Cannon Printers

I wanted a simple printer so I could make a few prints from time to time to hand out. On sale for $50, this seemed like the right one.

I already had the included Zoombrowser and Photo Stitch software installed from my prior purchase of a Canon A95 camera, so I just needed to install the driver. Note this requires a USB cable (not included) to the printer.

As is human nature, I tried to print without reading the Zoombrowser instructions, and got a lovely plain sky-blue print with the words “My Album” on it – but no photo Then, out came a stunning second print which was totally blank but with some faint horizontal lines – this was from a residual click from my first attempt. Ok, Ok, so I looked at the PDF printing guide for about 15 seconds, and followed the instructions.

Got a beautiful first print of the Queen Mary ship. Got a gorgeous second print of flags (red/white/blue, and green) againt a clear blue sky, and the third print was very nice of a field of flowers near Mt Lassen (ironically the original proof print of this from 20 years ago was scanned onto my computer just today to get rid of paper prints…)

So, I’ve blown through the provided “trial” 5 sheets of paper and film cartridge, and have 3 very nice prints (with postcard address lines, stamp area and Canon logo on the back – the paper comes that way.) The ends of the paper remain white but have perforations about 1/2 inch from the end so you can remove them after printing.

I can’t compare the printing software to any other brand, but setting up a plain photo-only print takes about 10 seconds of menu choices. If you want to add backgrounds, titles/text, etc, that is available as well. (Got another pack of paper/film, and put humorous captions on kind of funny-bad office Christmas pix…)

Printing directly from my A95 takes about the same time as from the computer – about 1 min 45 sec.

The actual operation involves the paper being passed in and out of the printer 4 times (3 color passes and a protective layer) so it is important the back of the printer is not obstructed, particularly by the power cord which hangs down near the edge of the slot. The finished print is deposited on top of the paper cassette in front.

The unit looks and feels substantial for its small size, comes well packed (survived NY to CA shipping), has decent documentation, and a 1-year warranty.

Product Description
This ultra-light, portable Compact Photo Printer SELPHY CP400 gives you the power to print direct from a wide range of Canon digital cameras and PictBridge compatible cameras – with or without a computer. And it’s fast, the CP-400 produces long-lasting, high-quality 4″ x 6″ (postcard size) color prints in about 81 seconds. You can also print a variety of other sizes including 4″ x 8″ (wide size), credit card size, and mini label. Canon’s Selphy CP400 puts the power of printing fine pictures under your control. Fully automatic, you get prints that compare in quality to those from a professional lab. Prints are rich, fade-resistant, and archival (rated to last 100 years under normal conditions). The ink supply and paper are matched inside optional Canon Paper packages. No guessing. A great print everytime.Print Resolution (up to) 300 x 300 dpi 256 gradations/ color USB Type A for camera, USB Type B for computer (Macintosh and Windows software included with printers) Unit Dimensions – 6.73 x 4.72 x 2.1 inch – 171 x 120 x 56mm / 28.9 ounce – 820g (excluding paper cassette and ink cassette) Power Source – DC 24V using the included Compact Power Adapter CA-CP200 Uses Color Ink/Paper Set KP-36IP 4×6 standard paper, 36 sheets / Color Ink/Paper Set KC-36IP Card-size standard paper, 36 sheets (Ink and Paper are included in each of these packages) Automatic feed from paper cassette / Sheets eject onto top of paper cassette

Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon Selphy CP400 Photo Printer