The SELPHY Compact Photo Printer CP510 is a small, lightweight and very portable, dye diffusion printer that can be used anywhere with the optional rechargeable lithium battery pack. It is designed to be connected directly to a compatible PowerShot digital camera or any PictBridge enabled digital camera. It can also be connected to a PC via its USB port or used with compatible camera phones with the optional Bluetooth adapter.

The CP510 is fast thanks to its DIGIC II processor, it cranks out a borderless 4 x 6-inch print in an amazing 58 seconds. The CP510 produces color prints that equal the sharpness and durability of conventional prints made from film negatives. The printer's resolution is 300x300 dpi, more than adequate for a crisply detailed postcard sized image from any 2 megapixel or greater camera. The dye diffusion color process is a continuous tone printing system that renders subtle shadings and realistic colors, 16 million colors to be exact.

The printer covers each print with a clear, protective overcoating that protects it from the effects of sunlight, fingerprints and water. The prints from the CP510 are at least as durable as standard photographic prints made from film negatives.

The sizes of media available are:

• Bordered or borderless 4 x 6-inch "postcard" prints
• Bordered or borderless 4 x 8-inch "wide" prints
• Bordered or borderless credit card size prints 3.4 x 2.1-inch
• Bordered or borderless credit card size prints with label adhesive
• Card size with 8-label stickers, 0.9 x 0.7-inch per label.

The CP510 does not require you to transfer data from your PowerShot camera into a personal computer and then send it to the printer. Thanks to PictBridge technology, most modern digital cameras can be plugged directly into the CP510.

The CP510 is shown here connected to a PowerShot SD430 using the printer's retractable USB cable. Other Pictbridge compatible cameras are connected to the side-mounted USB port using their regular USB download cable.

When the camera is connected and in Playback mode you will see a "SET" icon in the upper left corner. You press the SET button to access the Print menu. Here you select the printing type; standard or multiple, bordered or borderless, with or without a date stamp. Select the number of copies to make and you can even do some image cropping to make a 4:3 aspect ratio image "fit" into the 4 x 6-inch print area which is a 3:2 aspect ratio. If you didn't shoot in 3:2 ratio and you want a crop-less print you can use the "wide" 4 x 8-inch paper.

The Powershot SD430 features built-in IEEE 802.11b Wi-Fi connectivity and can transmit a photo directly to the CP510 printer when it is equipped with the WA-1 Wireless Print Adapter that comes with the camera. A full size 5-megapixel image can be transmitted to the printer in approximately six seconds.

You can see by the camera screens above that it is very similar to Pictbridge direct USB printing except there's no wires. The range can be as far as 100 feet depending on the environment.

The CP510 comes with the postcard size 4 x 6-inch papertray. The larger tray to handle the 4 x 8-inch "wide" media is an optional purchase. And if you want to print the credit card size media you will need to purchase the optional PCC-CP100 Paper Cassette and the appropriate print packs.

Setup and use is easy and clean, this isn't an inkjet printer. You just open the door on the side, insert the dry ink ribbon cartridge, close door, load the paper in the tray, open door in the front, insert paper tray, attach the AC power adapter, plug in USB cable from the camera to the printer and you're good to go!

The CP510 can be powered with the optional NB-CP2L 22.2V 1200mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery pack. It attaches to the bottom of the printer and makes it completely portable. A fully charged battery can produce up to 36 postcard-size 4x6-inch prints.

It takes about 150 minutes to fully recharge this battery with the supplied AC power adapter.

The available paper kits for the CP510 are:

KP-36IP - Thirty-six 4 x 6 in. sheets of paper and ink ribbon

KP-108IP - One hundred-eight 4 x 6 in. sheets of paper and ink ribbon

KP-24IP - Twenty-four 4 x 8 in. sheets of paper and ink ribbon

KC-36IP - Thirty-six 2.1 x 3.4 in. sheets of paper and ink ribbon

KC-18IF - Eighteen credit card size/full label and ink ribbon

KC-18IL - Eighteen credit card size/mini label (8 stickers per sheet) and ink ribbon

Here are examples of the borderless and bordered 4x6" prints with the tear-off tabs still intact. Credit card size multi and borderless prints and a sticker sheet print with the eight mini-picture labels.

Steve's Conclusion

The CP510 prints are indistinguishable from conventionally processed film prints and are just as durable. Unlike prints from inkjet printers, dye sublimation prints are waterproof thanks to the protective overcoat. This overcoat also prevents UV fading from exposure to daylight, another inkjet print problem.

If you own any PictBridge-compatible camera (most are that were made after mid-2004) then the CP510 can be your ultimate personal photo printer. This is especially true if you have the Canon Powershot SD430 and plug the included WA-1 Wireless Print Adapter into the CP510. Wireless printing just doesn't get any easier than this !