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Tour
Front
From the front and with the printer turned on, the most prominent feature on this stalwart little unit is the blue lighted Selphy logo front and center. This sits in a field of silver-colored plastic lined on the left and right edges with white. The Canon logo sits near the top of the front, above the Selphy name. The control panel on the top is angled so it is visible from the front. A bottom panel sits separate from the main chassis. This contains the door hiding the card slots (See Media Slots on the Connectivity page for types of cards the ES1 accepts). An infrared data receiver sits outside and to the right of the door. The paper path slot sits between the upper and lower front sections. This is where the paper is reoriented and passed back and forth to the output tray for printing. (See Paper Trays in the Components section below.)
Back
The back is dominated by two major elements, the vent and the battery door. The vent takes up nearly the entire upper half of the back, while the battery door takes up much of the rest. Below the battery door is the power plug port.
Left Side
The left side is all white plastic, barely seen on the side edge of the ES1’s front. The few features are located close to the bottom. The USB B and A ports for connecting to a computer and flash drive or Bluetooth adapter are at the bottom behind a rubber door. Just above and to the left is the retractable camera connection cord, also behind a rubber door, which is attached to the cable end. A retract button, labeled "Push" is situated about halfway up and toward the back. The printer’s handle can be seen where it sits along the back in its resting position or hanging above the top when engaged for use.
Right Side
The right side has the same design as the opposing side, yet there are fewer features here. Most of this side is taken up with the ink/paper cartridge door. The door is opened via a sliding button in the center of the door. Sliding it up allows the door to open on its spring-loaded hinge. Closing the door is as simple as pushing it closed and pressing on the grid of nine small raised dots along the front edge of the door. Pushing it all the way engages the sliding lock.
Top
The narrow top of the ES1 is devoted to the controls. Along the back sits the output paper path/slot door, controlled by the small Open button just below it to the left.
The top is dominated by the LCD screen, sitting squarely in the center. The 2.5" screen is encased in a silver plastic housing that tilts from a flush position with the top up to about a 50-degree angle. The bright silver On/Off button (edged by translucent plastic which is illuminated by a green light when the printer is on) sits to the extreme left, alongside four buttons. The Edit button engages the trimming and rotating functions. The Display button allows different amounts of menu or image information to be displayed along with the image, much like Canon’s Powershot cameras. The Creative button allows users to skip directly to the Creative Print submenu. (More on this in the Menu section on the Design / Interface page.) The Menu button itself brings up the various printing and editing selections.
On the right side of the LCD screen sit the Operation Buttons, a circular dial with directional arrows pointing up and to the sides. These buttons control trimming and menu selection. The Set button, which allows users to accept changes, nests in the center of the dial. The zoom buttons (zoom in and out) sit to the upper right of this control. The Print/Stop button lies to the right of the Operation Buttons.
Interior
The interior of the printer is viewable from two locations. The top output tray shows just the rollers where the paper is pulled through and the slot where the finished prints sit. The cartridge cover opens to reveal the receiving cavity for the ink/paper cartridge. Two spring-loaded flaps mostly cover the entry when there is no cartridge installed. This is a nice innovation to prevent dust from entering the printer.
Components
Display (5)
The Selphy ES1 comes equipped with a 2.5" LCD screen, which lays flat when not in use and can be flipped up and the angle adjusted within about 60 degrees. The screen has a fairly narrow angle of view in the optimal range, around 50 degrees, but the screen is viewable to nearly 180 degrees, albeit with a reduction in image quality.
Paper Trays (8)
The Selphy ES1’s paper trays are not external to the device, like most dye sublimation printers, such as the Canon Selphy CP series and Sony DPP-FP series. The input tray is bundled in a package with the ink cartridge, and slides inside the printer horizontally from the right side. When printing is initiated, the paper is pulled out of the cassette and slides down into the lower paper path slot in the front. The printer motor then reorients the paper so it reenters the printer vertically to receive the ink. The paper is then pulled back and forth in this orientation as the four ink layers are laid down.
The output tray, such as it is, is a slot at the top of the printer with a small door, opened with a spring-loaded latch controlled by the Open button at the top of the printer. The prints are pulled into this slot during each pass to lay down the individual color layer, then deposited into the slot when printing is complete.
The tray designs help to make the ES1 a very efficient and compact printer.
Power supply
The ES1 has a separate power adapter which adds to the weight and bulkiness of the unit—a consideration when transporting the printer. A separate battery can be purchased for the printer, which doesn’t necessarily reduce the weight (just over one pound heavier than the power adapter), but it certainly broadens your ability to carry the printer to locations without power.
Internal Memory (0)
There is no internal memory on the ES1. It relies on memory cards or a computer for image storage.
CD Burner (0)
Unlike the Epson PM series, the Selphy ES1 does not come with a CD burner.
Multi-Tasking (4)
Multiple prints jobs can be lined up in the print queue.
Hard drive (0)
The ES1 does not have a hard drive for image storage.
Accessories (6)
The Canon Selphy ES1 comes with a few accessories available on the Canon website. Chief among them are ink and paper packs, which are available in multiple quantities. Postcard size paper is available with the ink cartridges in 50- and 100-sheet packs for $14.99 and $28.00, respectively. Card size paper is available in 25-sheet packs for $12.00, and card label packs are available in the same size for $16.90. Black ink cartridges are available in 25-sheet packs for $12.00.
Canon also offers a carrying case for the ES1 for $34.99. Other optional accessories include a Bluetooth Adapter (BU-20) for $79.99 and a portable Lithium-Ion battery for $99.99, a bit pricey for a $250 printer.
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