Why the HP Sprocket is a must have for any event

Take a printer on a night out.  Are you mad?!

Nope.

Have you seen the HP Sprocket?  It is tiny.  It literally fits in your hand, and therefore your handbag, making it the perfect accessory for any night out.   I first saw them last year but as is typical with me, by the time I saw them on line, they had sold out and I was kicking myself that over Christmas we couldn’t take photos and print them out instantly.    So you can imagine my screams of excitement when I was asked if I would like to review one this year.

Add to the fact you can now get the Sprocket as part of a bundle that includes a carry case and a photo album for less than I saw them on sale last year (£119.99 on Amazon this week) and you can see why I was so pleased to finally get hold of one!

 

There have been so many occasions this year where I have taken photos I have wanted to print out and give to relatives who I can’t tag on Instagram and Facebook, and the moment is lost when I get home and promptly forget.    Just last week we were out for dinner in London, with friends we hadn’t seen in years, one friend in over ten years, and I was quite pleased with myself that I managed to have the forethought to ask a waitress to take a photograph of us all.  Capturing the moment the gang who holidayed in Portugal ten years ago were all back together again.   Then I promptly forgot about the photo, only remembering last night when I came across it on my phone whilst looking for something else.   How lovely it would have been to have then produced the printer from its little carry case (which comes as part of the limited edition gift box bundle, along with a photo album), in the restaurant and printed out the photos for friends to take away.

I take hundreds of photographs (I am not kidding when I say my camera roll has over 20,000 photos on it) but I rarely share them.  I might do one or two on Instagram, or put some in a blog post but I don’t ever print them out or share them my family.  No longer do we have photos dotted around the house reminding us of get togethers like this one.    Which is, in my opinion, a real shame.

Could you imagine the idea that five years ago you could sit at a table in a restaurant and pull a printer out of your bag and begin printing photos?  The idea would have been laughable.   With the HP Sprocket you can do it in your lap and nobody would even know.   You could produce the photograph with a “ta dah” flourish and watch in amusement as your fellow guests say “How the heck did you just do that, Barrow”?  Okay they might not call you Barrow, but they will certainly wonder how you have just presented them with a printed version of a photograph taken eight seconds before.

Which got me thinking about the other possibilities that are, quite frankly, endless.  Having it on the table at Caity’s wedding next year so we can print off other people’s pictures and make an album of photos there and then, capturing the moment from other people’s perspective.   On the hen do when the girls all head off for their big weekend in a country house, all of them selfie queens so they can print out pictures and present Caity with a lasting reminder of their crazy weekend.    Christmas day this year when we are all together, I can print off some pictures for my granny to take home to show her friends in the care home, an amazing way to start a conversation.   I am even thinking of lending it to my parents when they go off on a rally in their classic car next year, touring south east Asia.  There is always a lot of excitement amongst local children about the car.  How amazing would it be for my parents to be able to take a photograph and then hand it to the children there and then?

We have 11 people over Christmas so I am going to get a blank board and put it up in the kitchen, and leave the Sprocket next to the board. I will then encourage people to print out a photo and with no explanation just stick it to the board.   We can then look at it as a real snapshot of our family Christmas.   I might even leave it up for next year and use it as a living memory board of 2018.

It is super simple to set up and comes with everything you need.  All you need to do is download the HP Sprocket app to your phone or tablet, and then connect to the printer via Bluetooth.   So simple even I did it first time and didn’t have to resort to throwing my phone at somebody and saying “Can you do this”.   I had done it and printed a picture before anybody even knew what I was doing!

It can then access your camera roll or photos (once you have granted it permission), and you simply select the photo you want to print.   You can even connect your social media accounts and print something you have shared on Instagram, Facebook or Google.   You don’t need to buy messy or expensive ink because the paper comes with the ink impregnated in it (think like old Polaroid cameras did) so all you have to do is load it with paper and off you go.

The limited edition gift box bundle comes with the HP Sprocket, a rose gold carry case, a pack of paper and a photo album, all for just £119.99 making it a real must have for any social event.

And for the avoidance of doubt, the iphone doesn’t come with the bundle!

Disclosure:  This product was sent for review, all opinions and photos are my own.