M. David Stone of PCMag.com gives the PictureMate Show a very good 4 out of 5. Before getting to the positives, he does bring up an interesting point – while the product is apparently marketed as a “2-in-1” digital photo frame slash photo printer, Stone sees it as “much more a printer with a big LCD preview screen attached.” Regarding the size of the printer itself, he adds that “the Show is so big that no one I asked would even consider using it as a [desk or tabletop] digital picture frame…” But outside of the interesting marketing strategy, Stone likes the PC-free photo printing connectivity, 270 MB internal memory for photo storage, easy setup, generous 1 year warranty, fast print speed, and excellent photo quality. Also, cost per photo is 25.3 cents, which is relatively low for a photo printer. He does warn that there are no buttons on the printer, so you can only operate it with the remote control. Overall, while Stone notes that it’s easy to dismiss the PictureMate Show as more style than substance, the printer gets the job done where it really counts – functionality and performance.

Peter Piazza of About.com gives the PictureMate Show a solid 3.5 stars out of 5. He agrees with Stone that the “photo frame” is really just a big, “strangely low-res [preview] screen,” and the dependency on the remote control can be frustrating. On the flipside, Piazza really likes the color and sharpness of photo prints, describing them as “lab quality” multiple times in the review. Memory card and PictBridge connectivity are convenient features for those who don’t like being tied down to a PC. In the end, Piazza essentially says that while the PictureMate Show is imperfect when it comes to its photo frame and certain minor quirks, it’s perfectly capable of serving as your go-to home photo lab.

Jerry Jackson of PrinterComparison.com considers the Artisan 710 “very likely the best all-in-one printer currently on the market in terms of performance and price” for home offices and photo hobbyists. It’s easy to set up and easy to use, and photo quality is excellent. In addition, Jackson likes the practical standard features, including the auto-duplexer and dedicated photo paper tray. While the output tray could only hold up to about 30 pages in testing, the review concludes that home users who aren’t printing an encyclopedia can live with that.

Eli Milchman of Cult of Mac gives the Artisan 710 an impressive 4 black turtlenecks out of 5 (presumably in honor of Steve Jobs’ signature apparel). He likes the Wi-Fi, as well as the ability to print straight from your iPhone via ePrint Free. Paper handling is versatile and capable, CD/DVD printing is convenient, and little extras like being able to print lined notebook paper make this model stand out even more. To top it all off, print speeds are fast, and Milchman is “simply floored” by the print quality.

Overall, the Artisan 710 gets a ringing endorsement from a couple of dedicated testers. While it’s not a big office workhorse, the extensive feature set and ease of use seem to make it a great fit for your home office or home photo lab.

Peter Piazza of About.com gives the Artisan 810 an excellent 4.5 stars out of 5. He’s a fan of the auto-duplexing, big touchscreen, fuss-free Wi-Fi setup and operation, high quality output, and fast print speeds. But even more telling are the perceived drawbacks – lack of instructions for CD/DVD printing and the fact that 6 ink cartridges means more to re-fill when you run out. Maybe I’m easy to please, but those drawbacks sound pretty tolerable to me. In any case, the review concludes that the Artisan 810 is an excellent overall value with little to quibble about.

HardwareGeeks.com gives the Artisan 810 a Must Have Award for some of its less-discussed features. According to the review, the USB charging port is convenient, and the scanner is fast with sharp resolution. The inks get special recognition for their ability to dry quickly and resist smudging while maintaining their sharpness and rich colors. Overall, HardwareGeeks.com considers the Artisan 810 a “fantastic printer” that talks the talk and walks the walk.

M. David Stone of PCMag.com gives the Stylus NX515 an Editors’ Choice Award winning 4 out of 5. Highlights include blazing print speed and sharp, long-lasting text and images. On the flipside, the lack of faxing and no ADF make this MFP best suited for home use. That said, with all its features and exceptional performance, Stone concludes that the Stylus NX515 “resets the bar for what to expect from a home AIO.”

Peter Piazza of About.com gives the Stylus NX515 an excellent 4.5 stars out of 5. Print speed is fast, output quality is strong, and you get a lot of features at an affordable price. In addition, Wi-Fi is fast and easy to set up. Like Stone, Piazza laments the missing ADF and fax functionality, but the overall value and performance make the Stylus NX515 a top pick for home use.

Finally, Justin Yu of CNET gives the Stylus NX515 a solid 3.5 stars out of 5. Like Stone and Piazza, Yu appreciates the print speed, intuitive controls, output quality, compact size, and low price. According to the review, creative photo editing software would’ve been a nice touch for home users, but it’s certainly not a dealbreaker. The final verdict is that the Stylus NX515 is more than capable of making a positive impact in your home office.

Ink cartridge retailers already offer ink refill kits to help you efficiently re-use your empty ink cartridges. But what if instead of ink, you could refill your cartridges with light? That’s the basic idea behind boxlightbox’s shop on Etsy.com. All the available lamps are made from empty Epson ink cartridges. Prices are $35 for single cartridge lamps, and $200 for “chandeliers” made from 8 cartridges of different colors.

So what was the motivation behind making these lamps? Like any good eco-preneur, the creator says, “[m]y workplace goes through ink cartridges like water, and I couldn’t bear to keep tossing them out.” Not exactly a conventional recycling method like the HP Planet Partners program, but there’s certainly a shorter turnaround time if you have an artistic bent. And if nothing else, the simple uniqueness of the end product should help shed light on the need to reduce waste from empty ink cartridges.

(Story via Crave; Photo via Etsy.com)

Scott Carmichael of Gadling.com likes the Artisan 700’s attractive design and the dedicated photo paper tray that saves you the trouble of manually switching between plain paper & photo paper. CD/DVD printing is a bonus, and the Artisan 700 prints top-notch output quickly and quietly. That said, the cost of ink can add up, and Ethernet and Wi-Fi aren’t as reliable as they could be. But despite some minor quibbles, Carmichael considers the Artisan 700 an excellent overall value.

ExtremeMhz.com gives the Artisan 700 an Extreme Excellence Award for its extensive feature set and the fact that “Printing was a pleasure. Simple as that.” Photo quality is very good, although text quality isn’t as “laser-like” as advertised. Like Gadling.com, ExtremeMhz.com concludes that the Artisan 700 delivers almost everything you could ask for in a $200 MFP.

Last but not least, Justechn.com gives the Artisan 700 a Gold Award for its wide range of network and printing connection options, excellent photo quality, fast print speed, and quiet operation. In addition, the CD/DVD tray prints clear and attractive labels. Text quality isn’t as sharp as a laser printer like the HP Laserjet 5L, but that’s to be expected. Overall, Justechn.com echoes the sentiments of the other two reviews and concludes that the Artisan 700 packs plenty of punch in an affordable package.