Canon SELPHY ES2
Great quality printing in a portable package
Pros
- Extremely portable, decent print quality
Cons
- Some problems with landscape photos
Bottom Line
Ease of use and low-cost consumables help give this printer an edge over the competition.
-
Price
$ 299.00 (AUD)
The Canon SELPHY ES2 is a compact, portable photo printer. Impressive print quality and a number of basic edit functions make it an excellent choice for families and photographers alike.
The SELPHY ES2 is a well-designed device that prints photos in three different sizes, up to the standard 4x6in. It accepts most major media cards, including Compact Flash, SD, miniSD, MMC, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Duo. The SELPHY ES 2 also has a USB port for direct connection to cameras or a computer, and includes infrared for connecting mobile phones. An optional battery pack makes it possible to take the ES2 on the road.
Intuitive software and a well-designed interface make the printer very easy to use. The SELPHY ES2 uses a scaled-down version of the scroll wheel found in Canon's desktop and multifunction printers. Once the unit recognises an input source, it automatically displays a menu allowing the user to edit and print photos, as well as change basic print settings. There is also an option to view the available photos as a slideshow on the 3in LCD. Creative Printing allows users to superimpose clipart and customised frames onto photos (though it only works with landscape photos, not with portrait shots).
The SELPHY ES2 uses proprietary ink and photo paper, which restricts the choice of consumables. Ink packs are also slightly expensive at $38.95 for 100-photo packs. The ink and paper are combined into a single package that simply slots into the side of the printer. Users have the option of three separate photo sizes — postcard (4x6in), credit-card size (2.1x3.4in) and L size (3.5x4.7in). The fact that the device does not print A4 may turn off some, but these three choices should suit the needs of most families and some photographers.
The SELPHY ES2's speed is only slightly slower than Epson's desktop Stylus CX8300. Compared to the Epson's printing speed of 1min 5sec for a 4x6in photo at standard quality, the SELPHY ES2 managed to print the same photo in 1min 13sec. The SELPHY ES2 uses thermal dye-sub printing rather than traditional bubble jet ink, contributing to this speed difference. Photos are printed in four separate stages — one for each layer of colour and an overcoat to avoid smudging the photos. Given this technique and the printer's physical size, the slower speed is acceptable.
The print quality of the SELPHY ES2 is quite impressive. While it does have some colour exaggeration, we found photos to be of an acceptable quality. Flesh tones appear to have exaggerated reds and there is no sign of the vibrant yellows common to most Canon printers. Text and image lines are slightly blurred. Nevertheless, blacks are distinctive and the image is quite vibrant overall.
We did notice a slight flaw in the way it processes landscape photos on 4x6in paper. The postcard size is slightly larger than a 4x6in photo, and has perforated edges should the user wish to keep the photo at the standard size. However, printing landscape shots on the SELPHY ES2 led to the shot flowing over the perforated edges — as a result, a small amount of the photo was lost. The perforated edges are thin so this shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Brand Post
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 2 HP Spectre x360 16 review: The right 2-in-1 at the wrong time
- 3 Acer K242HYL review: An affordable monitor for any occasion
- 4 GeForce Now review: You bring the games, Nvidia streams the hardware
- 5 Asus ProArt PA279CV monitor review: The go-to for content creators on a budget
Latest News Articles
- Canon ink is freaking out after shipping without crucial chips. Here’s how to fix it
- Epson RapidReceipt RR-600W scanner released for home offices
- Epson announces heat-free EcoTank printers
- Ricoh delivers new high speed, black and white, office printers
- Canon’s Pixma Endurance has a new name
Resources
Macworld
What's new, plus best mac-related tips
and tricks
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world
Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles
PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D
The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G
Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65
This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76
It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Which Lenovo Laptop Should I Buy?
- Every TV in Samsung's 2022 line-up: OLED, Neo QLED and more!
- Top 10 best Android and Apple phones for under $600
- Everything you need to know about Smart TVs
- What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?