung SPP-2040 Digital Photo Printer is the perfect addition for casual consumer its biggest challenge is competing against professional photography services such as Blacks or cheaper locations like Wal-Mart. For small printing jobs the Samsung SPP-2040 Digital Photo Printer is the perfect companion but for larger jobs that require multiple copies at cheaper costs consumers might want to look at other alternatives. Overall, I was pleased with the Samsung SPP-2040 Digital Photo Printer and award MTB's Seal of Approval with a final rating of 8.5 out of 10. If you have any questions regarding this review, be sure to visit the Samsung website for more information or discuss them in our forums.

MTB Award
Update 04/27/06: After this review was published, Samsung Canada has advised MTB of the following:

Regarding the missing USB Cable, according to the users manual "Depending on your country, the printer cables may not be supplied with your printer." This means consumers should be advised that they will be required to supply their own USB cable for the SPP-2040.
Regarding the missing driver and application CD, all SPP-2040 units purchased from any retail outlet will include the product CD.

Pros:

Compact design
Built-in 2" LCD dislay
Integrated 7-in-1 card reader
Easy installation and use
High quality 4" x 6" prints
Cost

Cons:

Missing USB cables
Missing SPP-2040 drivers and application software
Horrible Quick Install Guide
Pictures are vulnerable to dust