The Premise. Photo sharing has never been easier with the growth and ease of using social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and even Snapchat. While it’s great to see photos of your family, friends, and favorite activities all around the world, almost all the photos we see are through a screen. Tangible photo albums and pictures are mostly things of the past because printing out high quality photos isn’t really convenient on a traditional home printer, and going to a convenience store just takes too much time.
The Product. The LifePrint is a compact wireless printer built for your smartphone that allows you to send and receive high-quality photo prints to anyone in the world instantly. Just like your typical social networks, you can connect to your family and friends who mean the most to you. But instead of posting it for them to “Like” on a computer screen, you can send them a picture they’ll love with the LifePrint. The sentiment of a hard copy photo is now much more accessible because the LifePrint only requires a cellular connection. A 3G connection is all that you need to open up the LifePrint app and print from anywhere in the world; it’s unclear what the monthly charge would be for the LifePrint’s connectivity.
The Pitch. LifePrint really pays close attention to the small details and the importance of visuals in its crowdfunding video. The video and the page show how the LifePrint is a portable and efficient way to make photos special again by making it clear how easy it is to share and receive photos with your network from anywhere in the world.
The Perks. There are two separate versions for Android and iPhone devices, but each costs the same at $99 for the early bird price. This is actually one of the better deals you can get on a portable photo printer, and especially one that has the capability to print anywhere like the LifePrint. That pledge comes with 10 photo prints, but if you want more, you can get the LifePrint with 100 photo prints for $145.
The Potential. LifePrint looks like a great bridge for sending photos to friends and family, particularly those who want something with a bit more permanence than a SnapChat product. The clunkier and more expensive LG PD233 Pocket Photo Printer and the Polaroid CZA-20011B PoGo Instant Mobile Printer both work over Bluetooth, which means your phone has to be in range in order to print a photo. However, other products that allow remote photo display and printing, such as the Presto printer and The LifePrint’s ability to connect people through photos means a lot more people will be hanging photos of their loved ones on their actual wall—not their Facebook wall.