Canon - SELPHY QX20

You're asking about price per print, *including* the amortized cost of the printer. In the long run, ink and paper costs always dominate. Short term however, the price of the printer dominates. A more expensive printer, such as the Epson ET8550, will have very good long term cost, but the initial investment is steep. A less expensive printer, such as a Canon SELPHY, will have a modest initial price, but price per picture adds up much faster. The least expensive printer is Walgreen's, with no up-front cost, but high ongoing cost. A second consideration is quality. The more expensive the printer, the higher the print quality. The ET8550 will outperform Walgreens, producing richer colors and more detail. A professional printer such as the Canon Pro 1200, will be even better. The SELPHY does not match Walgreens. And then there's effort. Walgreens takes your JPEGs and prints them. SELPHY does, too. But a dedicated printer will require some fiddling with a computer to get good results. On the flip side, you get to play with various paper types and sizes. But make no mistake, this is extra effort. Personally, I went with a Canon Pro 200, which is roughly equivalent to the Epson ET8550, but cheaper to buy and more expensive to operate. It's all a matter of how much do you intend to print. I also have a much cheaper Epson XP8500, which prints better photos than the SELPHY, for less money, but can't match the Pro 200. I also have a SELPHY, which is nice for what it is, but can't match Walgreen. And I have an INSTAX printer, which fits in my pocket and prints adorable little polaroids. But quality can't match even the SELPHY. Depending on your needs, all of the mentioned printers are a good purchase. In your case, I'd probably recommend the Epson XP8800 as a cheap, good quality photo printer. You'll be able to buy six full ink replacements before you'll reach the cost of the ET8550, which should take several years. If you'd like to splurge, the ET8550 is definitely the better printer, with lower ink costs. And keep in mind that ink is only one part of the running costs. It's easy to get swept up in the marketing that an ecotank printer makes printing "free". But that's ignoring paper costs, which in my experience dominate printing costs in the long run. First party paper is reliable and good, but offers only limited variations. Third party paper requires matching printer profiles, which can be hard to come by for non-professional printers such as the XP8800 (but some paper manufacturers (Photospeed) profile for free, and there are cheap services for creating bespoke profiles).

Yes, I know. I said I have a thermal printer too...in addition to my Canon Selphy.

I enjoy shooting and then tweaking in Lightroom/Photoshop and then I print out the best from the session to show my wife and family. The real good ones I frame but not too often. And pictures of family and friends I hand out. Sometimes I do a few prints just to check out my post processing. So as your efforts progress you may be printing regularly. Canon has the SELPHY which is about $130. I have the Canon Pixma Pro 200 which cost about $600.

Hi!! I was in this exact same boat as you. I was torn between the following: Instant: Polaroid hi print, hp sprocket, canon selphy, Kodak retro 2, etc. Printer: Epson eco tank vs canon mega tank I ordered the Polaroid hi print, the quality wasn't good. My friend has the HP sprocket and canon selphy. Sprocket quality is fine but looks like it has a filter on it. Canon selphy was by far the BEST quality but is expensive and figured I could get a new printer at that point. I decided to buy a new ink tank printer and just bought the Canon Mega Tank G3270 on Amazon! It's actually on sale right now which really sealed the deal for me. I got it yesterday and will be setting it up today. I want the ability to print photos whenever I want, so I can use canon photo paper with the canon ink tank, hopefully I get good results! After I set it up I will report back. I am still considering maybe getting a small instant photo printer but I'm going to wait and see how this printer treats me. I have plenty of printable sticker paper so I'm hopeful this will solve most of my problems!!

I have a Canon Selphy, and I'm really happy with it. Love just being able to use them as fauxlaroids in an album or sticking them directly into a journal, and the print quality is actually decent.

I second the Canon qx20 (or qx10 if you just want a 2x3" print). I don't like the HP sprocket 200 or Canon ivy 2... they seem to overly sharpen and I don't like how they reproduce darker skin tones.

You're welcome! I am very happy with it. You do have to buy ink cartridges for it, but I did the math. The price is pretty comparable to the Sprocket, especially if you're printing 2 images on one 4x6" sheet, but the quality is far superior.

The Canon SELPHY is amazing quality! It's not as easy as some of the smaller printers to whip out but that's OK because the quality. I'm a wedding photographer and I also use it to print out little photo albums for my clients, it's that good!

for anyone looking into this the canon selphy is a great lil printer!

the Canon Selphy has smaller sized sticker paper but I usually just print a collage and then cut out photos. I have one of those rounded corner punches which I think looks cute

I tried and returned the HP Sprocket. I then tried and returned the Kodak photo printer. I tried and kept the Canon Selphy. Taking the HP Sprocket out of the discussion, because it's not really comparable to the other two. I had a photo that was taken by a very good photographer (not a professional, but "advanced hobbyist.") I printed each of them and put them side by side. The color and quality of the photo printed on the Selphy was far superior. While the price of the printer itself is higher than the others, the paper and ink for the Canon are cheaper than the Kodak. I had some trouble connecting to the Selphy printer. Honestly, it was kind of a pain. This is probably a "user issue," in that I have a very low patience level for "tech stuff." If you have a teenager or college student handy, they would probably have no problem. I would recommend the Selphy. One thing to note, you can't put the Selphy against the wall. It needs about 4 inches of extra space in the back and 8 inches in the front. It takes up a little more space sitting on a desk than I expected.

