CREATIVE PRINTING

Printing memories as you make them: choose the best portable photo printer for you

Canon makes a range of compact photo printers that you can easily use at home or on the go. Find out which one most suits your needs.
A pink Canon SELPHY CP1500, a black Canon SELPHY QX20 and blue Canon Zoemini 2 are spread out, surrounded by prints, stickers and accessories.

Portable printers are a fun way to keep and share memories and so much more. From printing stickers for personalising your gadgets to scrapbooking, documenting your life or creating postcards to send across the world, Canon's portable photo printers can be used for all sorts of creative tasks.

They offer a range of different sizes, paper dimensions, features and technologies to fit your printing needs, depending on exactly what you want to print and what you want to do with the end result.

Let's take a look at how the models compare and what each has to offer in terms of portability, paper type, print size and more, so you can find your perfect printing partner.

Canon Zoemini range

A rose gold Canon Zoemini 2 sits on a bright blue background next to a white and a teal Canon Zoemini S2.

Canon Zoemini cameras and printers are perfectly portable, ideal for producing prints to share on the spot as you create memories.

Small enough to slip into a spare pocket and weighing less than many smartphones, the second generation of Canon Zoemini models are perfect for printing on the go. If you're meeting up with friends, you can turn digital photos into physical prints in a matter of seconds, gifting them as a memento of a special occasion. They're also ideal for festivals, nights out and more – anywhere you might want to capture and enjoy your print straight away.

Wherever you are you can make the most of the sheets of sticky-backed paper, which are ideal for putting your favourite shots on everything from the fridge to a drinks bottle. There's no mess or fuss, thanks to Canon's ZINK™ (Zero Ink) print technology, and packaging is kept to a minimum, while the Canon Mini Print app gives you full creative control and allows you to get exactly the look you want.

Canon Zoemini S2

A hand holds up a white Canon Zoemini S2, another hand removing a print from it. In the background are a selection of packs of printer paper and a notebook with a sheet of two printed stickers laying on top.

With the Canon Mini Print app, you can add frames, filters and doodles to your images before printing them. There are also options for controlling the camera of the Canon Zoemini S2 from your phone, complete with live view and self-timer options for when you want to put yourself in the frame.

Despite its compact construction, the Canon Zoemini S2 is completely self-contained. It's powered by its own internal rechargeable battery pack with enough power to create up to 25 photo prints from a single charge, and there are no ink cartridges nor a dye ribbon pack. Running on ZINK technology, all the chemistry for developing photo prints is built into the paper, which is 50 x 76mm and slots into the printer in pouches of 10.

The two-in-one Canon Zoemini S2 also features a built-in 8MP digital camera and comes complete with a mirror for composing selfies, plus a ring light for added illumination. There's also a microSD card slot, in addition to built-in memory, so you can store photos as well as print them.

Bluetooth connectivity enables you to pair the printer with your smartphone, taking advantage of live view in the Canon Mini Print app for more accurate framing and the ability to customise images with creative filters and finishes.

Canon Zoemini 2

A hand holds up a rose gold Canon Zoemini 2, another hand removing a sheet of sticker paper from it, with two round stickers with photos printed on.

Both of the Canon Zoemini 2 and Canon Zoemini S2 models enable you to print round stickers, with the option of Canon ZINK™ ZP-Circle Photo Paper.

Even lighter than the Canon Zoemini S2, the Canon Zoemini 2 keeps weight to an absolute minimum by omitting a built-in camera. It also takes less time to recharge, and with the Canon Mini Print app, you can make full use of photos that you take on your smartphone or tablet, as well as tapping into photo files on your Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos, Dropbox or iCloud accounts.

The Canon Mini Print app is focused on fun, with options for adding doodles and captions, as well as for creating multi-print collages. Again, ZINK technology delivers high quality photo prints on 50 x 76mm paper with peelable, recyclable backing, and the prints are smudge-proof, tear-proof and water-resistant.

Another neat option with both of the Canon Zoemini printers is that you can create circular stickers as well as conventional rectangular prints, ideal for labelling items around the home and for use in children's school projects.

Canon Zoemini specifications

Printer size

121 x 80.3 x 22.4mm
120 x 84 x 21.5mm

Weight

188g
177g

Colours available

Teal, White, Rose Gold
Navy, Pearl White, Rose Gold

Printing time

approximately 50 sec
approximately 50 sec

Print type

ZINK
ZINK

Print resolution

314 x 600 dpi
313 x 500 dpi

Camera

8MP
N/A

Charging time

Up to 120 min
Up to 50 min

Capacity per charge

25 prints
20 prints

Internal storage

512MB
N/A

Additional storage

microSD, up to 256GB
N/A

App

Canon Mini Print
Canon Mini Print

Paper size

50 x 76mm
33mm pre-cut circle stickers
50 x 76mm
33mm pre-cut circle stickers

Canon SELPHY range

Two Canon SELPHY CP1500 printers sit next to two Canon SELPHY Square QX10 printers on a bright pink background.

The Canon SELPHY range of compact printers work seamlessly with your smart devices and open up a world of creative possibilities.

