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HP Sprocket review

The most widely available sticker printer, and the hardest to buy confidently: there are at least four models at very different prices, taking different paper.

By Selena H.Last checked How we pick

The HP Sprocket makes peel-and-stick 2 x 3 inch ZINK prints at up to 313 x 400 dpi over Bluetooth. The thing to check before buying is which model: HP sells a 2x3, a Select at 2.3 x 3.4 inches, a 3x4 and a Photo Booth, and they take different paper.

A small photo printer beside a phone with sticker prints

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A phone connected to a small photo printer, with finished prints fanned out beside it

1. Verdict: fine printer, check which one

HP Sprocket

Good sticker prints from the brand you can buy locally — if you buy the right model.

Buy it for
Someone who wants ZINK stickers today, from a shop rather than an order.
Skip it if
Anyone who wants certainty about specifications, the lowest cost per print, or accurate color.
  • **ZINK**: peel-and-stick prints with no cartridge, only paper.
  • Up to **313 x 400 dpi** on 2 x 3 sticky-backed paper.
  • Bluetooth to the HP Sprocket app, supported on iOS 10+ and Android 5+.
  • Stocked almost everywhere, which no other printer here can claim.

Running cost: ZINK 2 x 3 works out at $0.60 a shot. See every format’s cost.

How it scores7.1/10 overall

  • Availability10
  • Sticker use10
  • Specification transparency4
  • Color accuracy5
  • Lineup clarity2

Our editorial scoring, built from published specifications and reviews by outlets that test hardware — see how we pick. We have not handled these products, so these are not test results.

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Read the full review

The lineup problem, which matters more than the review

This is the genuinely useful thing to know about the Sprocket, and most reviews skip it. HP sells several different printers under the name, they make different-sized prints, and they take different paper:

The HP Sprocket family, as far as we could confirm from retailer listings
ModelPrint sizeNotes
Sprocket 2x32 x 3 inThe standard sticker printer. What most people mean
Sprocket Select2.3 x 3.4 inAbout 30% larger prints; different paper
Sprocket 3x43.5 x 4.25 inLargest; different paper again
Sprocket Photo Booth—A 10.1 in touchscreen unit, a different product entirely
The HP Sprocket family, as far as we could confirm from retailer listings

Buying "an HP Sprocket" without checking which one is how people end up with a printer and the wrong refills. Before you buy either the printer or the paper, confirm the print size on the listing and buy paper matched to it.

For contrast, Fujifilm's range is two printers taking one format each: the mini Link 3 and the Link WIDE 2. That clarity is worth something when you are buying a gift.

Specifications (what we could confirm)

HP Sprocket 2x3 — from a reseller listing, HP's own pages being unreachable
Media2 x 3 in ZINK sticky-backed photo paper
Print size2 x 3 in
Print technologyZINK Zero Ink
Print resolutionUp to 313 x 400 dpi
ConnectionBluetooth
Mobile supportiOS 10 and above, Android 5 and above
PowerRechargeable
Print timeNot published in a source we could fetch
Prints per chargeNot published in a source we could fetch
WeightNot published in a source we could fetch
HP Sprocket 2x3 — from a reseller listing, HP's own pages being unreachable

What it is good at

  • Availability. You can buy one locally, today, almost anywhere. For a gift needed this week that is a real advantage no specification sheet captures.
  • Stickers. ZINK paper peels and sticks, which is the use case, and HP's paper range includes pre-cut sticker variants.
  • No cartridge. Nothing to replace but paper, and nothing to dry out between uses.
  • A mature app. The Sprocket app has been in the market for years on both platforms.
  • Brand familiarity. For a recipient who finds unfamiliar brands off-putting, HP is reassuring.

Where it falls short

  • Specification opacity. We could not fetch print time, battery life or weight from any accessible source. That is unusual in this category — Fujifilm and Canon both publish all of it.
  • Lineup confusion. Four products, three print sizes, three papers, one name.
  • ZINK's color and fade limits. The weakest color accuracy and durability of the three technologies here.
  • Not the cheapest. Kodak 4PASS is about 42 cents for a bigger, tougher, better print.
  • Reported pricing varies widely, from under $100 to over $600 across the range, which makes "is it good value" unanswerable without pinning down the model.

