CANAL TOYS Photo Creator Instant Pocket Printer AGE 8+ Review

DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.

Reviewed by New_Mama

Photos, stickers and crafts are a huge part of our family life so I was excited to see what the ‘Photo Creator Instant Pocket Printer’ would offer. On first glance, I liked how the box is fairly gender neutral, maybe a little more towards a stereotypical girl but I think certainly acceptable for many boys. The box is generally appealing and colourful and highlights many of the features available, making it exciting to want to open, get it set up and started.

I was impressed therefore that the printer comes partially charged, meaning that within minutes your child can be printing away. The box is also nicely designed to allow it to be opened and closed again easily with a lid, without destroying it so it can be used to store the printer and accessories in a neat and tidy way. A small feature maybe but I am forever needing to find other ways of storing children’s items when boxes become ripped and unsightly.

The photo creator instant pocket creator includes the printer itself, 3 colours pens (pink, purple and blue), 3 rolls of printer paper, 1 roll of sticky printer paper, the USB-C charging cable, a small sheet of stickers and the instructions.

The printer measures approximately 8.5cm x 8.5cm x 4cm so a decent size for small hands but very compact and travel friendly. Any smaller I think would make the pictures printed out too small. It is white and turquoise so sufficiently unisex, I think and looks stylish so also applicable to slightly older children, perhaps up to early/mid teens (it is stated to be for children 8 years old and above). There is therefore likely to be a good shelf life of use for the printer as even my younger child enjoyed assisting in choosing something to print and then decorating it even though she required assistance.

The charger does not include a plug but it is compatible with any USB electrical plug from what I could tell. Certainly still better than requiring separate batteries and good from an environmental perspective too to be able to recharge. We haven’t had it long enough to know how often it would need charging however.

I was pleased to find several rolls of paper included, especially as I am unsure how easy it is to buy additional rolls. My children and I also really liked the sticky paper which meant you could create your own stickers, definitely an exciting activity! I would have liked to have a few more coloured pens and perhaps another sheet or two of stickers as the current ones (although advertised as 75 which sounds more than it looks) wouldn’t last very long at all in my house. That said if viewed as a starter kit alongside the printer then they are sufficient and nice to be included rather than all needing to be bought separately.

The printer requires an app to work and use so access to a mobile device is necessary. It was free and easy to download and set up by parents or older children. The rest of the use is also pretty straight forward, with various options to choose from one the app. I initially chose to try printing out a photo from our camera roll and whilst this worked, the quality was nowhere comparable to typical printed photograph. Children maybe less concerned by this but from our test print outs the printer is much more effective at very simple line drawing images. The use of the additional bits to decorate is therefore hugely beneficial. The printer has a jagged edge within to enable you to cut out the printed image from the roll without the need for scissors. A certain degree of care and dexterity or adult help would be needed for those younger in the items age range but is a plus to ensure you don’t get caught out unable to cut your child’s new creation from the roll.

I think that the fact that the printer is only black and white is a little unclear. Once you pay close attention to any of the images on the box it is indeed clear that all print outs are only black and white, however the array of colour and the fact that it is not mentioned on the box makes it a little misleading on first glance.

Overall, a great unisex gift that appeals to a wide age range and encourages creativity and a degree of independence in creations. I think the fact that it creates a little set which can be used straight away means that it would be a great gift to give yours or someone else’s child and even could be sent directly to them. From what I could see from a quick browse, the price seems fair and simple to others in the market.

Rating: 4/5 stars

RRP: £34.99 currently on sale for £30.80 (at the time of writing this review)

Available to purchase here.