Canon's hand-held $100 direct photo printer - lab quality in under a minute

Digital photography has opened a lot of doors in terms of photo sharing and the distribution of digital images - but people still love printed photos they can hold in their hand or stick in a scrapbook - but while printing technology has reached an excellent standard, it hasn't always been very convenient. Canon's SELPHY compact photo printer aims to address this - it's a full lab-color 4" x 6" photo printer that prints straight from a camera or memory card, and is small enough to take to parties with you. Its dye-sublimation printing process is similar to what your local photo processing shop uses. Consider it the polaroid camera of the digital age.

Designed to make printing images quick, easy and effective, the SELPHY CP740 Compact Photo Printer features a two-inch color LCD display, red-eye correction and multiple direct printing options that cut the computer out of the printing process and can print straight from a camera or memory card.

“This printer is ideal for anyone who hopes to produce long-lasting memories with no hassle,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. “Especially with the popularity of scrapbooks, crafting, and even personalized postcards printed while on vacation, the SELPHY CP740 Compact Photo Printer can make great quality prints and postcards. And, at an estimated selling price just under $100, it’s an affordable way to make memories that last.”

The SELPHY's two-inch color LCD screen enables consumers to view their images and select only their favorite images to print. Canon’s red-eye correction technology is in-built; the SELPHY automatically detects and helps to correct red-eye problems, showing the results on screen before you hit “print.”

Speed is reasonable for a compact unit; the SELPHY prints borderless, full-photo lab quality, 4”x6” image in approximately 58 seconds, using a dye-sublimation process similar to the machines in your local photo lab. It supports a large range of memory card formats, including CompactFlash, Microdrive, Memory Stick, Memory Stick DUO, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick PRO DUO, SD Card, Multimedia card, MMC mobile, MMC plus, mini SD Card, SDHC, mini SDHC and RS-MMC. If you've got an adapter, sold separately, you can also use xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Micro, MMC Micro, microSD and micro SDHC cards.

The Canon SELPHY CP740 Compact Photo Printer will be available soon for an estimated selling price of US$99.99.