For Love of Ivy: My Beloved Mini Printer

For Love of Ivy:  My Beloved Mini Printer
An expensive gift becomes less pricey when it’s a gift for everyone in the family. One such option: A mini printer that works with your smart phone. 
Photo by Cynthia Hochswender

Here’s an idea for something everyone in the family will love and should in theory be able to share: A Canon Ivy mini printer that works with your smartphone ($98.99).

I bought one a few weeks ago and I’m completely in love with it. I’ve already bought two for friends.

The quality of the images is very good. If you are able to work with your phone camera and do any light editing to make images brighter, darker etc, you will find this printer to be very easy to manage.

This is a no-ink printer (or ZINK, which stands for Zero Ink), so you’re not always fussing with expensive cartridges.  The ink is in the paper; but the paper is smooth, not puffy like the old Polaroids.

Each piece of photo paper has a sticker back; the images are small (2 by 3 inches), which is perfect for journaling, keeping a travelogue and doing step-by-step or Final Masterpiece photos of new recipes for your own recipe file.

You can also buy coin-sized pre-cut sticker paper for your printer, perfect for kids to decorate their laptops or schedule books.

A pack of 20 pieces of 2-by-3-inch photo paper is $10; 50 sheets is $24; 20 sheets of sticker paper is $12.

Another brand worth looking into is the Kodak Mini 3 Square 3x3 Retro Portable Printer. As its name suggests, this printer (also known as the P300R) gives you 3-inch-square prints.

There are other models that make different-sized prints. The P210R prints are 3.4 by 2.1 inches, and there is a 4-inch printer called the Dock Plus.

The prices vary, depending on who’s selling them and which model you get. Most of the Canon and Kodak printers usually are sold bundled with some packs of ZINK printer paper. It does make sense to order some paper, so the family can test drive the printer right away (before it gets put in a drawer and is forgotten).

One thing you do need for both these printers is Bluetooth on your phone. The Canon Ivy has a USB cord that allows you to charge it up; the charge seems to hold for a fairly long time (I haven’t yet run out of power). I’m not certain whether the Kodak units can be charged or if they are battery-only.

I’m not a super high-tech person and I found the Canon Ivy stunningly easy to set up and use. If you’re unsure, you can go online and find several YouTube tutorials.

Latest News

Barbara Meyers DelPrete

LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.

Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti

SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.

Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.

Keep ReadingShow less
Veronica Lee Silvernale

MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.

Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.

Keep ReadingShow less
Crescendo launches 22nd season
Christine Gevert, artistic director of Crescendo
Steve Potter

Christine Gevert, Crescendo’s artistic director, is delighted to announce the start of this musical organization’s 22nd year of operation. The group’s first concert of the season will feature Latin American early chamber music, performed Oct. 18 and 19, on indigenous Andean instruments as well as the virginal, flute, viola and percussion. Gevert will perform at the keyboard, joined by Chilean musicians Gonzalo Cortes and Carlos Boltes on wind and stringed instruments.

This concert, the first in a series of nine, will be held on Oct. 18 at Saint James Place in Great Barrington, and Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in Lakeville.

Keep ReadingShow less