Review on Canon IVY Mini Photo Printer For Smartphones (Slate Gray) - Sticky-Back Prints by Mohmed Burt

TLDRIvy or Sprocket: down to personal preference. . . Everything from the instructions to the ease of use to the Android app is nearly identical. Canon Ivy portraits look better (less sharp is better here), but prints lose detail in dark areas. HP Sprocket prints are slightly higher resolution, better tonal gradation, but slightly sepia. See photos. CONCLUSION They're fun, easy to set up and use, and produce prints that any 'normal' person would find perfectly acceptable, if not amazing. ZINK photo paper packs are interchangeable: I've tried several types in both printers and haven't noticed any difference in quality, so buy what's on sale! The prints end up costing around 50 cents each. (NOTE: The blue card in each pack is NOT interchangeable, so keep the Canon blue card and reuse it when using other brands of paper in Ivy etc. Also, I don't know if this applies to all mini printers ., but HP doesn't require the card to be inserted on every reboot.DISCLAIMER: Both the Canon Ivy and HP Sprocket produced good, sharp photos.I'm an artist and photographer.A lot of my criticisms are aimed at pixel lovers and other weirdos like me REVIEW I went into it with an open mind and was looking for something which gives me a "good enough" quality to put pictures in a normal travel magazine at a reasonable price. That said, I'm a serious photographer so I did a lot of pre-research and wouldn't be surprised if I feel the need to return a printer I bought. I bought a Canon Ivy and an HP Sprocket to compare as I thought I would be returning one. HA! I love both so much I won't be going back either, although I'll give my middle son one to justify the purchase. FYI - he's in his 20's and after a test print with me he doesn't care which one he gets - they are VERY, very similar. PRINT QUALITY Was pleasantly surprised at the print quality from Asterisk and Ivy! There are some color fringes which I would complain about in a larger/more expensive printer, but that's not a problem with these small prints just for fun. I would also be finicky about the sepia tones in HP prints. I've tried one filter in the HP app and another in Snapseed, neither of them helped change the tone and the HP filter noticeably reduced the print quality. just like the filters in the Canon app. Any sophistication of Canon prints results in the loss of subtle gradations, particularly in darker areas. For selfies I preferred Ivy's slightly glamorous prints - the smile lines were less visible! But for "artistic" prints I tend to like HP better (resolution, no loss of detail in dark areas). HP was also worth 2/3 of what I paid for Canon. SETUP The setup process couldn't have been quicker or easier. Slide the top, throw up a stack of paper and go. Instant connection via Bluetooth, no problem finding the selected folder or photo on the device. SIZE smaller than expected, very light, shiny and slippery if you're not careful. Rose gold isn't super shiny, it's more metallic/pearlescent. PS Buy a case. Any sophistication of Canon prints results in the loss of subtle gradations, particularly in darker areas. For selfies I preferred Ivy's slightly glamorous prints - the smile lines were less visible! But for "artistic" prints I tend to like HP better (resolution, no loss of detail in dark areas). HP was also worth 2/3 of what what I paid for Canon. SETUP The setup process couldn't have been quicker or easier. Slide the top, throw up a stack of paper and go. Instant connection via Bluetooth, no problem finding the selected folder or photo on the device. SIZE smaller than expected, very light, shiny and slippery if you're not careful. Rose gold isn't super shiny, it's more metallic/pearlescent. PS Buy a case. Any sophistication of Canon prints results in the loss of subtle gradations, particularly in darker areas. For selfies I preferred Ivy's slightly glamorous prints - the smile lines were less visible! But for "artistic" prints I tend to like HP better (resolution, no loss of detail in dark areas). HP was also worth 2/3 of what I paid for Canon. SETUP The setup process couldn't have been quicker or easier. Slide the top, throw up a stack of paper and go. Instant connection via Bluetooth, no problem finding the selected folder or photo on the device. SIZE smaller than expected, very light, shiny and slippery if you're not careful. Rose gold isn't super shiny, it's more metallic/pearlescent. PS Buy a case. For selfies I preferred Ivy's slightly glamorous prints - the smile lines were less visible! But for "artistic" prints I tend to like HP better (resolution, no loss of detail in dark areas). HP was also worth 2/3 of what I paid for Canon. SETUP The setup process couldn't have been quicker or easier. Slide the top, throw up a stack of paper and go. Instant connection via Bluetooth, no problem finding the selected folder or photo on the device. SIZE smaller than expected, very light, shiny and slippery if you're not careful. Rose gold isn't super shiny, it's more metallic/pearlescent. PS Buy a case. For selfies I preferred Ivy's slightly glamorous prints - the smile lines were less visible! But for "artistic" prints I tend to like HP better (resolution, no loss of detail in dark areas). HP was also worth 2/3 of what I paid for Canon. SETUP The setup process couldn't have been quicker or easier. Slide the top, throw up a stack of paper and go. Instant connection via Bluetooth, no problem finding the selected folder or photo on the device. SIZE smaller than expected, very light, shiny and slippery if you're not careful. Rose gold isn't super shiny, it's more metallic/pearlescent. PS Buy a case. with no loss of detail in dark areas.) HP was also worth 2/3 of what I paid for Canon. SETUP The setup process couldn't be quicker or easier. Slide the top, throw up a stack of paper and go. Instant connection via Bluetooth, No problem finding the selected folder or photo on the device. SIZE smaller than expected, very light, shiny and slippery if you're not careful. Rose gold isn't super shiny, it's more metallic/pearlescent. PS Buy a case. with no loss of detail in dark areas.) HP was also worth 2/3 of what I paid for Canon. SETUP The setup process couldn't be quicker or easier. Slide the top, throw up a stack of paper and go. Instant connection via Bluetooth, no problem finding the selected folder or photo on the device. SIZE smaller than expected, very light, shiny and slippery if you're not careful. Rose gold isn't super shiny, it's more metallic/pearlescent. PS Buy a case. t carefully. Rose gold isn't super shiny, it's more metallic/pearlescent. PS Buy a case. t carefully. Rose gold isn't super shiny, it's more metallic/pearlescent.