Canon Selphy CP1300

Surprisingly good prints – Firstly, don’t expect this printer to be what it is not. It is not an Instax or HP Sprocket that prints cute little wallet cards on thermal paper. It is not a professional-grade photo printer. It’s a compact dedicated 4x6 (postcard) printer that delivers good quality prints for its size and price point. Set up is relatively easy. Insert the ink cartridge and paper and plug it into a power supply. The ink cartridge is one single piece (not separate tanks). I think it’s ridiculous that it doesn’t come with at least a sample pack of paper and ink cartridge like every other printer does, you have to buy these separately. Paper sits in a tray that you just push into the front of the printer.

The unit itself is small but not pocket sized. In old-school talk it’s about the dimensions of a clock radio and looks like a mini desk top printer. I don’t really see it as one you’d take to a party or out with friends. It’s easier to use it at home.

To use the printer you either need to connect it to your home wifi (and then any device on that wifi can use it including tablets, phones and computers) or you can connect your devices to the printer’s own wifi which is more cumbersome. There is no Bluetooth capability.

We connected ours to the home wifi following the video instructions on the Canon website. Very simple to do. The printer has a small LCD screen.

To then access the printer you need to either download the correct driver to your PC / laptop or download the Canon Selphy app to your phone. You will also need to download a second app “Selphy photo layout “ to access more features for arranging your photos. You can also insert a memory card or USB directly into the printer and use the screen to select your prints. I think it’s intended purpose is more to print from mobile devices though.

The editing options in Selphy photo layout are basic. You can add a handful of different stamps (Eg speech bubble, hearts) and arrange the photos in collage. You can change the size and orientation of photos in the collage but that takes a few steps (tip - use pinch to zoom in / out). You can also add text.

The printing process is interesting. It adds one colour at a time so it takes several passes to print the photo.

I am a part-time professional photographer and have a high end Epson photo printer for myself and I use professional printing services for my clients. Obviously the quality of the Selphy photos isn’t to that standard but I was surprised at how good the photos look straight off a phone with no editing. The paper has tear off perforated pieces at each end.

As mentioned, you have to buy paper and ink cartridges separately. Canon need to listen to customers and include a starter pack so you can use it out of the box. They sell boxes containing enough ink and paper for 108 prints but I haven’t tested if you actually achieve 108 prints. The cheapest I found was $40 so that is 37 cents per print. Yes you can print at a shop for 10 cents a print but as with all home printers you pay for the convenience. In comparison, a 2 by 3 inch HP Sprocket wallet print is 75 cents to $1. I don’t think there is an option to use any other size paper except for 6x4.

So. Why would you buy one? If you’re buying for kids or teens they may prefer one of the fun pocket printers that print wallet-sized pics. I can imagine it being used by...

- Older people printing off photos of the grandkids or holiday snaps. They might not want the hassle or size of a larger printer.

- Social media fans who want prints of their content

-People who want to print off photos of the kids or pets for the fridge

-People hosting a party or social function at home wanting to give guests copies of photos to take home. Eg, take a family photo at a birthday party and send it straight from your phone to the printer.

-Scrapbookers

-Those who enjoy making their own invitations or cards from photos.

Overall, as far as small printers go I think it performs well. The price per print isn’t outrageous and the print quality is quite acceptable. It’s a fun little unit that means you can have prints from your phone in minutes.

Ink Cassettes Can't Be Removed – This is my 3rd Canon Selphy and all of them have had problems with the ink cassettes. So many wasted cassettes with the ink film getting stuck on the photos and separating from the cassette. My last two Selphy's have both ended up with ink cassettes stuck in the body of the printer - unable to be removed - even by a Canon repairer! Canon was no help but they need to fix this problem.

My first two models were a breeze to set up. Connecting the CP1300 to WiFi was a pain and I ended up having to contact Canon to have the problem fixed remotely.

When the Selphy is working properly and not eating the ink cassette's the colour and quality of the prints is excellent.

After three tries and three fails, none of which are covered by warranty, I will be looking for an alternative to the Canon Selphy.