Remember the old days when you would flip through photo albums or boxes of loose photos and reminisce?

Now with digital photography and the ease of viewing them on a screen, very few people print out their photos. We tend to casually scroll through Facebook or Instagram and often those memories are quickly forgotten.

So when we got our hands on the new HP Sprocket portable photo printer we were super excited! This awesome device, not much bigger than a mobile phone, prints bright glossy photos straight from our smartphones and tablets. The Sprocket only prints on special HP ZINK photo paper. Their special printing technology works by putting crystals on the sheets of paper which when heated, show up as specific colours. The prints are durable, immediately smudge proof and water resistant.

Getting the Sprocket up and running was easy peasy. We downloaded the free app and paired the Sprocket via bluetooth to our phone or tablet. Within the app, we edited our photos and added funky little touches like frames, emojis, text and stickers before we printed them. There are also a range of filters to help create the perfect shot! Another fun feature is that multiple users can connect to the printer, so it could be set up at parties or social events and everyone can print their favourite moments. How amazing would it be to have at a wedding? Who needs a photo booth, right?

The prints are 5 X 7.6cm and are “stickable”. That’s pretty cool because it means that not only can they can be used like regular photo prints, the backing can be peeled off to create photo stickers! Because of this feature, we could definitely see how we could use the Sprocket prints in different ways, not just in an album. After a bit of playing around with the app and printer, we came up with five out-of-the-box uses for our Sprocket prints:

1. Organisational

If you don’t have clear shoe boxes you can take photos of your shoes and stick it to the box in your wardrobe.

Create a visual list for your kids with photos of what items need to be packed each day in their bags for school or kindy.

2. Instructional

Make a visual instruction manual by attaching prints to an appliance showing which buttons to push and knobs to turn.

3. Confrontational

Attach a photo of mum or dad looking serious to the cookie jar to frighten away sneaky fingers or to the fridge door to remind you of your healthy-eating goals.