If you’ve been to a wedding, birthday party or even a corporate gathering, you’ve probably found yourself in front of a photo booth on more occasions than you’re comfortable admitting. Let’s be honest: Pretty much everybody loves a photobooth, and who could blame you? There’s something so fun about being silly in front of a camera with friends, especially when there’s a prop or two at your disposal.
But renting a photobooth for a birthday or an annual 4th of July party can become expensive quickly, which is exactly what makes the HP Sprocket Photobooth so special. Not only is this photobooth reasonably priced, but it's portable and compact enough to keep in your home so you have it ready for any future social gatherings or events.
I’ve reviewed hundreds of gadgets during my time at the Good Housekeeping Institute, including everything from instant cameras like the Fujifilm Instax to the most sought-after art TVs like the Samsung The Frame Pro. I've also been to a handful of weddings, anniversaries and themed parties during those years, so you can trust me when I say that the HP Sprocket is a must-have for anyone who likes to host. Not only is it incredibly easy to use, but guests will love being able to print out memories of their time together as well as take those photos home with them.
Here's everything you need to know about the HP Sprocket Photobooth and why I think it should be number one on your party planning shopping list.
What is the HP Sprocket Photobooth?
The HP Sprocket Photobooth is a modern photobooth. It's essentially a device with a built-in camera that enables you to take photos of yourself (or, even better, a group of friends and family) when standing in front of it. It’s similar to taking a selfie, but without having to actually hold the camera yourself.
Best of all, you're able to customize photos you take in the photobooth with more than 250 frames, as well as a variety of filters. While the photobooth gives you the option to print your pictures out immediately on sticky-backed paper, you can also download them to your phone with a provided QR code.
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Instantly prints customized photos on sticky-backed paper
- More than 250 fun frames to choose from
- Adjustable ring light and built-in flash
- Provides QR code for downloading photos
- Compact, lightweight design
- Built-in kickstand
- Hardware for door or wall mounting included
Cons
- Requires plug
- Only supports 20 photo papers at a time
| Dimensions | 21.7" x 13.6" |
|---|---|
| Weight | 7.3 lbs |
| Screen size | 10.1" |
Price
The pink HP Sprocket costs $500 on Amazon, or you can pay $800 for the white model with a pack of 300 photo papers. While this may seem pricey at first, it's relatively affordable compared to how much you would be charged if you were renting a photobooth for an event. Unlike a rental, you get to hang onto it for future graduations, baby showers and more.
Keep in mind that you will have to pay for a specific photo paper, or HP Sprocket photo paper. A 50-pack costs around $40, meaning each photo you print is just under a dollar. So if you have 25 kids over for a 10-year-old's birthday party and each kid prints out three photos each, that will cost you roughly $60.
Set up
The HP Sprocket couldn’t be easier to set up and operate. We recently hosted a corporate event at the Good Housekeeping Institute, and it took me under 10 minutes to set up two photobooths. All I had to do was plug in the photobooths, connect the Wi-Fi and load the photobooth with photo paper. I could then immediately start taking and printing photos.
Though I propped my photobooths up on a table with the built-in kickstand, which is the fastest way to get it up and running, the photobooth also comes with a door and wall mount. The door mount enables you to hang the photobooth from the door, while the wall mount is a more permanent installation that requires some drilling. Both are excellent options if you don't have a table handy.
Interface
When it comes to using the photobooth, I found the interface to be intuitive and seamless. You start by setting up an "event" from the homescreen. From there, you're prompted to select the frames you want to use. These are categorized by birthday, milestones, holidays and entertainment. Within these categories, you'll find all types of frames — from themes like school, seasons, graduation, baby showers, sweet 16s, Halloween, New Year's Eve and so much more. The frame options are all festive and fun, and you can even add a title and caption to some to personalize your photos further, i.e., "Sarah's Birthday Bash."
Once your event is set up, all you have to do is press the red camera button and smile as it counts down 3 seconds. If needed, you can adjust the ring's light so you have more brightness to work with and you can even turn the flash on and off.
Once you're happy with your photo, you can print however many copies you'd like. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code on the screen and download the images directly to your smartphone.
Design
One of my favorite features about the HP Sprocket photobooth is that it's extremely lightweight. It’s much lighter than I expected. This makes it super easy to move it around from room to room, but I could also see it being easily knocked over, like on a windy day or by a clumsy party guest.
Size-wise, the photobooth measures 21.7" x 13.6". It feels just right — not too big and not too small. The LCD touch screen measures 10.1 inches, though I wouldn't mind it being a bit larger so you can squeeze a big group into the frame. Size aside, I found the touch screen extremely responsive and a breeze to navigate. I also loved that you can tilt it to find the perfect angle when taking photos.
Printing & photo quality
While the printed photo quality obviously won’t compare to the resolution you’ll get with the latest iPhone on your phone's screen and when printed, I found the printed photos vibrant and full of color (especially when paired with a frame). They come out 3.5” x 4.25”, which is smaller than a postcard but slightly too big to fit inside a wallet.
What I find most exciting is that the photos are printed with Zink Zero Ink technology. That means that you don't have to load the photobooth with ink of any sort, and that once the photo is printed, it’s immediately ready. There's no need to wait for it to dry, and there’s no risk of smudging it. According to HP, the photo paper is actually “smudge-proof, water-resistant and tear-resistant.” Personally, I'd rather keep my prints far away from water, but it's nice to know that the paper itself is on the more durable side.
Another bonus: The compatible HP Sprocket photo paper is sticky-backed so you can stick your photo memories onto journals, scrapbooks, cards and more, but you also don't have to if you don't want to. It's a nice option to have.
Just note that printing out one photo takes roughly a minute, which is a bit longer than I expected. If five people want to print out the same photo, you'll have to be patient. I've also found that though the printer can technically handle a max of 20 photo papers at once, it can get jammed up. I've had more success filling it with 10 papers at a time, but this does mean you'll have to refill the tray more frequently.
Bottom line: Is the HP Sprocket Photobooth worth it?
If you're someone who hosts a lot of parties, whether it be kids' birthdays or family gatherings for the holidays, the HP Sprocket Photobooth is a must. It's such a crowd pleaser, and I can attest to the fact that everyone I've ever witnessed using it has loved it. While the initial investment of a few hundred dollars and the price of photo paper could add up, it doesn't compare to the price of a photobooth rental and is well worth watching your guests have a blast taking photos of themselves.
Most importantly, I love the idea of leaving an event with physical photos and memories that you can hang up on your fridge, as opposed to a hundred photos on your phone that you'll maybe upload to social media. The HP Sprocket Photobooth is an absolute no-brainer at your next event, and you won't regret it when you see all your invitees lining up to use it.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Senior Reviews Writer & Analyst Olivia Lipski covers everything from tech to appliances, travel, parenting, home and fitness. Since joining GH in 2021, she has reviewed all types of consumer electronics alongside GH engineers, including portable photo printers and photo printers. For the past few weeks, she's had the opportunity to test the HP Sprocket Photobooth in GH's Media & Tech Lab.
Olivia (she/her) is a senior reviews writer and analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she tests and writes about tech, home, travel, fitness, parenting and health products. Since joining GH in 2021, she has continued to leverage her extensive product reviews experience by staying on top of the industry’s latest innovations and helping readers make better buying decisions. Olivia is a graduate of the George Washington University, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, political science and French, and she holds a master’s degree in communications from Sciences Po Paris.