I'm getting the Canon Selphy Square QX20, it can do two paper sizes, big squares or rectangular credit card. It can also print right to the edges on 3 sides (borderless) and you can print multiple pics (I think up to 6?) to a sheet like a collage, so I'm using it to make smaller photos for my 5 year & Weeks. It's really versatile! And the prints are archival quality, rated to last 100 years as it's dye sublimation. It's also sticky back and thin enough not to bulk up the journal too much.

Eu folosesc Canon Selphy. Sunt mai multe modele de imprimante (cu bluetooth sau fara, model mai nou etc). Sunt foarte multumit de calitate. Pozele sunt printate CMY (fara K), fiecare culoare pe rand. Un proces foarte misto de vazut. Iar la sfarsit pune un strat protector, o laminare impotriva apei. Am folosit-o inclusiv cand aveam nevoie de niste poze tip buletin si nu aveam timp/nu stiam unde se mai fac. Mi-am facut o poza, am folosit aplicatia lor si gata. E foarte mica si poate fi luata in bagaj. Cartusul nu se usuca (are niste folii, cauta pe youtube). Costul per poza e de vreo 1,5 lei, depinde de unde iei kit-ul. Singurul inconvenient e ca dimensiunea maxima e de 10x15 cm (cred).

Canon Selphy Square Qx20!! It's amazing. I love that the prints are dye sublimation so won't fade (archival quality, guaranteed for 100 years) and the sticker backing is so handy and the photos are nice and thin. I got mine at the end of last year for Christmas and it hasn't missed a beat! I mostly use it for photos in my 5 year diary so it was especially important I chose a printer with photos that won't fade 😊 Also the app has always worked well and I like I can collage up to 8 photos per piece of paper, which saves money on the prints. Usually I'll do 6 pics per paper & I cut them up.

By what I looked for, the canon selphy papers are less expensive than buying inks for your printers all the time plus glueing them and so on. You can do the collage on the app. I would get the selphy.

The Canon selphy is good and can print bigger photos but I find the paper refill hard to find and usually ships from Japan from amazon and a lil too big and non portable for me I'm currently using polarioid hi-print and loving it for my planner, its a 4 pass system and paper is sticky, and thinner than the zinc ones which I really like, quality is not gonna be as clear as the canon selphy but great for the purpose that I'm using it for (planner photos)

The QX20. I selected it specifically cause the prints are dye sublimation rather than heat, and thus should have a better longevity, but I'm a big nerd who weighs endlessly :p Regardless, very pleased with it, and hauled it in my backpack during a three week holiday in Japan.

No there's a load of known problems with the Polaroid range. I went for the cannon Selphy instead as it uses sublimation ink to print not zinc which will fade and I don't like

do you want to print at home, right away? then yes the Canon Selphy is a dye sublimation printer which means that it avoids a lot of the pitfalls of a traditional inkjet. Canon sells you a complete kit with paper and dye/ribbon and it works out to like $.35 per image In the US, I can usually print 4x6s at $0.12 per print, but that requires ordering prints and picking them up from a shop or having it mailed if its batched enough. if you print ocasionally, but still often enough and want the control to print at home and dont need larger than 4x6 they are a good choice. I would own one but I prefer 5x7s

The sprocket leaves rly strong pink tiny on the picture, and it gets worse over time. I've had mine for five years and the pictures come out completely pink now. I have a Canon Selphy now, not very mini but super worth it because I can just print a collage to get smaller pictures.

OP, I know this was for Christmas, and I saw that you already bought yours-I hope you like it! But for anyone reading this in the future, that's my take. I was at a photo fair in November and had been thinking about the Canon QX10 for a while. So, I went to the Canon stand, asked about it, and inquired if anything new was coming with USB-C. The representative told me, "You're in luck-we're just launching the QX20." I really liked what I saw. There was also a Fujifilm stand with the Instax portable printer, where they allowed you to print as much as you wanted, with options for both portrait and square formats. I personally wanted something for my photography business. My idea was to give a photo to a client at the end of a shoot by sending it from my camera to my phone, doing a quick retouch, printing it, and handing it over as a thank-you gesture. I noticed that Instax prints took more time to develop, and since they use the same paper as their Polaroid-style cameras, I was concerned I'd end up with a lot of hit-or-miss prints, resulting in wasted money on paper. So, I preferred the Canon QX20. However, the next day, when I looked at photos from the Instax, I realized they had much better colors and overall quality. They felt more like real photos, with a glossy layer on top. Now, I kind of regret not going with that option. But if you need something instant, you might prefer the Canon QX20 or a similar ink-based printer. If you don't mind the wait, the Instax is worth checking out.

