Printies Design Studio Review

Printies are kits that allow kids to design their own stuffed animals. They're creative and fun and provide a lot of entertainment for a reasonable price. Better yet, kids can use the Printies they make as gifts for friends and family. Parents should definitely factor in the cost of color ink when thinking about the value of this product, but I think they still fall into a good price range and it's certainly more worthwhile than printing out photos of movie stars from the web!

We started out with the Ocean Printies, but you can also choose Pet and Jungle sets. Getting started was a bit of a pain, but not too difficult. To get started, you'll need to create an account on the Printies website and download the design studio. If you're going to be using Printies for a party, make sure you do this in advance as it does add some extra time.

Once the design studio is up and running, your kids will choose the template they want to work on and start the creative process. The Printies Design Studio is easy to use and requires basic drag-and-drop mouse capabilities. Kids can choose from a variety of clip art options, free hand drawing, text, and even real photos. There are enough options to keep creative kids busy for an afternoon of designing. Once the design is complete, they can save it and either print or keep designing.

The Printies printing process isn't actually complicated, but since most people have no idea which way to insert paper into a printer, it will easily be the most challenging part. Luckily, each of the Printies comes with a couple of test pages so you can make sure your design is printing the way you'd like it to. Do a test print using the draft and black and white options on your printer. It will save you some ink. I would also recommend noting on the test pages which side you're inserting into the printer to make it easier once you've found the right alignment. Once you figure it all out, you'll print out the design on the actual Printies page, let it fully dry, and then start the printing process on the second side. Kids will almost definitely need help with this.

The last steps in making the Printies are fun, and all but the youngest kids will be able to do it by themselves, especially after the first run through. The Printies are removed from their paper template and stuffed with a pre-measured pack of stuffing. They provide a plastic tool to help you get stuffing into the corners. You then tuck in the stuffing flap and attach a pair of plastic shoes to help keep the stuffing in and allow the Printies to stand up. The final touch is to add some decorative stickers (included) to the shoes. Voila! A quick and easy stuffed animal.

If Printies are a big hit in your house, you can purchase refill kits for each of the design sets. You should note, however, that you have to buy the original Design Studio for each collection before you will unlock the templates in the online area. And, if your kids are inspired to start doing some sewing, you can find fabric sheets for your printer in most hobby and craft stores. You can use the Printies Design Studio to create the designs and then sew them yourself.