Canon SLR Reviews

Posts Tagged ‘Photo Lab’

Canon SELPHY CP760 Compact Photo Printer 2565B001

With the compact SELPHY CP760, you can print amazing photos with ease, from your kitchen, living room, friend’s house, even from a hotel room when on vacation, all without a computer. Just insert your camera’s memory card into one of the built-in card slots to preview and auto-enhance images on the 2.5″ TFT display; or print directly from your compatible digital camera, camera phone, or Bluetooth device using the optional BU-30 Bluetooth interface. The big buttons, large display, and automatic red-eye correction make it simple to create superb prints, from card size up to 4×8. It’s fast, too. A beautiful, long-lasting 4×6 photo takes less than a minute to print. Print directly from your memory cards via the card slots or wirelessly with a Bluetooth-enabled device and optional Bluetooth adapter 4×6 borderless color photo as fast as 52 seconds print speed Up to 300×300 dpi print resolution, 256 levels of color gradation Paper Sizes – Card (2.13 x 3.39), Card Full label, Card 8-Labels, (Postcard) 4 x 6 (Wide) 4 x 8 USB PictBridge compatible Compatibility – Windows Vista, Windows XP, 2000 and Mac OS X v.10.28 to 10.4x and v10.57 Dimensions – Width 7.9 x Height 3.3 x Depth 5.6 Weight – 2.1 pounds

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Print real 4×6 photos at home or traveling, works with Linux
Don’t be put off by the 300dpi rating of this printer. The dye-sublimation technology prints dots of actual color, as opposed to inkjets who need a lot more dpi because they sputter many microscopic single-color droplets over the “dot” space to make it appear as a single color from a normal viewing distance.

The CP-760 photos are indistinguishable from the ones you order at a photo lab. It does need special Canon-made paper and ink packs, but the Canon KP-108IN Color Ink Paper Set (3115B001) has everything you need for printing 108 4×6 photos at a cost of about 27 cents each (or perhaps a bit more if you take printer cost into account, which you should). Worth the convenience compared to walking to the store, especially when you only want a print or two.

The consumables are for exactly the number of photos they say they are, it does not matter how much or how little color is in the photo. The “ink pack” contains a roll of 4″ wide film with 6″-long sections in each color (yellow, magenta and cyan) followed by a 6″ clear coat, of exactly the number needed to make the number of photos indicated. After printing, each section ends up with a negative of that color from the image so it can’t be reused. I imagine one could recover the photos from the discarded negatives, so if that is a problem, you should yank the film out after it’s “empty” and dispose of it in some other way than throwing the cartridge in the trash.

Size-wise, a 3:2 format photo (as from a DSLR) fits the 4×6 paper better than the standard 4:3 format found in most digicams, which will get chopped top and bottom. Color came out very nice. You can print 8 images in one photo if you want to check the color levels. The LCD is low-res and should not be used to judge image color under any circumstances, luckily there is little the LCD can do that you can’t do from a camera.

You can print straight from a memory card, using the clunky image selection interface on the LCD that does not allow for much control. Or you could prepare a “print order” in the camera, so called DPOF. As you view your images in camera in PLAY mode, look for a “Print” or “DPOF Print” in the image MENU. Then follow the prompts. When you’re done take the card out and put it in the printer, who will execute your “print order”.

Another way is to connect the camera directly to the printer with the camera’s USB cable, if the camera supports a “print mode” on the dial (PictBridge), most do. In this mode you can also choose 2-up or 4-up modes and once you push “Print” it will send them straight to the printer. Nice but wastes camera battery.

You can also print wirelessly, straight from your phone or laptop, by sending photos to the printer via Bluetooth. Canon says to buy the BU-30 adapter for that, but I had an Iogear Bluetooth USB adapter (GBU311) lying around from an old laptop and had to try it. I am happy to report that it works just fine in this printer and I could print from my phone, which may suggest that there is a good chance any USB Bluetooth adapter might work.

Finally, you can print from the computer via USB. There is a CD with software for Mac and Windows which I haven’t tried yet.