Same same! It's my favorite too. And since learning how to remove the backing paper, gluing in pics doesn't add to chonk

I've got a Kodak and honestly all of the mini printers have colour issues of some sort. The only advantage they have is that they use sticker paper. I recently bought a Canon Selphy and that's a little bigger but the colours are so much better

Canon Selphy QX20 for me. I did a ton of online research beforehand, looked at sample photos, reviews, and specs and bought the HP Sprocket Panorama (bc it allows different sizes). If you're not too picky about the color, then it's a "good enough" printer. The Sprocket prints very blue-toned. As such, there is practically NO pink, the yellows and the greens print quite a bit darker, ultimately changing their color. The gradients are also way smoother on the Selphy, but as a photographer, I'm already a huge fan of Canon products and so far, it hasn't disappointed!! I do wish the paper was less expensive, but I've printed mostly collages, stretching my dollar. In truth I think it's perfectly priced bc of its superior quality over the sprocket/zink photos. Other than a portable printer, I print from my (canon lol) inkjet printer and my absolute favorite is using Washi sticker paper (nice and thin!) and clear adhesive labels (very crisp colors when stuck on white paper!). But that's when I print my monthly pics/seasonal/garden photo dump. https://preview.redd.it/t374p0f52lof1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab930d05edf1007c9ae984df41a86f38d7311684 Indoor warm light

Depends on what you want. Instant cameras, while fun, do have a learning curve if you're not used to working with film. Their technical limitations also mean they're not as versatile. Few, for instance, are good in low light situations or capturing fast moving subjects. If you want something to play with for artsy vibes, they're a great choice. If you want something that will work just as well for fireworks as a day at the beach, you should probably go with something else. Photo printers are more likely to give you consistently high quality photos. Assuming you're thinking of a pocket printer rather than a desktop one, you have basically two options: Zink or dye sublimation. Zink is what you'll get with HP Sprocket, Kodak Step, Canon Ivy, and other similar printers. The colour is not anything close to as crisp as what the promo images will show you. It's more subdued, sometimes a bit colour shifted, along the lines of old film. If you want a vintage vibe with the convenience and capabilities of your phone camera, Zink is the way to go. For dye sublimation in pocketable (ish) form, you're basically looking at the Canon Selphy QX line or the Polaroid Hi-Print. I grabbed the QX20 to test and ended up deciding to keep it to replace my Zink printer. It's a fair bit bigger so you'll need either a bag or men's pockets if you want to carry it around (unless the return of wide leg jeans means women's jeans have functional pockets again, in which case you're good). The print quality, however, is crisp and modern. This is the only of the three primary options that I am comfortable using to print collages. The main drawback, at least for me, is that the ink cartridges and photo paper are only sold in combined packs. The cartridges are *supposed* to be calibrated such that you finish both the ink and the paper at the same time, but if you're like me and print a lot of black and whites that just doesn't happen. That said, if you want photos that look like they belong in the 2020s, a dye-sub printer is what I'd recommend.

Canon has had this market almost to itself for years with the Selphy. It uses a dye sublimation process to produce bright a good looking photos. However you have to use their special paper to make the process work, and it can get expensive. They sell you the ink cartridge with a box of 4x6 paper for 100 photos for about $30. The main printer is the Selphy 1500 which weighs about 3.5 lbs without the battery. (You can get an optional rechargeable battery for it.) The printer is about $180. It has a good wireless setup and sending pictures from your phone or camera is easy. If you want something even more portable (easily fits in a backpack or large purse) there is the Canon SELPHY QX20. It weighs just 1.5 lbs and is battery powered. It is about $170.

If you only want the occasional small print, check out the Canon Selphy line. Laser printers don't do a great job with photos and ink has the known issues of liquid ink.

I have a Canon Selphy. The quality is really really good and I can print from my phone with AirPrint.

I have an HP Sprocket that prints 2" x 3" and a Canon Selphy that prints 4" x 6" The quality of photo printing on the Canon is far superior to the Sprocket, and if you're looking for a 2" x 3" sized photo, you can use the "collage" feature to print 2 on one sheet.

My Canon SELPHY printer has made thousands of prints often within minutes of the photo being taken. For the kind of printing OP is asking about, it's perfect.

Canon SELPHY prints aren't completely light-fast so while they're fine for journaling, they'll fade eventually if on display