Alternatives

The Sprocket against the better-documented alternatives.
 HP SprocketCanon IVY 2 MiniKodak Mini 2 RetroFujifilm instax mini Link 3
Film or mediaZINK 2 x 3ZINK 2 x 3Kodak 4PASS 2.1 x 3.4instax mini
Print size2 x 3 in2 x 3 in2.1 x 3.4 in2.4 x 1.8 in (62 x 46 mm)
Cost per shot$0.60$0.60$0.42$0.85
Shots per pack20 per $11.99 pack20 per $11.99 pack60 per $24.99 pack20 per $16.99 pack
Rough first-year costHardware price not published$189.94 at 100 shots$139.97 at 100 shots$201.94 at 100 shots
PowerRechargeableBuilt-in rechargeable batteryRechargeableBuilt-in rechargeable battery
Prints from a phone?Yes — that is what it doesYes — that is what it doesYes — that is what it doesYes — that is what it does
Flashn/a — printern/a — printern/a — printern/a — printer
Selfie mirrorn/a — printern/a — printern/a — printern/a — printer
Easy for a beginner?Very — it is an app and a buttonVery — it is an app and a buttonVery — it is an app and a buttonVery — it is an app and a button
Best forThe sticker printer. ZINK paper is peel-and-stick, which is exactly what a teenager wants and exactly what an album-keeper does not.A ZINK printer the size of a stack of cards. Prints in about 50 seconds and runs about 60 cents a print — the cheapest way into phone printing.The cheapest running cost of any pocket printer we verified: 42 cents a print, dry, laminated and not sticky. Bundles usually include film.Prints the photos already on a phone onto real instax mini film. The right gift for someone whose camera roll is full and whose walls are empty.
The Sprocket against the better-documented alternatives.
  • [Canon IVY 2 Mini](/photo-printers/canon-ivy-2-mini-review) — the same ZINK stickers, one model, published specifications, and a verified 60-cent-a-print media cost.
  • [Kodak Mini 2 Retro](/photo-printers/kodak-mini-2-retro-review) — about 42 cents a print, bigger, laminated and fully specified. Not stickers.
  • [instax mini Link 3](/photo-printers/instax-mini-link-3-review) — real instax film, 100 prints per charge, film in supermarkets.

Who should buy it

Buy a Sprocket if you want ZINK stickers and you want to buy it in a shop this week. Check the print size on the box, buy paper matched to it, and you will have a perfectly good sticker printer.

Buy the Canon IVY 2 Mini instead if you want the same thing with published specifications and a verified running cost, or a Kodak if the prints are photographs rather than stickers.

Questions people ask

How much does HP Sprocket paper cost?

We could not verify a current US price — HP's store and every major US retailer page returned a 403 or CAPTCHA to our fetches, so we have not published a figure. ZINK 2 x 3 media generally runs about 60 cents a print, based on Canon's $11.99 for 20 sheets. Check HP's current price directly.

Which HP Sprocket should I buy?

Check the print size first. HP sells a Sprocket 2x3, a Select at 2.3 x 3.4 inches, a 3x4 at 3.5 x 4.25 inches, and a Photo Booth unit — and they take different paper. The 2x3 is the standard sticker printer most buyers mean.

Are HP Sprocket prints stickers?

Yes, the standard ZINK paper is sticky-backed and peels off, and HP also sells pre-cut sticker paper. That is the main practical difference from a dye-sublimation printer, whose prints are deliberately non-sticky.

Is the HP Sprocket good quality?

It prints at up to 313 x 400 dpi, which is respectable for ZINK. ZINK as a technology has the weakest color accuracy and fade resistance of the three in this category, so for photographs you want to keep, a dye-sublimation printer is the better choice.

Does the HP Sprocket work with Android?

Yes — the Sprocket app supports Android 5 and above as well as iOS 10 and above, connecting over Bluetooth.

Read these next

Sources

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