Canon Announces Two New Compact Photo Printers

*26th Aug 08 - *Canon has announced two new compact photo printers; the $199 Selphy ES3 (on the left in the image above) and the $149 Selphy ES30. Both printers can produce 4 by 6 photo prints in a claimed time of 55 seconds, and the ES3 includes 1GB of on-board RAM to store photos.

Both printers are compact, portable models that weigh under 5 pounds and have a carrying handle. Neither has a battery or battery option, though; both run off mains power only. The prints they produce are up to 4 by 6 inches at 300 dots per inch and 256 levels per color. They use combined ink and paper cartridges that provide 50 prints per pack at $14.99 each, for a cost of about 30 cents a print. Optional printer cartridges that can produce gold and silver prints are also available.

Both also include a memory card reader that supports 15 memory card formats, including SDHC and Compactflash memory cards. These allow for printing without a PC or Mac. An optional $49.99 Bluetooth adapter also allows for printing from compatible cell phones and other devices.  The 1GB of RAM on the ES3 can be used to store photos that can be copied from either a digital camera memory card or a PC or Mac over the USB connection.

The ES3 includes a 3.5-inch LCD screen, while the ES30 has a smaller 3-inch screen. These screens are fixed; unlike other printers they do not flip up or angle for easier viewing. These screens can be used to view the images before printing, or for positioning the photo frames and illustrations that are built into the printers that cna be added to photos. An image optimizer which can, Canon claims, correct for common photographic problems such as incorrect exposure and adjusting brightness and contrast is also included. Both printers also include USB 2.0 connections and include software for both Windows and Mac platforms.

The Selphy ES3 will be priced at $199.99, and the Selphy ES30 at $149.99. Canon did not give any details on when they will be released.