Canon Selphy CP1500: Photos like from the lab

• Most people today keep photos in digital form
• A paper photo can be a nice distraction
• You can print anywhere, for example, with the Canon Selphy CP1500 printer

Today I would like to introduce you to one of mine helpers. This is a Canon Selphy CP1500 portable dye sublimation printer. If you like taking photos not only with your mobile phone, you might love it.

Canon SELPHY CP1500 review content

Photos belong on paper

It’s been about half a year since I thought it would be cool somehow revive mine photographic practice. I used to carry printed photos from past photoshoots in A4 format and it was a success. But for me to pass them on, it assumed that the model would show up again, in which case the marketing effect wasn’t really needed. I thought it would be nice to post pictures brown after photographing.

So I went through the offer and gradually phased out the big printers, which are expensive and don’t cost much to run either. For a while I was thinking about something like Instax, those tiny squares, but first of all it was quite expensive, it was already too small and mainly it doesn’t have high enough quality printing. And then I came across a dye sublimation printer Canon Selfie CP1500. It was just in action and its parameters enchanted me.

So let’s take a closer look at her. Thermo-sublimation printing has its specifics. You don’t buy paper and ink separately, you do one the boxin which they are papers and special foil. The package contains 108 pieces of photo paper and, depending on the variant, either two or three foils. The papers are then packed in 18 pieces. This is also the storage capacity.

I will not only praise and I would already mention the first two here reproaches. The magazine is being manipulated Relatively difficult, especially if you can’t use both hands. This would not be a problem, but the individual parts would have to fit together better and not sag. Considering the premium feel of the rest of the printer, the tray is a disappointment. Second, the manual says that the tray holds a maximum of 18 pieces of photo paper and already 19 pieces can damage the printer. So if I have one paper left in the tray, I can’t put a whole new pack in it beforehand. This, given the way I use the printer, may be an unnecessary complication.

Thermal sublimation printing

For me, this printer was the first time I encountered this technology. How does it actually work?

Common inkjet printer shoots tiny droplets of ink. At least 3 are used, with higher quality even more colors. These are applied to the paper at the same time and all other shades are created by mixing them.

Thermo-sublimation printer it also uses three colors, but the technology of transfer to paper is different. The SELPHY CP1500 printer uses dye-sublimation printing technology that uses heat energy to convert ink into a gas for printing. Photo grain can be removed using this technology, and color density is controlled by temperature, so the color transition is smooth. In the final step of the printing process, the SELPHY CP1500 printer applies a special protective layer to the photo that is resistant to water, oil and fingerprints, as well as to color fading and fading. The manufacturer even promises a durability of up to 100 years.

What the Canon Selphy CP1500 can do

Connection

The SELPHY CP1500 supports printing by connecting multiple devices, and users can choose from the following methods to print photos from their phone or camera.

• Connecting to a smartphone
  The SELPHY CP1500 printer can print photos taken directly from your smartphone via WiFi
• USB Type-C flash drive, SD card
  Using USB Type-C drives and SD cards, you can print directly to the SELPHY CP1500 and print photos directly from the SELPHY CP1500 without the need for an app
• Printing with a computer connection
  Photos stored on your computer can be transferred directly over Wi-Fi, so you can print photos you’ve saved or edited on your computer using Mopria or AirPrint

Application

The printer can print from memory media and from a computer, but we will probably be most interested in it printing from mobile. You will need an app Selfie Photo Layoutwith which you will print.

You then have two options. Either you launch applications and in it you select photos to print or select a photo in the gallery and share to the application. Yes, photographNo photo. You can only send one photo from the gallery, which is a shame because the reverse process is slow. The number of photos I have on my mobile definitely plays a role, but the selection from the mobile is for a long time. In addition, the printer can access the Canon portal and load photos from Google Photos.

After choosing a photo for printing, you can perform basic operations on it, such as filters, adding a satin effect, and most importantly, changing the crop. This was missing in the first version of the app and it was incredibly frustrating.

When printing, make sure there is enough space around the printer. Photo paper during printing goes out backwards and if it hits an obstacle, the photo will contain streaks. In the worst case, the printer mechanism could be damaged.

Printing

Let’s see how it all works. The video is intentionally unedited so that you can get a clear idea of ​​how much time it takes to print one photo. The printing speed is the same when connecting the adapter and using the battery.

