Sprout by HP

Having spent the past decade on a laptop, I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have a desktop back in my home. The Sprout by HP really does feel like a machine from the future, it has a touchscreen, projector and touch input mat which allows for a lot of different possibilities. So far it’s beyond any type of computer I’ve ever owned, in addition to your usual desktop capabilities, the Sprout is a fully functional creative workspace with a dual touch interface that lets you scan documents and products and morphs them onto your screen with the click of a button. You also have a toolbar that allows for full editing capabilities to move images, add text, clip art and do drawings. It’s completely interactive and such a great product to use for the type of collaging work that bloggers do everyday.

The touchpad lets you take 3D snapshots to scan multiple products all at once and the software splits up the images with transparency (as seen on the left of the computer screen above) or scan them individually. You can then move the images around for perfect placement and save them into your library for future use. You can also drag previous images scanned to create your collage and then add any additional copy or drawings using the toolbar functionality.

3D Capture by HP

The latest addition to the Sprout is the 3D Capture, which is an affordable at home 3D scanner. While the Sprout 3D Snapshot is great for quick and easy 3D scans, the 3D Capture allows for a full 360 degree image scan of your object and is great for 3D printing. Unlike the 3D Snapshot, for the 3D Capture you can only do one image at a time and it needs to fit on the Capture’s circular pad. Objects cannot be larger then 8x8x8 inches or weigh more then 4 pounds. The circular Capture pad has to calibrate the image and the process takes a few minutes in between scans. Models made from objects that are matte, solid, non-transparent, and not too thin, especially organic objects like sea shells, stones, wood… are more successful than models made from shiny, furry, flat, or transparent.