It works with Linux. Gutenprint-cups 5.2.4 knows of some CP models but not this particular one, so you need to select the driver manually as Canon SELPHY-CP-520 CUPS+Gutenprint (note that 750, which is the closest model, does NOT work). There’s also a gutenprint-plugin package that allows printing directly from GIMP. With these I recommend scaling the image to the paper size prior to printing, to avoid visible aliasing that happens when you let the driver do the scaling. In GIMP, resize with Lanczos(Sinc) to a width of 1740 (3.9″) or a height of 1170 (5.8″), then apply a bit of unsharp mask if necessary.

I can’t tell from the Canon product chart what is different in the new models outside of physical appearance and some gimmick software features (borders and such), because the CP series are all dye-sub 300 dpi printers using the same ink and paper. So given that the 760 is at a very sweet price point at Crutchfield right now, if you don’t need a bucket or option for optional battery, I’d say go for it.

4 Stars Canon Selphy, nice pics but slow printing
Produces nice quality photos,but took about 1-2 minutes per photo. which is ok if you’re only printing a few here and there. if you want to print alot of pics, do them at cvs.

only thing i don’t like is that the 2 edges are perforated, have to tear off the extra photo paper edges(needs particular type of photo paper, specific to this printer).

5 Stars Cute Little Printer Works Well
This is a very small printer that works really well at printing off memory cards without being attached to a computer. It is easy to use and the quality of the photos is excellent.

4 Stars Nice pictures but,
I purchased this to use at my daughter’s sweet 16 birthday party. Photo booth rentals begin at over $500. So, I was hoping that this would be an inexpensive option so the kids could go home with some photos.

Unfortunately my photographer (a friend) had a memory card that was not compatible. I knew that this could be a possibility so I had brought an adapter. The problem was that the printer considered my USB card adapter to be an unrecognized USB connection.

I guess I should have thought of ALL contingencies. (USB port only works connected to a computer)

4 Stars Good little printer, if you need one
If you absolutely have to do your own printing, this is a good printer to buy. Bottom line: most photo labs will print cheaper, with better quality control, with known sizing, and with known print lifetime.

Quality: This dye-sublimation printer will match the quality of a lab. The prints are clear and well colored. (I use a color calibration tool for my monitor, so I know the colors are correct out of the printer. I suspect that may be the problem with other reviewers who have complained of mismatched color.)

Cost: you are looking at about $60 to buy the unit, plus $0.27 per print. Photo labs tend to start at $0.19 per print. You pay extra for the convenience of print-it-here-and-now, but it’s not too bad of a cost. The “sample media” provided by Canon was good for exactly 5 prints. Be sure to buy your first 108-pack if you order this printer.

Quality control: A dye-sub printer will (in my experience) give more consistent quality than an inkjet. Inks dry out, colored films do not. Ink nozzles can block up, leaving streaks in your prints, colored films do not. Even so, an imperfection in the ribbon or the paper will be visible in your prints. I’ve already seen this happen with this unit in the 3rd image that I printed. There is a bright green spot in my print where the magenta film had a defect. This is another win for a lab: if I’d received this print from a lab, I could get them to reprint it for free. To redo it myself will cost me another $0.27 for the new print.

Sizing: as has already been mentioned in another review, the sizing of 4×6 prints is about 3-15/16″ by 5-13/16″, when printing “borderless” on the perforated 4×6 sheets. Any professional printer will tell you that you have to plan for bleed space when you send imagery for printing, and this is a good example. Don’t print pictures with the content all the way up to the edges, or you will be disappointed when it gets cut off. This is probably true of your photo lab as well, so plan ahead and save yourself the grief. Note as well that the aspect ratio of a 4×6 print is 3:2 and the aspect ratio of most point-and-shoot cameras is 4:3. Some labs will offer 4.5×6 prints for this very reason, to avoid cropping the image. There are no cropping/positioning tools on the printer, so you’ll want to pre-crop in your favorite image editor before sending 4:3 images to this printer. That or shoot with a DSLR that has a 3:2 ratio sensor anyway (All current Canon and Nikon SLRs).