He is at home in the field

As you can see, the printer is powered by adapterbut supports i battery. Then it is possible to print practically anywhere. The battery promises to last for approx 70 photos. Since it takes about 40 seconds to print one photo, but you have to include the preparation for printing, it means almost 2 hours of time.

I originally wanted to use this printer at events such as balls, with the idea that I would give people their photo and that way they would get in touch with me. But I ran into a complication in the form of a question, how to transfer the contact? I can insert text or a QR code into a photo, but that will devalue it. Maybe another photographer wouldn’t mind, but I want people to be able to put the photo behind glass at home. And that won’t be the case with a photo with a QR code or a website link.

Another idea was a stamp that I would print from the other side of the photo. I bought a stamp with text and a QR code and found that the ink takes an awfully long time to dry. Even after 10 minutes, it smudged when swiped. So the road doesn’t lead here either. Since I rarely shoot at events, this doesn’t bother me that much, but if you’re looking to get a printer for that purpose, beware.

The battery is charged directly in the printer. Unfortunately, there is no external charger to allow the battery to be charged outside of the printer. On the other hand, if I had a 230V source, I could print directly from the socket. And we come to the next complaint: it’s a shame that the printer does not support USB-C power, that would make it much more interesting. But maybe the demands on thermo-sublimation printing are too high?

Another note about the battery. Original battery it costs more than a printer, and it will be easier to arrange a date with Mrs. Columb than to find her. I bought an alternative battery for about 800 CZK and it worked great for about a month, then it died. But the seller immediately replaced it with another piece for me and it continues to work without problems.

The printer is quite small and easy to carry. It weighs 850 grams and the dimensions are 182x133x58 mm. You can also buy an original practical bag in which you can put the printer, battery, adapter and a supply of paper and ink film.

Press material

Canon offers several sizes and types of printing materials, from classic postcards to square format, stickers to miniature stickers. I use print on postcard format. You have two options. KP-108IN is photographic paper while the RP-108 is postcard paper. The KP-108IN comes with 3 transparencies of 36 photos each, while the RP-108 comes with two transparencies of 54 photos each. Photo papers are packed in packs of 18 for both versions. In practice, I did not notice a significant difference, I even got the individual versions mixed up and used photographic paper with postcard foil and vice versa without any problems.

If you take a moment to search, you will get to approx. CZK 6 per photo, which I consider reasonable given that you can print anywhere and anytime great price.

The interesting thing is that the dimensions are not exactly 15×10 cm. The photo paper is wider and the shorter side contains a perforation, which allows after printing breaking off (the fact of breaking off, do not try to tear off) the excess parts of the photo paper.

As far as the quality of the material is concerned, there is not much to complain about. You can hold the photo in your hand immediately after printing. The photo is spill-resistant, can withstand fairly rough handling, and isn’t even easy to tear.

Availability and prices

The printer is sold in three colorful variants: black, white and pink for a price in the range of 3290 – 3490 CZK (April 2024). It can also be purchased in a set with a pack of 54 postcard photo paper, but this pack is not economically advantageous.

Postcard papers RP-108 can be obtained from 688 to 890 CZK, photo papers KP-108IN from 614 to 820 CZK. But the prices of photographic materials change quickly, you need to follow the events. The advantage and at the same time the disadvantage is that you are buying a complete package and as far as I know, there is no possibility of buying photographic material from another manufacturer. The cost of a photograph is the same whether it is a white cat in the snow or a black dog on a pile of coal. One paper and the same amount of ink film are always used.

Advantages and disadvantages

If you have photos saved only in the cloud and you consider paper a relic, it is not the product for you. In the same way, if you have a physical album from every vacation at home or you print photos in a large format, you are more likely to have a large photo printer at home or, even better, use the services of a large photo lab, which prints photos cheaper and in better quality.

But the printer you will loveif:

• you take photos in various places and want to present people with a paper photo as a souvenir
• you are an action photographer and you take it as an advertisement
• you run a photo booth
• you are going to a family celebration

These are all examples of how this printer will pay for itself quickly. I tried it at a ball, on a visit and in the studio, and the result was always great joy for the recipients.

Finally, you can see how it looks in our studio after the photo shoot:

Do you print photos on paper?

Source: Canon, Wikipedia