10 October 2007 13:00 GMT / By Doug Harman

The CP 520 is a neat little block of white plastic with an attractive blue pulsating glow on the top. This neat plastic box of electronics can quickly and easily print your photos either when connected to a PC or directly via a compatible PictBridge camera.

It is here that the device shows its strengths in that the dye sublimation prints can be selected in camera and printed automatically when using the Digital Print Order Format commands in those cameras that have the capability. They can be printed from the camera with the user selecting and printing the images individually, using the camera to control the options or, finally, if connected to a PC, you can print in the “normal” way via the printer driver that comes on the CD with the printer.

A dye cartridge is loaded into the side of the printer (under a flap) and the paper holder slots into the front of the printer from where paper is fed, sheet at a time into and through the printer.

Paper travels through and back again, a single pass for each of the yellow, magenta, cyan and sealing overcoat taking about a minute to print a borderless 6 x 4-inch print.

A neat retractable USB cable is housed within the printer body (for connecting compatible Canon digital cameras) while USB ports for PictBridge and PC connection are found on the opposite (left from the paper feed or front) side to the dye cartridge port.

Print resolution is 300 x 300dpi and because of the way the prints are made with a virtually continuous tone, and a sealing layer they’re smudge free and the print quality is excellent if colours are very slightly muted and slightly soft. Shadow areas in images seem oddly flat as well but not distractingly so.

Verdict

The ease of use and simplicity of this neat Selphy CP 520 makes it an attractive device indeed and as it is available as part of a bundle with the soon to be tested PowerShot A460 for £139, it is a bargain.

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Review Recap

Made by

Canon

Price as reviewed

£

The good

Easy to use and set up, styling, price

The bad

No screen, limited to photo output, basic operation

Quick verdict

Canon’s Selphy CP 520 is an extremely compact portable photo printer available as a bundle with the PowerShot A460 (test to follow) and as such makes an ideal simple to use printing companion for anyone requiring fast photos on the hoof

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