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Ease of Use (5)
All in all, the Canon Selphy CP730 is a very user-friendly device. Changing ink cartridges couldn’t be easier, and the paper cassette, while somewhat difficult to assemble, installs into the printer without fuss. The printer’s buttons all respond well, and the functions of these buttons are mostly intuitive, but it certainly would be more helpful to have at least a rudimentary help menu on the unit to explain the printing and layout modes. True, the information is in the paper and software manual, but if these are not accessible, as sometimes may occur when the user is traveling with the unit, those unfamiliar with the controls may need to take more time and expend paper and ribbon figuring it out. For the retail price, one would expect this level of functionality.
Value (4)
Print quality on this tiny printer was quite good, and speeds were respectable for a dye sub (which has to run the paper through the paper path four times). However, the limited menu functions of the Selphy CP730 (both in the printer and the driver), the tiny LCD screen, and the exposed card slots and ports make this an unappealing buy even at the competitive retail price of $149.
Comparisons
The CP730’s sells for the same price as Sony’s new DPP-FP70, another dye sub printer, which has many of the same features, but it also includes a much larger and adjustable LCD, many more editing functions, a carrying handle, and an equivalent price per print--about 29 cents. Several small inkjet photo printers, such as the Epson PictureMate Snap and the HP Photosmart A434, also retail for the same or less and have increased functionality. The Snap has extensive menu and editing functions, with a handle for carrying, and print quality was much better than the CP730. For the same price as the CP730, the HP A434 even comes with a small camera.
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