Polaroid (see their aptly named website) has an printer that exposes instant polaroid film (the same 4x5 stuff as the cameras). It's a USB device. Street price appears to be about $225. This would be a great technology to replace other snapshot printers. Has anyone seen or tried one? The 4x5 output (for which they recommend about 1 megapixel input) would be perfect for the 1280x1024 camera market.

-- Ben Jackson (ben@ben.com), September 04, 1998

Answers

I still haven't seen any comments on these, nor have any turned up at local retailers. I'm following up to my own question to note that Polariod announced a parallel port version.

-- Ben Jackson (ben@ben.com), October 11, 1998.

colorshot is the best :) because I don't need waste my printer ink and I love colorshot printer and get faster printout w/image and mine come with Parallel Port but not USB.

-- Linda Trieu (angelstarsmoon@hotmail.com), February 21, 2003.

I've had a Colorshot for about two years. Sure like it - BUT now I've upgraded to Windows XP PRO, and my daughter has Windows 2000 on her computer. Polaroid says they have no plans to provide drivers for OS beyond Windows 98. Pretty crummy of them. I'll remeber this before buying another Polaroid product.

-- Phil Salas (phil.salas@celion.com), March 03, 2003.

Yeah , Same here .... I am using WinXP Pro at the moment , cannt find any driver to support my Polariod ColorShot Printer , Does anyone know where can I download the WinXP Version Driver?

-- Alax (Aimmax2000@CyrexCafe.Com), September 10, 2003.

I'm also looking for a driver for my new XP Computer - I cannot believe there is no solution. I have been searching everywhere. Maybe some programmer could come up with something for all of us who would like to continue to use our photo printers. Thanks

-- PJ Lengel (maddymad@earthlink.net), October 07, 2003.

Its okay but the quality of Kodak Film compared to 35mm is really bad.

-- Steve Walter (fswalter@hotmail.com), November 06, 2003.

has any one found a xp driver yet???

-- bob j (simgin@aol.com), November 08, 2003.

Well, I have no luck finding driver for windows xp either. Polaroid is very bad about supporting new OS. I had a same problem with my sprintScan 35/LE scanner. They don't have driver for windows xp either. Both of the srpintScan 35/LE and the colorshot printer are only about 2 years old. Last time I ever buy anything made polaroid.

TNT

-- TNT (web@adventphoto.com), May 14, 2004.

I never will buy polaroid products anymore.

Leidson

-- Leidson Campos (Leidson@bar.com), June 10, 2004.

Polaroid's support website states "Support for the Windows NT4, Me, 2000, and XP operating systems will not be available for these printers."

However, I have no problem using my Colorshot USB printer under Win ME using the Win 9x drivers Polaroid originally issued. So it seems that their support website might not be fully really truthful.

I am about to upgrade from Win ME to Win XP. Like you all, I am upset at the lack of Win XP support, and in particular drivers, from Polaroid. However, since Polaroid says the Colorshot will not work under Win ME, and it in fact does, I wonder if it will equally work under Win XP. There is a BIG difference between "not supported" or "not tested" and not actually working.

Has anyone actually tried using their Colorshot with Win XP?

-- Walt (Walt@Early.com), June 16, 2004.

The Polaroid Colorshot WILL NOT work with Windows XP. I have tried it and the driver will absolutely NOT install. It seem like we are all out of luck for now. Fortunatly, I have a spare Win98 machine that I will be connecting it to. Maybe someday someone will write a driver for XP.

-- Martin (Martin@photography.com), July 03, 2004.

I have a Colorshot printer, and I have also contacted Polaroid about my interest in updated drivers. I didn't get any farther than anyone else.

Anyway, I have a few thoughts :

1) Newer versions of Windows (XP and up) have a "compatibility mode." I don't understand this mode particuliarly well. You can't do a straight install of the colorshot drivers into a newer-than-Windows-98 version of Windows. However, if you have an older version (say Windows '98), and install the colorshot s/w & driver, update your system via an upgrade to windows 2000, and then run in compatibility mode - - - would that work ?

2) At some point, is there one or more people with sufficient interest and appropriate technical skill to talk to Polaroid about the possibility of open-sourcing the old drivers, so that others will create and make available new ones? I have no reason to believe that Polaroid would go for this, but I see it as one of very few possibilities for helping keep this product going in spite of its abandonment.....

Regards,

Sam Nitzberg sam@iamsam.com

-- Sam Nitzberg (sam@iamsam.com), September 20, 2004.

Polaroid and all other manufacturers who sell us things and then immediately abandon support for them can lick my fat a55. Phuking ba$tards that they are. What nerve.

-- p1ssed off (P1ssed Off@wak.com), November 15, 2004.

simple, pass the word, BOYCOTT ALL POLAROID PRODUCTS, due to LACK OF SUPPORT. Send emails to anyone and everyone you know, and explain to them the total lack of support by Polaroid.

-- Mike (mike@dragonbird.org), December 12, 2004.

I think We must to have a law to have all this unsupported drivers free and with sources for public domain.!

-- Victor Guerra (vhguerrac@yahoo.com), December 29, 2004.