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Configuration (7)
The Selphy CP730, like all of the Selphy range, is a dye sublimation printer. This technology uses a color ribbon to transfer inks via heat from the ribbon to the paper. The inks are laid down in a 4-stage process, with the yellow layer first, the magenta layer second, the blue layer third, and a clear overcoat layer last. The ink cassette is composed of two plastic tubes spaced about an inch apart and connected by plastic supports. The tubes contain the 4.25-inch-wide (10.75-cm) color ribbon for ink transfer. The yellow part of the ribbon is visible when the cassette is unused.
Ink cartridges are available as part of a print pack that includes paper with the Canon CP730. Materials for dye sublimation printers in general are all proprietary. The manufacturers’ design their printers so that only their ink cassettes and paper can be used. Information on print packs and prices can be found in Accessories within the Components section and also in our Ink and Driver Finder.
Value (7.5)
Reported price per print is competitive with inkjet printers, at 28 cents per print when purchasing the larger, 108-sheet print pack. Prices are greater when buying smaller print packs. The 36-sheet printer pack brings the cost up to 39 cents per print, well above the price of other dye sub printers. With the new Sony PictureStation FP90, you can get more than twice as many sheets of paper for virtually the same price—80 sheets at 38 cents a print. Even some compact inkjet printers, such as the Epson PictureMate PM240, are competitively priced with the CP730. The PM240 also requires ink cartridge/paper pack combinations: the 150-sheet print pack, at $37.99, costs 25 cents per print.
Ink management tool (5)
The Selphy CP730 does not have a tool to monitor ink, or in this case, ribbon levels, either on the unit or in the driver software on your computer. When the cassette is depleted, a No Ink error message is displayed on the printer’s LCD. Dye sublimation printers are somewhat easier to manage, as they produce a set number of prints. In the case of the Selphy CP730, which produces 4x6- and 4x8-inch prints, each time a 6-inch or 8-inch section of ribbon is used to lay an ink layer down, then that section is used up, until the entire length of ribbon is used.
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