Canon has continued to release exciting Selphy products every year; 2009 was no different with the introduction of the Selphy CP790 and the Selphy ES40.
What's different about the Selphy ES40 is that Canon has done more than glam it up with pretty colors; they've added new technology to make the ES40 truly easy to use. Today, we have a full review of the Selphy ES40 and a video demo of the voice guided printer in action.
SELPHY ES40 SPECIFICATIONS
Dye Sub photo printer
Voice guided creative print
3.5-inch LCD, Canon Easy Scroll Wheel
4x6 prints in 55 seconds
50-sheet output tray
Built-in memory card reader
Optional Bluetooth, Gold & Silver cartridges
BUILD AND DESIGN
The latest and greatest Selphy has at least one thing in common with its peers: it is an incredibly cute printer. The ES40 looks like it belongs in a kindergarten class with its soft round edges, mixture of pale tan and white, and large, easy to read control panel. And thanks to the new voice guided feature, a kindergartner could work the ES40 with little effort.
The control panel consists of a large 3.5-inch LCD, Canon's Easy Scroll Wheel, four large buttons (on, creative print, print, back), and eight smaller buttons (voice, menu, display, edit, zoom in, zoom out, plus copies, minus copies).
Below the control panel is a thin slot that runs the width of the printer; it is part of the ES40's paper path as you'll see in our video demo. On the top of the printer you'll find the other end of the photo path which also serves as the output tray.
Also, on the top of the printer is the built-in memory card reader. The Selphy ES40 is compatible with SD Memory Card, miniSD Card, microSD Card, SDHC Memory Card, miniSDHC Card, microSDHC Card, MultiMediaCard, MMCplus Card, MMCmobile Card, MMCmicro Card, HC MMCplus Card, RS-MMC Card, CF Card, Microdrive, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, and the Memory Stick Micro.
On the right side of the printer there is a small switch that opens a door into the printer; this is where users will load the Canon Easy Photo Pack. On the ES40, the ink and paper are rolled into one easy to install photo pack; you can get the packs in postcard size (4x6) or card size (approx. 2x3). Canon also offers special Gold & Silver photo packs for jazzing up traditional photos.
The left side of the ES40 is home to the USB port for PC connectivity and the PictBridge slot for printing from digital cameras and other acceptable media.
On the back of the Selphy ES40, you'll find the AC adapter port.
SELPHY ES40 PERFORMANCE
Setting up the ES40 The Selphy ES40 will be used as a pc-free device by the majority of users so in that regard, setup can’t get much easier. Plug in the printer, take out the cleaning unit, insert the paper/ink combo cartridge, turn the printer on and you are ready to print.
I will point out the ES40 does not come with a starter ink/paper pack as you’ll realize when you read the Beginner’s Guide; users will need to purchase an ES Easy Photo Pack ink/paper combo cartridge during the initial purchase.
If you plan on using the ES40 with a computer, then you’ll also need to purchase a USB cable and download the drivers and software on the provided CD-ROM. You can also get the latest drivers and software on Canon.com.
Either way, the download is relatively painless and took only a short amount of time; the printer will need to be attached via USB during driver download.
Ease of use I’ve found both Selphy products I’ve reviewed to be easy enough for a child to use and I think that’s sort of the point. The Selphy line is targeted at families on the go who want to be able to print instant memories.
But the ES40 has taken the ease of use to the next level with its voice guided prompts on both the printer and in the Selphy Photo Print software. They can be turned off if need be but kids really get a kick out of the pleasant voice instructing them. Check out our Selphy ES40 voice guided demo below.
Beyond the voice guidance, the Selphy ES40 also features Canon’s Easy Scroll Wheel for navigating the simple, easy to read menus. The Creative Print feature is the highlight of the ES40; it consists of seven different menu options including: frames, special effects, clip art, word bubbles, calendars, multi layouts, and id photos.
And thanks to the Selphy Photo Print software, users can access many of the creative features found on the printer through their computer. Print simple prints, decorative prints, calendars and add new decorations to the ES40. Print settings - such as my color feature, trimming and display effects – can be accessed on the printer or through the Selphy Photo Print software.
Speed and quality tests Canon does advertise a postcard size photo in under a minute but I found, on average, the ES40 took just over a minute to print a borderless 4x6 color print. Adding effects or decorations doesn’t slow down the Selphy ES40 print times from what I can tell and neither did printing multiple photos.
The photo quality on the ES40 was good; colors were bright and the images were sharp although there was some fuzziness in high contrast and out of focus areas which I’ve found to be common in dye sub printers. Overall, you’ll find that the ES40 prints photo lab quality images almost every time.
As I mentioned with the CP790, users should make sure to check the image size before you print from a computer. Often, if you aren’t printing the original image taken from a digital camera or memory card, somewhere along the way the image size was probably reduced. The photo will look totally normal on a computer screen but will come out fuzzy or pixilated. When using a memory card taken directly from a digital camera or the PictBridge function, users shouldn’t find too many pixilated images.
Ink tests The Selphy ES40 uses Canon’s Easy Photo Pack which combines photo paper and ink in one easy to insert cartridge. Each photo pack gives a precise number of images so there wasn’t much to test in this regard.
Canon sells two different paper sizes: 4 x 6 inch postcard size or 2.1 x 3.4 inch card size. The postcard size is sold in two normal varieties: 50 sheets for $19.99 or 100 sheets for $31.99. That averages out to 40 cents a photo for the 50 sheet Easy Photo Pack or 32 cents for the 100 sheet Easy Photo Pack. Either way, it seems costly when you can get bulk photos for cheaper at most photo labs.
However, as I pointed out when reviewing the CP790, you get the convenience of taking a photo, editing it and then printing it immediately with the ES40. You can also add creative features for free that would cost extra at photo labs.
Energy tests The Selphy ES40 used about 10 W of energy during its incredibly brief warm up and then falls into ready mode consuming about 2 W of energy.
When printing, the Selphy ES40 consumes a fair amount of energy because it uses heat to transfer the ink to the special photo paper while “reproducing 16.8 million colors.” The watts peaked during heat transfer points at 55 W but usually hovered between 35 W and 45 W during printing. Once a print has finished, the printer drops back to 2 W.
The Selphy ES40 will automatically turn off when not in use saving users additional power.
PROS
Lab quality photos on the go
Simple to use, voice guidance
A variety of creative features available
CONS
Cost per print can run high
No optional battery pack
CONCLUSION The Canon Selphy ES40 is a fun, easy to use dedicated photo printer. It gives users the immediate gratification of a 4x6 print only minutes after the photo has been taken. Thanks to the new voice guided features, the ES40 is easy enough for a child to use.
The only drawback I see is the cost per print; it’s high, around 40 cents, when buying the smaller photo pack. I would always suggest buying the larger photo pack to keep the cost per print down.
Other than that, the Canon Selphy ES40 is a quick way to get simple or creative prints at any gathering and a potentially great family printer.
PRICING AND AVAILABILTY The Canon Selphy ES40 Compact Photo Printer is available now on the Canon website for the suggested retail price of $149.99.
There are several available Easy Photo Packs for the ES40 also on the Canon website; the 50 sheet postcard size Easy Photo Pack runs for $19.99 and the 100 sheet postcard size Easy Photo Pack runs for $31.99.
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Canon Selphy ES40 review
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