Are engraved digital picture frames worth buying for families?
Engraved digital picture frames are very hard to find – let alone ones that are capable of catering to the needs & uses of the modern home & family. Most engraved digital frames are designed to be visually appealing as a frame – but aren’t functional as digital frames. They have small, low-resolution displays that don’t offer much immersion.
Additionally, features like Wi-Fi and cloud connectivity are rarely available. This means that the only way to send photos to these frames is by USB/SD card – and they’ll need to be left inserted in most cases due to limited internal storage space.
Even if you choose to go for an engraved digital picture frame that you DIY build, the overall cost will often be higher than that of top frames like the Pix-Star – yet they won’t be anywhere near as versatile. We recommend saving up a little and getting a top digital frame like the Pix-Star. You’ll benefit from the enhanced immersion, distraction-free aesthetic, and excellent value for money.
Does Pix-Star sell engraved digital picture frames?
Pix-Star doesn’t sell engraved digital picture frames for several reasons. The most prominent of which is due to Pix-Star’s focus on an immersive display. Their frames – although still attractive and sleek – are designed to guide attention to the display. This is achieved through neutral colors and simple designs. Pix-Star’s 10 & 15-inch digital frames then take the spotlight, along with a versatile slideshow and frame control and a functionally practical 4:3 aspect ratio.
Pix-Star’s 10-inch digital frame is one of the most popular and highest-selling digital frames on today’s market. This is partly due to their stunning displays, wall-mount, and ease of use; and due in part to their impressive feature set, remote control function, web album support, and the ability to send & receive photos from anywhere in the world in just a couple of moments.
Pix-Star’s frames support video & audio playback, along with access to the Pix-Star Snap mobile app and web interface. Web album support lets you import photo albums directly from social media & photo-sharing sites like Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos, Google Drive, Dropbox, Flickr, and more. They’re saved to internal storage and are available offline.
How to make a DIY engraved digital picture frame?
The best approach when looking for an engraved digital picture frame is to make it DIY-style. While this takes time, skill, and preparation, you have full creative control over the final product – something that’s near impossible to achieve with pre-made engraved frames.
To make a DIY engraved frame, you’d need to measure the dimensions of your digital display or current digital frame. You’d then need to build a wooden (or any material you’re comfortable working with) frame to encase the base frame and display. Make sure to leave space for the USB/SD card port, power inlet cable, and motion/light sensor.
Once the encasing frame has been built, you can start the engraving process. It’s common for this step to be outsourced to an engraving artist or woodcarver – but you can do it yourself if you’ve got the confidence and skills. The final step involves painting or coating the wood to its desired final appearance.
One alternative is to buy a pre-build engraved frame or use a 3rd party service to build a frame for your digital display or base frame. This has a higher cost input and will often cost a lot more than buying a premium digital photo frame like the Pix-Star. We suggest sticking to premium frames for their enhanced functionality, advanced feature set, ease of use, and excellent value for money.
Can engraved digital picture frames play videos?
Very few engraved digital picture frames that are pre-made are available on today’s market. This limits selection range means less competition, which in turn leads to less drive to innovate. Features like video & audio support are not commonly offered outside of the premium digital frame range. Only a handful of top digital frames like the Pix-Star offer extensive video & audio playback support.
Engraved digital frames are usually aesthetically focused – as opposed to being functionally focused. They’re not very versatile frames and certainly don’t compete in any meaningful way with top digital frames like the Pix-Star or Dragon Touch digital frames.
Even among the top digital frames, video playback and support is limited. Usually, video size or length is limited. For example, Pix-Star’s frames let you play 2-minute video clips (which is more than almost any other premium frame on the market) and they don’t charge any extra recurring or hidden fees. Videos can be sent via the Pix-Star Snap mobile app or by USB/SD card.
Do engraved digital picture frames use touchscreens?
Engraved digital picture frames are some of the rarest finds on today’s market. You have very limited product selections to choose from. Additionally, touchscreen digital frames aren’t very common either – so finding an engraved digital frame with a touchscreen is no small task.
Practically, you’d likely need to make a DIY engraved digital frame. This would involve building a custom frame out of wood, making the engravings you desire, applying a finish to the wood frame, and fitting it on the wall or making an attachable stand for the unit.
We discuss this process more in the sections above, but it’s worth knowing that there’s a significant time and skill requirement. Alternatively, you could buy a pre-made frame that matches your touchscreen digital frame’s dimensions – but this is just as hard to find.
We don’t recommend buying touchscreen digital frames – engraved or not – as they have comparatively poor durability and are very prone to scratching and oil/dirt buildup. It’s common to find several quality-related complaints about these frames on shopping platforms like Amazon – with many of these frames only lasting a couple of months before starting to experience issues (or stopping altogether).
Finally, touch displays are significantly more expensive than non-touch digital frames – especially once the display size is larger than 8-inches. To keep these frames competitively priced, many features like cloud storage, video playback support, and access to a mobile app/web dashboard are sacrificed – leading to sub-par versatility and frames that struggle to cater to the needs of the modern home & family.
