There is something nostalgic about a printed photograph. With all the web albums and digital photo-frames out there, seeing a picture actually printed on paper takes one back to shoe-boxes filled with fading pics that recorded all the good times from the past.

There is a nostalgic attractiveness about printed pictures – about anything printed on paper, really – which makes these items special. But getting a good printer to do the job can be tricky.

The choices of printers are many, and the capabilities of the various devices on the market are myriad. Picking the right printer can be an arduous task, what with tons of different (sometimes unneeded) functions, formats and types. For those that are looking for a printer that will be a great option in terms of printing photographs, the Canon Selphy CP800 is a good option. Although this printer won’t produce massive prints, it is a space (and pocket) friendly alternative that can easily be packed up and carried around, whether on holiday or wherever else fast, quality printing might be required.

In fact, the Selphy is made with portability and convenience in mind. The printer is tiny, and will easily fit into a ruck-sack or luggage. It’s integrated card readers, which handle SD, MMC+, MS, MS Duo, CF and Microdrive cards mean that a computer isn’t always a necessity when using the printer. Pictures can be printed directly from these media, as well as from USB flash drives.

Pictures can be viewed via the Selphy’s small but clear LCD screen, and built in picture optimisation (including red-eye removal and ‘Smooth Skin’ adjustments) means that the printer can even be used to make basic adjustments to the desired prints. An optional rechargeable battery even means that a powersource isn’t always necessary either. For people on the go, it’s near-perfect.

Because of its small size, the Selphy will print 4 x 6 inch photographs at the biggest. These ‘postcard’ size pictures are pretty much a standard, but those who want to print more impressive, larger photographs will need to look elsewhere. Still, the upside to smaller pics is the fact that clarity, which can be lost if pictures are enlarged too much, is almost guaranteed.

When combined with the right kind of paper, the Selphy will produce great prints in around 47 seconds per page. It has a range of around 16 million colours, too, which means vivid, lifelike images are the norm.

On the down-side (as with every printer out there) ink for the Selphy is not on the cheap side. That’s the biggest problem with virtually any printer on the market, though, and Canon’s options generally fall into the middle range of an expensive bunch.

The printer packs up into a compact unit, with the screen folding flat against the unit’s body. It’s tougher than it looks, but should still be handled with some care. The removable paper tray will needed to be treated with care, too, and adds a little extra to carry. Still, even with that and the power converter included, the Selphy doesn’t take up much space at all.

As a photo-printer, the Selphy is great. However, it is limited to this function – it’s hardly going to fill the role of an office printer. But if you’re in the market for a specialised, portable photo printer, you could do a lot worse than this offering from Canon.

At A Glance

A great portable printer, specialised in postcard-photo printing

Manufacturer: Canon

Distributor: Canon

Tech Specs:

• Memory Card Slots

• 47 sec per page

• 16.8 million colours

• 100 print years

• PictBridge

• Image optimization

Pros:

• Portable

• No PC needed

• Good print quality

Cons:

• Limited

• Ink Price