Retro Pod Hire with Classic Photo-Strip Prints

A booth built around the printer

Most open-air pods keep the printer in a separate case on the floor, which means a cable run, a table and a bit of mess. The Retro Pod puts the printer inside the column itself, so the whole booth is a single upright unit about 1.9 metres tall and half a metre square. A DSLR camera sits at eye level behind the front panel, with LED lighting built around it.

A session starts when a guest touches the screen. The pod runs a countdown, fires a sequence of shots and lays them out as a classic vertical photo strip, the kind you would have collected from a seaside booth years ago, but with a sharper image and a template designed for your event. The strips print from the slot in the pod, one for each person in the group, and the attendant hands them round.

The footprint: 1.5m by 1.5m and one socket

Because the printer lives inside the column, the Retro Pod needs less floor space than almost anything else we hire: a clear 1.5 metre by 1.5 metre area is enough for the pod and a small group in front of it. The unit measures approximately 1.9m high by 0.5m wide by 0.5m deep. Power comes from one standard socket, and there is no cabling across the floor apart from the single lead to the wall.

That tidy footprint suits venues where space is tight: a narrow hotel function room, a converted barn with pillars, a village hall with a stage taking up one end. Put it where there is a plain wall or room for a backdrop behind the guests, and ideally where the attendant can stand to one side without blocking a thoroughfare. The pod travels in cases and goes up stairs without trouble.

Six per shot, one strip each

The camera comfortably frames up to six guests, which keeps the strips readable; more than that and faces get small on a strip format. Each session takes about a minute including the print, so a steady hour sees around forty groups through. With a print for everyone in the shot, a group of four leaves with four strips, and the guest book gets its own copy from the attendant.

If you have a large guest list, the quick turnaround helps, and because sessions are unlimited guests often come back later in the night for a second go with different props. The attendant keeps the props tidy between groups and reloads the printer paper before it runs low, so the pace stays steady from the first guest to the last.

Photo strips, USB and email

The strip format is the reason people choose this pod. Each strip carries a column of frames with your names, the date or a logo printed along the bottom, and the attendant can print extras for the guest book. Prints are ready moments after the final frame, and there is no separate printer to walk to.

All photos from the night are copied to a USB stick for you to keep, and guests can email individual strips to themselves from the pod. Digital copies are included as standard so nothing is lost if a strip goes astray on the dance floor.

Styling the strips and the pod

We design the strip template to match your invitations, table plan or brand guidelines, with colours, fonts and a logo or monogram where you want them. Vintage black and white or full colour are both available. The start screen can carry the same artwork, and a backdrop in your colours completes the look. Green screen backgrounds are available on request.

• Strip template in your colours
• Logo, monogram or hashtag on each strip
• Vintage black and white or full colour
• Branded start screen
• Backdrop colour to suit the room
• Green screen on request

Included as standard

The Retro Pod comes with a professional attendant who stays for the whole hire, free delivery, setup and pack-down, unlimited sessions, a guest book, props, LED lighting, the custom template, the USB and email sharing. Public liability insurance covers every booking, and venues can have a copy of the certificate on request.

• Attendant for the full hire
• Free delivery, setup and pack-down
• Unlimited sessions
• Photo-strip print for each guest
• Guest book and pens
• Props box
• USB of all photos
• Email sharing

Events, prices and how to book

The retro look suits weddings with a vintage or rustic theme, birthday parties, proms and corporate socials where guests want something to pin on a noticeboard. Asian weddings with big family groups appreciate the fast print turnaround and the small amount of floor the pod takes from the room.

Retro Pod hire starts from £299, with an £80 deposit to secure the date and the balance due one month before. Tell us the date and venue and we will confirm availability within 24 hours. Our team arrives 45 to 60 minutes before the hire starts to set up, and that time is free of charge. Boothdrop Entertainment is rated 5 stars on Trustpilot; call 07368 631 516 or message us on WhatsApp to get started.