Canon Selphy CP770

CNET editors' review

Editors' note: The CP770 uses the exact same printing technology as the previously reviewed CP760, so the performance tests and an explanation of dye-sub technology have been duplicated in this review as a result.

The Canon CP770 is exactly the same printer as the CP760, with one distinction: the CP770 adds a bucket that fits underneath the printer for convenient storage of paper and ink, in addition to a built-in handle for carrying the printer on the run. The whole package seems very travel-friendly, but there is a caveat: the printer can't run wirelessly unless you purchase an optional battery pack and Bluetooth adapter, both of which are sold separately. The CP770 is $150 to $50 more than the Selphy CP760 that has exactly the same photo quality and features. We love the printer itself, but we recommend the CP760 instead, because it's actually smaller than the CP770 (unless you have an incurable urge to spend $50 on a plastic bucket).

Design and features
The CP770 is a two-piece printer and bucket set. The oval-shaped dye-sublimation printer is slightly larger than the CP760, at 8.1 inches high and 10.9 inches wide, and it has the same rubber control buttons underneath a bright 2.5-inch TFT color display. The onscreen home menu is easy to read and uses several icons to display the current settings. Picture editing is narrowed down to an image optimizer and five color presets: Vivid, Neutral, PositiveFilm, Sepia, and Black/White. The print settings also let you automatically correct red-eyes, insert a date stamp, and change the page layout (up to eight images per page). The interface can use some improvement in usability. First, there's no way to view more than one image at a time; you can either print all the photos on the card at once or scroll through the entire collection and manually specify which pictures you want to print. Also, the small icons on the picture screen that represent the current settings are difficult to decipher without peeking at the manual--at least until you've used the printer long enough to memorize their meanings.

The body of the printer is a slimmer rectangle with a covered panel that reveals a port for the external paper tray, an IrDA port, and slots for SD, Memory Stick, and Compact Flash cards. The proprietary ink cassette fits into a protected bay on the right side of the printer. An external power adapter plugs into the back of the device, but it lacks a rechargeable battery that would make the printer wireless-ready out of the box. Of course, Canon sells an optional battery pack, available on its Web site for a staggering $80.

The accompanying bucket is made of durable, molded plastic and matches the white color scheme of the printer. It also has a built-in handle as well as two light green tabs that lock onto the printer for safe travel. Inside the bucket, you'll find slots and labels to organize and store the power adapter brick and a few extra paper/ink cassettes. As a whole, the bucket is large enough to accommodate everything you need to take the printer with you.

The CP770 uses dye-sublimation ink technology to heat-transfer images onto Canon's proprietary paper; Canon sells different media options, including greeting cards, postcards, and 2-inch by 3-inch credit cards. The dye-sublimation printing process is different from your typical inkjet; the paper makes four passes through the machine: the first three lay down the base colors (cyan, magenta, yellow) and the last pass places a thin overcoat on the image to prevent discoloration and extend durability. Canon tells us the ink in one cartridge should be more than enough to last through a pack of paper, and color ink/paper sets are available for purchase through Canon's Web site. We used the 108 sheet ink/paper combo for our cost per page calculation, and at $29.99, the cost per page comes out to 27.7 cents, an acceptable cost for a dye-sub print.

Performance
Dye-sublimation printers are usually slower than inkjet and laser printers due to the amount of time it takes for the ink to cool down once it coats the paper. For our speed tests, we connected the printer to a desktop using a USB cable in order to standardize the average print speed. The Selphy CP770 printed a photo at an average rate of .79 pictures per minute, a score faster than last year's Selphy CP740, Epson's PictureMate Pal PM200, and Epson's PictureMate Snap. These types of printers are marketed as fast, easy-to-use printers that people can print with at social gatherings immediately after taking a photo, and we're impressed that Canon is still ahead of the competition. The Selphy handled a wide range of color with precise detail and separation. Our pictures had a soft feel to them and could use a warmer tone, but we feel comfortable recommending the CP770 for the amateur photographer and home user.

Service and support
Canon includes a one-year warranty with the Sephy CP770, with toll-free phone and Web support available as well. The Canon Web site contains accessories, manual downloads, driver updates, and additional technical support. The product page also has convenient information on how to recycle used consumables and instructions on how to recycle your old batteries. Unfortunately, at the time this review was published, no FAQs for the CP770 were available.

Comparison printers:

Epson PictureMate Pal PM200

Epson PictureMate Snap

Canon Selphy CP740

Find out more about how we test printers.