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Tour
Front
The Sony FP90 has a shiny white finish. There is a door on the front that folds down and lays flat; this is where the paper tray can be attached and prints are rolled in and out. The rollers can be seen from via the open door. Above this main paper input/output slot are three smaller slots for memory cards. These slots are exposed with no door or cover to protect them from gook, grime, and bubble gum. CompactFlash cards fit into the slot on the left, and a host of other media ranging from Memory Stick to SD and MMC fit in the slots on the right. At the top, the large display screen can be seen from the front view when it is folded upright.
Back
The most prominent feature on the back of the printer is the carrying handle which is spring-loaded to stay in place flush against the back when not in use. This prevents it from falling down and blocking the paper path slot below, where the printing paper flows out and is pulled back in to receive additional layers of ink. Above the skinny slot is a square-shaped pattern of holes that make up a vent for the motor. In the upper right corner of the back is the round port for the power cable. At the very top, the silver top edge of the display screen can be seen.
Left Side
The glossy white finish on this side is interrupted by only two features that are grouped together near the front—the USB-to-computer port and the PictBridge USB port. The edge of the carrying handle can be seen at the back.
Right Side
The carrying handle can also be seen from the right side. There is a smaller door on this side that is the same design as the front paper path door. The lip near the top allows fingers to grip and pull it down. This opens to reveal the print cartridge slot, an odd-shaped hole that fits the two roller plastic cartridge. A green lock switch sits just above to lock and release the cartridge.
Top
The LCD on top of the Sony Picture Station printer looks almost like a television. The large screen is positioned near the upper right corner and housed in a slim silver casing hinged at the bottom allowing it to fold upright about 85 degrees. Directly below the LCD and located on a similarly colored silver panel are the printer’s control buttons. These are all constructed of clear plastic and illuminate when in use. Nearly centered is a navigational control with four arrow buttons and an Enter button in the middle. To the right is an Auto Touch-up button and a larger Print button. To the left of the navigational control are four circular buttons stacked two atop two. On the top are zoom buttons: zoom out on the left and magnify on the right. From left to right on the bottom are Menu and Cancel buttons. Below the silver panel is a Picture Station logo along with tiny labels that apply to the memory card slots on the front of the printer. To the far left of the controls, placed on the white finish, is the power button. In the upper left corner of the top is the Sony logo.
Interior
The Sony Picture Station DPP-FP90 has only two doors that open and reveal the interior, but you can't see that much anyway. The front door shows a few printer rollers, while the door on the right side shows the deep hole for the ink cartridge. The inner workings of the printer can be seen through here, including the roller and heating element that transfers the ink from ribbon to paper.
Components
Display (8.00)
 The Sony Picture Station FP90 comes with a 3.6-inch Clear Photo LCD screen that is larger than most displays on compact photo printers. It also has better resolution with 230,000 pixels. The screen tilts upward and can fold down into the printer body for better transport, too. The viewing angle of the screen is nice and wide, so users shouldn’t have to dance around to see the image. The image is bright with good contrast, so the FP90 could also double as a way to show off your snaps. The biggest difference between the FP90 and the step-down model FP70 is the LCD size, which only reaches 2.5 inches on the latter. In addition, the FP70’s screen has just half the resolution of the FP90’s, so the images won’t look nearly as smooth or rich.
Paper trays (6.00)
The Sony DPP-FP90 comes with a plastic, enclosed paper tray that fits into the front when the door is folded down. The paper tray holds 4 x 6-inch paper only; it cannot be adjusted to fit panorama-size or greeting card-size paper. The tray can hold up to 20 sheets at a time, which is typical of a printer this size. The tray is actually composed of three separate pieces of plastic that interlock cleverly to form a sealed compartment for storing paper when the tray is not in use. The top is hinged at one end to allow the tray to open to receive paper. A sliding door attached to the top opens when the tray is slid into the printer. The tray also serves to separate the input from the output, since prints are output atop the tray. There are no edges on the print tray to hold the prints in place, but the surface of the top is not smooth, so prints do stay in place somewhat. This paper tray is much better constructed than competing models, such as the Canon Selphy CP series printers. The Canon trays are awkward to open and load.
CD burner (0)
This tiny wonder doesn’t include a CD burner.
Battery (0)
Most printers of this size, such as the Canon Selphy and Epson PictureMate printers have an optional battery so they can print photos from anywhere even if there isn’t a power outlet around. The Sony FP90, however, will need to be tethered to the wall. It does not have an optional battery.
 Power supply
This Picture Station comes with a power cable and adapter that fit together and plug into the wall outlet. This model has no alternative power supply, such as the Canon Selphy line or the Epson PictureMate line, which can be powered with an optional battery. The power supply requires 100-240 volts of power, but there are no specs on power usage. See Power Usage in the Photo Performance section for more info.
Internal memory (0)
The Sony DPP-FP90 has Bionz image processing technology, but not much internal memory. Pictures are saved on memory cards, computers, digital cameras, and cell phones—not on the printer itself.
Hard drive (0)
No hard drive is included with this compact printer, unlike some Lexmark and HP models.
Accessories (5.00)
Sony doesn’t advertise a lot of accessories for this printer. There isn’t an option for a battery, which might disappoint some consumers who print from exotic locations. Sony does have an optional Bluetooth adapter that plugs into the side and can receive photos from enabled devices such as mobile phones, but no pricing information for this is available at the moment. The main accessory is the print packs, which Sony sells in packages of 40, 80, and 120 for $20, $30, and $35, respectively. Both the ribbon cartridges and paper are included in these packs.
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