One can’t help but be a bit fascinated with the Selphy line of Canon photo printers. They are among the smallest, most portable photo printers out on the market, and despite their size they don’t really compromise on quality. A part of the Selphy line, the Compact Photo Printer CP600 is a lightweight and quite portable dye sublimation printer.

Because it comes with an external battery pack it’s one of the candidates as a companion for a digital camera.  Before you decide to purchase this device, be warned though, that there is no LCD for previewing what you are printing. So it’s mandatory that you have a PictBridge digi cam. Otherwise you will be stuck having to print from your computer. In fact, despite its portability, it would be more enjoyable to keep the Selphy CP600 on your desk at home, and just on the rare occasion you should treat it as a mobile companion.

When closed, the Selphy CP600 does actually remind you of a digital camera as design. It’s metallic silver with just about the same accents and the same boxy shape.  Because it prints by sliding the paper out in the back then re-feeding it three times, you’ll have to provide some space behind the printer. Size-wise it’s very compact and lightweight, measuring 178 x 131 x 58.5 mm and weighing just around 875 grams. You’ll find the cassette for the ink on the right of the printer under a cover and port connections on the left side.

The CP600 allows the user to print 4 by 6 inch photos at 300 x 300 dpi and has some pretty standard features for a compact photo printer. It’s equipped with PictBridge compatibility, USB and IrDA for connectivity. Sadly what it fails to offer is direct printing from a memory card. So in the end it may be nice that it’s a good companion to a digital camera or PC, but it’s unfortunate that it’s limited to that. As in the case of other Selphy printers, paper comes in a kit with the ink, so when you run out, you’ll have to replace both.

Since dye sublimation usually eats up a lot of ink, the CP600 isn’t very affordable. However, setup is nice and easy, you’ll just have to open the flip on the left side and insert the dry ink ribbon cartridge. You then load the paper in the tray and open the flip in the front. After you’ve connected the digital camera to the printer, you can go ahead and print your photos.

The external battery is a 1200mAh Li-Ion rechargeable and attaches to the back of the printer. A full battery will last for printing 36 4 by 6 inch photos. To fully recharge the battery you’ll have to plug it in for about 150 minutes. As a conclusion, if you own a PictBridge digital camera and want one of the quality Canon photo printers that you can pack along on your trips, then the Selphy CP600 may as well be the thing you need.

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