Adding cheeky designs like faces to cookies is a surefire way of brightening the mood of your family and friends. You can do it casually by going freehand or using a projector if you want to get the details right. The problem, though, is that not all projectors will work well for cookie decorating. And it can take you hours or even days to find the right one for you.
The good news is that we’ve done all the research and narrowed down your options to just five. We have further divided them into categories to make selection easy. In this article, we’ll review the five best projectors for cookie decorating and provide a buying guide towards the end to help you make an informed decision.
Specifications Comparison Table
Miroir M220 | Kodak Luma 150 | AAXA KP-101-01 | Optoma LV130 | Akaso Mini Projector | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Native Resolution | 1280 x 720 | 854 x 480 | 1280 x 720 | 854 x 480 | 720 x 480 |
Brightness (lumens) | 167 ANSI | 60 ANSI | 10.4 ANSI | 125 ANSI | 50 ANSI |
Type of Mount | Tripod/Table Top | Wall/Table Top | Table Top | Table Top | Table Top |
Throw Distance | 3-9 ft | No data | No data | 1.96-6.43 ft | 4.2-12.8 ft |
Size of Screen | 20”-100” | Up to 150” | Up to 60” | 25" – 80" | 50”-150” |
Built-in Speakers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Lamp Life (hours) | 20,000 | 30,000 | 15,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 |
Dimensions | 4.3” x 6.63” x 1.13” | 3.1"x3.1"x0.87" | 4.25” x 2.36” x 0.7”. | 4.7” x 4.13” x 1.4” | 5.7"x3.15"x0.79” |
Weight (lbs) | 0.9875 | 0.48 | 0.3 | 0.875 | 0.46 |
Inputs | • HDMI • USB | • HDMI • USB • MicroSD • Wireless | • USB • HDMI • Micro SD | • HDMI • Wireless • USB (Power supply only) | • HDMI • USB • Micro SD • Wireless |
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Best Projectors for Cookie Decorating: Our Top Picks
Here are our top picks for the best projectors for cookie decorating:
Best Overall: Miroir M220
The Miroir M220 is our best overall pick mainly because of its incredible brightness and resolution. As I’m sure you know, details matter when decorating cookies and this projector delivers the best image quality on our list. Keep in mind though that its prowess when it comes to image quality has a limit. It won’t work as well in fully lit spaces.
Installation is easy, thanks to the built-in autofocus and +/-40-degree automatic vertical keystone correction which help with image alignment. Weighing just under a pound and measuring 4.3 by 6.63 by 1.13 inches, moving the M220 into position for mounting or from place to place should be a simple task.
The Miroir M220 projector comes with an internal battery that can last up to 2 hours. In our experience, that is sufficient for a single cookie decorating session. What’s more, it has Texas Instrument technology that adjusts brightness based on the displayed image and ambient light to save battery power.
This projector also has two onboard speakers that produce good-quality sound and volume. If you like to listen to instructions, podcasts or songs when in the kitchen, you’ll appreciate this feature.
Now, what we found annoying about the M220 is that it only has HDMI and USB Type C ports for connectivity. These are sufficient for a dedicated cookie decorating projector but wouldn’t be good enough if you plan to use the projector for other purposes as well.
Pros
- Sufficient brightness for use in low-light kitchen conditions
- Supports 1080p inputs but they will be downconverted to 720p
- Good sound from the dual onboard speakers
- Portable
- Uses an LED light source with a long lifespan
Cons
- Does not support wireless connectivity
- No Remote
Runner Up: Kodak Luma 150
We picked the Kodak Luma 150 as our runner-up because it has a good balance of features. It has a decent 854 x 480p resolution, which isn’t too shabby for decorating cookies. However, it supports inputs of up to 1080 but they will be downscaled to 480p.
When it comes to setup, all you need to do is install it on a wall or tripod stand and focus the displayed image manually using the wheel on the side. You also get a quick start guide to help you in case you get stuck. It doesn’t come with a remote but the good news is that the control panel is easy to use.
It’s light and small enough to be moved into any position in your kitchen whenever the need arises.
The Kodak Luma 150 has several connectivity options including HDMI, USB, and Wireless. You can connect most devices to it and enjoy your favorite videos. Bear in mind though that if you plan to use it to stream movies and shows besides cookie decorating, you have to use external devices like Roku or Firestick. You can’t screen mirror them due to copyright restrictions.
It has a built-in speaker which you can use to listen to instructions or entertain yourself when decorating cookies. That can be listening to your favorite podcasts or songs.
Something else you’ll like about the Luma 150 is that it has an onboard battery that can last up to 2.5 hours. That should be enough for one cookie decorating session. You’ll also find this feature useful when you visit secluded or remote places with no power outlets.
Pros
- Portable
- Easy installation
- Multiple connectivity options
- Internal speaker for entertainment
- Built-in battery that will last a full session
Cons
- Low brightness that is only good enough for dark spaces
- Decent resolution
Best Budget: AAXA KP-101-01
If you’re on a tight budget, the AAXA KP-101-01 is a good option to consider. As you would expect, it doesn’t match the features the other projectors on our list bring to the table but is good enough for cookie decorating.
