Building on the original PictureMate, Epson's updated portable PictureMate 500 photo printer adds a colour flip-up LCD monitor, improved menu system, speedier prints and battery support, allowing you output stunning quality photographs without having to connect it to a computer or mains adapter. It's also truly a product that anyone can use, whatever your background, for producing water and smudge-proof photos that will stay brilliant for years longer than any other digital printing option. Highly recommended!

Pros: Outstanding quality; flip-up colour display; improved speed
Cons: Pricey Bluetooth and battery options; only handles 20 sheets


The PictureMate 500 (PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition in the US) is the latest personal photo-lab from Epson. Designed to make visits to high-street photo labs a thing of the past, the PictureMate 500 is a portable photo printer that offers an integrated 2.4in. colour LCD screen (320x240 pixels), relatively fast print speeds (Epson claims 40 per cent faster than the original PictureMate) and an optional battery for improved portability. Its output quality is outstanding and it's also a snap to use - even your parents should be able to get high-quality prints from a digital camera!

As digital cameras continue to be favoured over the traditional film camera, the number of photos printed at home continues to increase. However, inexperienced users are still put off from printing their own photographs due to the hassle and complexities of using a computer and image-editing software. The PictureMate 500 is one of the most intuitive home photo printers that lets you print images up to 10x15cm (6x4in.), either directly from your digital camera or via your computer.

An inkjet-based dedicated photo printer that's set to go head-to-head with more expensive dye-sublimation models, the PictureMate 500 is extremely compact at just 256x154x167mm (2.8kg), but that's hardly surprising considering the unit can only print 6x4in. photos. The printer uses 6-colour hi-gloss Micro Piezo inkjet technology for creating borderless, 5760dpi prints (2.5pl) and comes with a stowable carrying handle, which makes it even more suitable for family use. However, the door covering the memory card slots is still very flimsy and could possibly snap off with abuse from the kids.

The PictureMate 500 is about as good a home printing gets - prints cost 29p each (same as original PictureMate, but still relatively competitive) and output quality is outstanding. While the print cost may sound relatively high, it's actually one of the lowest compared to other dedicated photo printers - especially dye-sublimation models. Print size is limited to 6x4in. and it prints relatively slowly compared to a regular inkjet model, but the PictureMate 500 is a compact solution that makes printing easy and fun for all the family.

The biggest improvement over the original PictureMate (which impressed us enough to earn our Editor's Choice Award) is the flip-up 2.4in. LCD screen (original screen was monochrome and fixed) that provides step-by-step instructions, making printing a photo really easy - even for those with little technology experience. It also allows you to apply a range of fun effects, such as add borders to your photographs or print in black and white or sepia tones. You can also zoom in on a specific area of the photo, therefore cropping the rest of the image from your photo, as well as set the defaults to match the settings you use most often. Preview images were a little blurred, but at least you can now view your saved images in colour.

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