Lifetime: Photo lab prints done on photographic paper have been around dozens of years. Their long-term resistance to fading is well known. Printer paper and dye-sublimation inks are not nearly so well known. I had an older (circa 2001) Olympus dye-sublimation photo printer, and the prints that I still have from that machine have NOT lasted. The colors have separated unevenly, or faded away entirely in some cases. I’m glad I didn’t trust anything important to that medium. Canon claims prints from this printer will last 100 years. I’m hoping so.

Buy/More Info

Canon CLI 8Y Yellow Ink Tank

If you use your Canon Pixma printer for photo printing, you might have observed that the color cartridges seem to drain fast. The engineers at Canon are aware of this and have helped resolve the problem. Instead of requiring a complete ink cartridge replacement, the cartridge was designed as 2 modules: cartridge transfer mechanism and an ink tank. This is the ink tank. It’s a refill for your ink cartridge and is an economical way of adding ink without having to pay for an entire cartridge. It’s a sensible alternative.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Canon CLI-8Y Ink Tank – Yellow
I use the CLI-8Y Yellow Ink Tank for my Canon IP4200. All my ink tanks typically get used up at almost the same rate on the Canon IP4200 so I usually just order the Canon CLI-8 4-Color Multipack Ink Tanks package, which consists of: Yellow CLI-8Y (this ink tank), Cyan CLI-8C, Magenta CLI-8M, and CLI-8Bk Black.

*If you need all 4 colors, the Canon CLI-8 4-Color Multipack Ink Tanks is a much better deal.*

Quality

——-

The CLI-8 ink tanks produce pleasing tones and true-to-life colors for photos. I find that the high quality photo prints rival those from the photo lab.

Compatibility

————-

The CLI-8C, CLI-8M, CLI-8Y, and CLI-8Bk Ink Tanks are compatible with the Canon IP and MP Inkjets. DO NOT confuse these ink tanks with the closely-named CLI-8P ink tank series: CLI-8PC and CLI-8PM – these ink tanks are NOT NECESSARILY compatible with your printer. If you have a 5-tank printer, chances are the CLI-8PC and CLI-8PM aren’t compatible with your printer!

Value

—–

I stint on ink and print my documents almost exclusive in grayscale at the DRAFT quality mode (my Canon IP4200 printer uses the CLI-8 color cartridges even though I don’t print in color). I can get about a full ream’s worth of paper (double-sided) on 1 cartridge. However, with higher quality printer, the color ink cartridges get consumed much more quickly.

It is evident from the reviews that the price of ink is a major concern for most people. You should ideally use only genuine Canon ink cartridges but if you’re strapped for cash, you can purchase the cheaper generic versions (non-OEM) of the CLI-8 cartridges.

- CLI-8 4-Pack

- CLI-8 Magenta

- CLI-8 Cyan

- CLI-8 Yellow <-- non-OEM equivalent of this cartridge (Canon CLI-8Y)

- CLI-8 Black

I have not verified that they do in fact work as claimed so try them at your own risk!

Bottom Line

———–

The Canon CLI-8C/M/Y/Bk ink cartridges may be expensive, but they deliver consistently high quality text and photo prints.

3 Stars 5 Stars for the Canon item in the box; 1 Star (or Less) for the Purported Canon Item in the Bag
Initially, my order was filled by Amazon.com with an ink tank that arrived in a grey plastic bag. The description on the outside of the bag purported to state that the bag contained a genuine Canon ink tank; however, my printer wouldn’t recognize the tank after I installed it. (This had NEVER happened before.) Amazon.com replaced the item with an ink tank which arrived in the “usual” Canon box, and upon installation this tank was immediately recognized by my printer (as were all other “genuine” Canon tanks).

So beware of “substitute” products – especially substitute Canon ink tanks which are packaged in grey plastic bags. My “star” rating for this item is 3: the average of 5 (for the replacement ink tank) and 1 (for the intital ink tank sent to me by Amazon.com).

4 Stars Canon Ink CLI-8Y
Canon Pixma MP960 is a wonderful product and the ink by Canon compliments the color photos immensly!

4 Stars Cartridge less than fresh
Product shipped was as ordered but was a year old with only six months left in the suggested use time. Would have expected that a high volume seller like Amazon to have the freshest of product. When I complained, they offered to take it back but I elected to not bother.

