Print photos straight from your smartphone with HP's pocket-size Sprocket

By Christian de Looper Published October 18, 2016

hp sprocket pocket printer — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Gone are the days when Polaroid cameras meant we could take a photo and immediately print it off to give to a friend or family member. Now, we take photos with our smartphones.

HP, however, wants to bring back the tradition of being able to print off photos. To that end, it has released the Sprocket, a pocket-size printer designed to print off photos straight from your smartphone.

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The printer basically connects to your devices through Bluetooth, and uses the Sprocket app, which is available for both iOS and Android. Through the app, you can print photos from your phone’s storage, your Facebook account, Flickr, Instagram, and more. You can also access your actual camera, so you can take a photo and print it off at a moments notice. If you have a photo that you really like, you can also post that photo to social media.

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The app doesn’t just print off photos — it also lets you edit those photos before you print them. You’ll be able to add things like captions and borders, which will then be added to the photos before they’re printed out on a special paper.

Interestingly enough, you won’t need to load the printer with ink — instead, the paper is built with tiny crystals that show different colors when they’re heated up.

The printer relies on a battery, and while we don’t yet know exactly how long the device will last on a single charge, we do know that it takes around 90 minutes to get a full charge.

The printer is available in four colors — white, rose gold, black, or silver — and it will set you back around $130. While it comes with 10 sheets of the proper paper, when you run out, you’ll need to spend an extra $10 for 20 sheets. You can get one for yourself from the HP website.

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Christian de Looper

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Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

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