Card Photo Printer CP-300

The Canon Card Photo Printer CP-300 is a very compact, lightweight and portable 4 x 6-inch dye diffusion printer that comes with a rechargeable lithium battery pack. It can be used anywhere without a computer when 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.

The CP-300 produces color prints that equal the sharpness and durability of prints 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, or for credit card size prints from 1.2 megapixel cameras. The dye diffusion color process is a continuous tone printing system that renders subtle shadings and realistic colors.

The printer also covers each print with a clear, protective overcoating that protects it from the effects of sunlight and weather. The prints from the CP-300 are at least as durable as photographic prints from film.

There are several sizes of media available:

• Bordered or borderless 4 x 6-inch 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 CP-300 is shown here connected directly to a PowerShot A60 via the included USB cable.

The CP-300 is a complete printing system in an extremely compact unit. You don't need to enter data from your PowerShot camera into a personal computer and then into the computer's printer. A dedicated cable connects the CP-300 to Powershot G5, G3, G2*, S50, S45, S40*, S30*, SD100, S400, S330, S300*, S200, S110*, A70, A60, A40, A20*, A10*, A300, A200 and A100. Because all of the necessary controls and bundled software are already a part of your PowerShot camera, they aren't necessary on the printer, keeping weight and bulk to a minimum.

(Firmware upgrade may be necessary for this camera model.)

When the camera is connected to the printer there is 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 a little image cropping because some of the 4:3 aspect ratio image is going to be lost when printing a 4 x 6-inch (3:2 ratio) print.

The CP-300 comes with two paper trays, one for 4 x 6-inch media and the smaller one to handle the credit card size media sheets.

Setup and use is very simple. Open the door on the side, insert the ink ribbon cartridge, close door, load the paper in the tray, open door in the front, insert paper tray, attach battery and connect AC power adapter, plug in USB cable from the camera to the printer and you're good to go!

The camera (or the computer) controls the printer, the only control on the printer is an On/Off switch. The printer will automatically power down after 5 minutes of inactivity.

The CP-300 comes with the high-capacity NB-CP1L 22.2V 1200mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery pack. It attaches to the back 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. Because it's Li-ion the battery can be charged at any time and holds a charge much longer than NiMH technology batteries.

The available paper kits for the CP-300 are:

KP-36IP - Thirty-six 4 x 6 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's 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.

CP-300 Kit Contents

A. Card Photo Printer CP-300 Body
B. Paper Cassette (4" x 6" size)
C. Paper Cassette (Credit card size)
D. Ink Cassette
E. Compact Power Adapter CA-CP100
F. AC Cable
G. Rechargeable Battery Pack NB-CP1L
H. CD-ROM Driver
I. Trial Standard Paper (4" x 6" size)
J. Cleaner (Not shown)

Steve's Conclusion

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

If you own one of the compatible Powershot cameras (see list above) or one of the new PictBridge compatible cameras then the CP-300 can be your ultimate personal photo printer. Want all the same great printing features but don't need the battery portability - if so then check out the Canon CP-200 instead and save some $$.