Liene PixCut S1 review: A compact, crowd-pleasing photo sticker printer and cutter for home and work

TechRadar Verdict

The PixCut S1 prints images on the 4x6 paper with bright clarity and plenty of detail, with a quality that is almost identical to in-store photo processors. However, alongside photo printing, there’s also the ability to load in sticker designs or transform your pictures into stickers, and this is where this small printer really comes into its own. The mobile app-based software is a little clunky, but there are workarounds, and the end quality is superb. If you need an office label or sticker system, the quality of this is hard to beat.

Pros

• +Shop-quality laminated stickers
• +Fast workflow
• +Excellent colour

Cons

• -App-only, no desktop software
• -Cut paths hard to customise
• -Limited decent templates

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Liene PixCut S1 : 30-second review

The Liene PixCut S1 is a 4x6 photo printer and sticker creator in one, at a size that will sit perfectly on your desk or shelf. The printer itself works solely through an app connection from your mobile device, so there’s no need to plug it into a machine, with all files transferring via Bluetooth.

What marks the S1 out is that it utilises a dye sublimation print process, laying a yellow, Magenta and cyan layer with a protective laminate over the top that gives a professional clarity. The printer is designed as a dual-use machine, enabling photo prints but also producing stickers, again with that dye-sub process and lamination that gives the stickers a look and quality that matches those that have been professionally produced.

Unlike most printers, there's a built-in cutter that then cuts out the stickers once printed, ready for use. Depending on the complexity of the sticker shape, it takes around 2-3 minutes per 4x7 sheet.

Different paper stocks are used for the two different processes, but aside from the material, the same hardware and carrier are used. The system has also been designed to be easily packable, so if this is an occasional-use item, it will pack away easily, while if you’re using it every day for your business, the design and quality are simple, stylish, and incredibly well made. It's not the best photo printer we've tested, but for a compact, easy-to-use option, it ticks a lot of boxes.

The only real issue is the software and the free templates that ship with it. Everything runs through the Liene app on iOS or Android, and there's no desktop option at all, which, if you’re used to designing on a computer, does feel like a real sticking point.

While there is plenty you can do within the app, it does feel a little limited; however, you can work around this by laying out stickers at the correct print size in Photoshop or InDesign, especially to ensure it cuts a straight edge on some designs. The app also ships with what feels like hundreds of sticker templates, but those templates are craft-themed rather than more business-focused, although there are a few.

The materials are all proprietary; however, packs of paper and the ink cartridges are well priced with 4 x 7in sticker and 4 x 6in photo sizes. If you’re looking to create short runs of stickers, especially for gifts, labels, and event stock or postage, this is a genuinely excellent machine. For volume production or larger formats, you’ll need to take a step up to something bigger.

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