Its brightness is a mere 10 ANSI lumens, which is only usable in dark rooms. Given that its contrast ratio is also low, it will struggle with parts of dark images. Surprisingly, its resolution is an impressive 720p which is better than most of the other options on our list.
Setting up the AAXA KP-101-01 is simple. And that is thanks to its small size of 4.25 by 2.36 by 0.7 inches and low weight of 0.3 pounds. You can easily position it anywhere in your kitchen as you decorate your cookies and not think about it when traveling to a friend’s house or elsewhere. Although it doesn’t come with a remote, it has a keypad on its top surface that is easy to use.
You’ll like the fact that it has an internal battery, which means you don’t need to bring cables to your kitchen when decorating cookies. It will last you just over an hour on a full charge which is sufficient for small batches.
It has HDMI and USB ports for wired connections and a micro-USD slot. In addition, it has an onboard media player that supports plenty of formats including mp4, AVI, and JPG. Those should be enough for decorating cookies. And if you need entertainment or to listen to instructions, the internal speakers should deliver just that.
Pros
- 720p resolution
- Simple Setup
- Lightweight
- Onboard batteries for remote use
- Good sound from the built-in speakers
Cons
- Insufficient brightness that can’t stand ambient light
- Does not support wireless connections
Best for Remote Use: Optoma LV130
The Optoma LV130 has the longest-lasting built-in battery on our list making it the best for remote use. When fully charged, you can use it for several cookie decorating sessions before the batteries run out of juice. You can also use it as a power bank to charge your phone.
This projector has a decent resolution of 480p and a lumen rating that is good enough for low-light rooms. That means that you can use it during the day with a bit of natural light streaming in through the windows and still get decent-quality images.
It can fit in a standard-sized palm and weighs so little that setting it up should be easy. Just place it on a tripod or tabletop, plug it into a power socket, connect your source and start projecting the designs you want to use on your cookies. It lacks a remote but the keypad is simple to use.
The LV130 has a short throw lens, which means that you won’t need to install it so far from your working space when decorating cookies.
You can connect various video and picture sources via HDMI or Wireless. It also has a USB port but that is made for connecting it to a power supply and not media devices.
For entertainment and listening to instructions when in the kitchen, it has internal speakers that produce a sound of decent quality and volume. You won’t be bored when decorating your cookies.
Pros
- Onboard speakers to keep you entertained
- Many connectivity options
- Easy to install
- Long-lasting light source
- Portable
- Quiet fan
Cons
- Low resolution
Also Great: Akaso Mini Projector
The final item on our list is the Akaso mini projector. We found it worth including because of some of its amazing features. It comes with a mini tripod with adjustable legs, which should make installation an easy endeavor.
In addition, it has a low weight, small size, and a +/-30-degree auto vertical keystone correction for image alignment. And if you get stuck, you can read through the quick start guide that is included.
Using this projector is also simple as it comes with a remote for navigating the settings. You don’t have to be physically close to the projector to change them.
The native resolution is only 720 x 480 but it supports 1080p inputs. However, they will be downscaled to the native resolution. When it comes to brightness, its light source only produces 50 ANSI lumens which are only sufficient for dark rooms. Otherwise, the image quality will suffer.
This projector has a built-in battery that will last 2.5 hours on a full charge, which is enough for one or two cookie decorating sessions.
You can hook up video and picture sources through the HDMI or USB ports or the Micro-USD slot. Furthermore, you can connect them wirelessly.
Sound-wise, it comes with good-quality internal speakers that will keep you entertained for hours.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Simple to install
- Internal batteries for remote use
- Supports HD resolution
- Plenty of connectivity options
Cons
- Low contrast ratio and brightness
Choosing the Best Cookie Decorating Projectors: Buying Guide
Here are the factors you should consider when choosing the best cookie-decorating projectors:
Picture Quality
Details are important when making different designs on cookies. If the picture quality is off, then your work will appear shoddy. You should look for a projector with a decent brightness of at least 100 ANSI lumens, especially if you plan to decorate cookies in a kitchen with ambient light. Anything below that would work best in dark spaces.
Also, pay attention to the resolution. A projector with at least 480p resolution should be fine.
Ease of setup
Many people overlook the ease of setup but it’s an important factor when it comes to cookie decorating. You want to find a projector that is easy to move to different positions as you see fit and install without having to refer to the manual or quick start guide. The last thing you want is to keep interrupting your cookie decorating session just because the setup is cumbersome.
Connectivity
The designs you want to project may be on different devices. That can be your iPad, iPhone, Android phone, or even a laptop. You want to make sure that the projector you choose has the right ports for hooking them up.
Sound
If you’re anything like me, you like to entertain yourself or listen to video instructions when decorating your cookies. That can be listening to music or podcasts with regards to entertainment. You want to look for a projector with good-quality built-in speakers for those reasons.
Final Words
With a projector, cookie decorating will be a fun and memorable experience. In this post, we’ve covered the top projectors for decorating cookies and the factors you should consider when choosing the one that fits you.
Be sure to let us know which one on our list you end up purchasing!