The best printer in the world is the printer you can take outside with you and use as soon as you’ve snapped a photograph, the kind of printer that you can share with other family members. I don’t expect most users to agree with me on this, and most photographers will probably choose a higher quality, standalone professional photo printer. But for amateurs like me, I guess a fun, portable device that can shoot out 4 by 6 inch prints is more than enough. Sure, office printers are more useful and offer more features. They don’t offer the same excitement and pleasure though. At this time two companies are offering small, highly portable printers. There’s the Selphy line, from Canon and the PictureMate line from Epson. A lot of time went by since the last release of a Selphy product, but it looks like, after some time spend to come up with some major improvements, Canon has finally announced a new Selphy printer, the Selphy CP800. The CP800 features a tilt LCD screen as well as a new shuffle feature, which, according to the manufacturer, is meant to enhance its ease-of use and functionality. What the Shuffle feature does is it takes randomly selected shots and forms of collage of 4 by 6 inches.
While this particular printer isn’t shipped in green and with a bucket, it does preserve a small form factor typical of Selphy printers. Because it’s small and light it can be taken anywhere for printing. The only thing you’ll need to do is get yourself a battery pack that’s being sold separately. The LCD screen on the Selphy CP800 is 2.5 inches as size and it will serve for viewing, selecting and editing images.
Among other things, Canon also stands for image quality. This is why you should expect some pretty good photos from a printer which belongs to a family that has received multiple editors’ awards. Other features are obviously included. The Smooth Skin feature will produce more natural and appealing colors and help enhance skin tones. An Image Optimizer feature will help correct exposure and adjust the brightness, contrast and sharpness of images while a Portrait Image optimize feature will offer face detection, backlight correction and noise reduction. According to the manufacturer, the Selphy CP800 can print a 4 by 6 inch high-quality photo in approximately 47 seconds. The prints that result can last up to 100 years and maintain brilliance as long as they’re stored right.
The main idea behind this printer is ease of use. Selphy printers are most appreciated by families. Apart from more tech-savvy users, children should be able to use it as well. Because it’s supposed to be the ideal companion for a digital camera, this Selphy printer has a memory card slot as well as a PictBridge connection. The Selphy CP800 will become available in two colors, black and white, and will sport a price tag of $99.99.The exact release date remains a mystery.