5 Stars Genuine Canon Ink Fan
I always use the genuine article when refilling my Canon Printer. Why mess with a good thing. It works great!

Buy/More Info

Canon CLI 8M Magenta Ink Tank

If you use your Canon Pixma printer for photo printing, you might have observed that the color cartridges seem to drain fast. The engineers at Canon are aware of this and have helped resolve the problem. Instead of requiring a complete ink cartridge replacement, the cartridge was designed as 2 modules: cartridge transfer mechanism and an ink tank. This is the ink tank. It’s a refill for your ink cartridge and is an economical way of adding ink without having to pay for an entire cartridge. It’s a sensible alternative.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Canon Ink Preferred
Have been using Canon 8 ink in my Canon Pixma iP520 photo printer for over 3 years. I sell prints from this printer.

I teach digital photography and recommend printer manufacturer’s inks to assure quality results. “Compatible ink” means ink cartridge will work in that printer. Quality varies considerably.

5 Stars Canon CLI-8M Ink Tank – Magenta
I use the CLI-8Y Yellow Ink Tank for my Canon IP4200. All my ink tanks typically get used up at almost the same rate on the Canon IP4200 so I usually just order the Canon CLI-8 4-Color Multipack Ink Tanks package, which consists of: Magenta CLI-8M (this ink tank), Cyan CLI-8C, Yellow CLI-8Y, and CLI-8Bk Black.

*If you need all 4 colors, the Canon CLI-8 4-Color Multipack Ink Tanks is a much better deal.*

Quality

——-

The CLI-8 ink tanks produce pleasing tones and true-to-life colors for photos. I find that the high quality photo prints rival those from the photo lab.

Compatibility

————-

The CLI-8C, CLI-8M, CLI-8Y, and CLI-8Bk Ink Tanks are compatible with the Canon IP and MP Inkjets. DO NOT confuse these ink tanks with the closely-named CLI-8P ink tank series: CLI-8PC and CLI-8PM – these ink tanks are NOT NECESSARILY compatible with your printer. If you have a 5-tank printer, chances are the CLI-8PC and CLI-8PM aren’t compatible with your printer!

Value

—–

I stint on ink and print my documents almost exclusive in grayscale at the DRAFT quality mode (my Canon IP4200 printer uses the CLI-8 color cartridges even though I don’t print in color). I can get about a full ream’s worth of paper (double-sided) on 1 cartridge. However, with higher quality printer, the color ink cartridges get consumed much more quickly.

It is evident from the reviews that the price of ink is a major concern for most people. You should ideally use only genuine Canon ink cartridges but if you’re strapped for cash, you can purchase the cheaper generic versions (non-OEM) of the CLI-8 cartridges.

- CLI-8 4-Pack

- CLI-8 Magenta <-- non-OEM equivalent of this cartridge (Canon CLI-8M)

- CLI-8 Cyan

- CLI-8 Yellow

- CLI-8 Black

I have not verified that they do in fact work as claimed so try them at your own risk!

Bottom Line

———–

The Canon CLI-8C/M/Y/BK ink cartridges may be expensive, but they deliver consistently high quality text and photo prints.

3 Stars Ink is fine; cost isn’t
We have all been warned that this is the strategy followed by many printer companies – keep printer prices low and charge relatively high prices for the ink. This is certainly the case here – I paid just under $15. In about a month, it is already below half and I do very little color printing.

Other than that, the ink and the printer works very well (I have a Canon MX 700).

3 Stars Canon MP830 printer magenta ink
My husband insisted on the Canon printer because it’s supposed to print better quality photos. What we didn’t know was that we had to get Canon photo paper; it will not print correctly on Kodak or other photo papers. That aside, the printer ink colors are OK, but the printer goes through more ink than any HP printer I’ve ever owned. The ink is fine, the printer just seems to run out too quickly, particularly the cyan and magenta colors. My next printer will be another HP printer.

3 Stars Rip-off
The ink works well. No problems. But as you know all printer inks are a real rip-off.

Buy/More Info