For superior photo print quality and archival longevity of around 100 years, Canon SELPHY printers use dye-sublimation print technology rather than ZINK. As such, they work with a different kind of specialist photo paper and, while there's still no liquid ink to worry about, they operate with a cassette-based ribbon. Canon SELPHY printers also offer an Auto Image Optimize option for your photos, which detects and corrects image imperfections, adjusting face brightness and colour while reducing unwanted noise.

To create each print, the paper passes through the printer four times, with successive layers of cyan, magenta and yellow dye being added, followed by a protective glossy coating. Unlike with inkjet printers, different colours of dye can be laid on top of each other, rather than requiring ink droplets to be positioned adjacent to one another, so very fine detail can be retained.

Canon SELPHY QX20

A Canon SELPHY QX20 printer is as if flying out of a small bag, surrounded by accessories.

The fully portable Canon SELPHY QX20 is ideal for mobile printing at weddings, parties and other events.

A pair of hands slot in the ink cartridges to the side of a Canon SELPHY QX20 printer.

The Canon SELPHY QX20 has slot-in dye-sublimation ink and paper cassettes, so there are no protruding parts. It can output up to 20 prints from a fully charged battery.

The fully-portable Canon SELPHY QX20 has an internal rechargeable battery pack, as well as internal cassettes for the paper and dye-sublimation ribbon. It's therefore ideal for taking anywhere and for producing both high-quality 72x85mm and 54x85mm photo prints wherever you want via Wi-Fi, and both paper sizes include spaces for writing your own captions.

As with Canon's ZINK photo paper, sheets for the Canon SELPHY QX20 have a peelable backing, revealing a self-adhesive surface so that you can stick your prints on to just about any surface and making them ideal for scrapbooks. With built-in Wi-Fi, you can print wirelessly from a smart device quickly and easily at any location, without needing to be in a Wi-Fi hotspot. The Canon SELPHY Photo Layout app enables you to apply a wide range of layout options, stamps, overlays and borders - including borderless printing on the Canon SELPHY QX20 for the XC-20L / XC-60L and XS-20L papers.

Canon SELPHY CP1500

A Canon SELPHY CP1500 printer with a family photograph on the print tray. Next to it are a selection of photo prints, a pack of printer paper and a hand holding a smartphone, displaying the SELPHY Photo Layout app.

The Canon SELPHY CP1500 makes it super-simple to connect your smart devices and compatible cameras over Wi-Fi Direct, with the ability to display a QR code on its built-in colour LCD screen which can be scanned by smart devices for a speedy connection.

With print sizes up to 100 x 148mm, the Canon SELPHY CP1500 is still compact and easy to move around. It's quick and hassle-free for creating postcard-sized prints, complete with a writable reverse side that includes address fields, and it's twice as speedy for making credit card-sized prints.

Like the Canon SELPHY QX20, it features Wi-Fi Direct for wireless printing from smart devices, but adds a USB-C port for easily connecting computers, cameras and USB flash drives, as well as an SD/SDHC/SDXC slot for printing direct from memory cards. It also features an 8.9cm colour LCD screen for enhanced ease of use. Again, dye-sublimation printing ensures lab-quality output with print longevity of up to 100 years 1 .

The SELPHY CP1500 can print in a range of different sizes including postcard, credit card-sized and sheets of mini stickers, achieved using different paper cassettes. For example, to print credit card-sized (54 x 86mm) photos and labels you'll need the PCC-CP400 paper cassette.

The SELPHY Photo Layout app makes short work of creating customised photos, postcards, mini stickers and bookmarks direct from your mobile phone or tablet, thanks to a wide range of companion paper and dye-sublimation cartridge options available for the SELPHY CP1500. With this model you can also add a QR code to prints, allowing recipients to scan with their smart device and instantly be taken to an online album, video or web page.

Canon SELPHY specifications

Printer size

145.8 x 32.9 x 102.2mm
182 x 58 x 133mm

Weight

455g
850g

Colours available

Dark Grey, Sand White, Terracotta Red
Black, White, Pink

Printing time

40 sec
23 sec (54 x 85mm)
41 sec (100 x 148mm)

Print type

Dye-sublimation
Dye-sublimation

Print resolution

287 x 287 dpi
300 x 300 dpi

Battery

Internal rechargeable
Optional extra

Connectivity

Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi, USB, SD/SDHC card

LCD screen

N/A
8.9cm

App

SELPHY Photo Layout
SELPHY Photo Layout

Paper size

54 x 85mm
72 x 85mm
100 x 148mm
54 x 86mm
54 x 54mm
22 x 17.3mm

A Canon SELPHY CP1500, Canon SELPHY QX20 and Canon Zoemini 2 sit on a grey surface, with a print from each of them underneath each printer.

However you want to show off your photos, there's a Canon compact printer for you.

A selection of printer papers for Canon SELPHY and Canon Zoemini printers are laid out, with a printed version of each paper arranged underneath them.

The Canon SELPHY CP1500 offers four paper sizes including postcard and credit card-sized prints, credit card-sized stickers, square stickers and mini stickers, while the Canon SELPHY QX20 has a 72 x 85mm paper size with a 68 x 68mm printable area and XC-20L / XC-60L (54x85mm). The Canon Zoemini S2 and Canon Zoemini 2 both print 50 x 76mm stickers as well as 33mm pre-cut circle stickers.

It's all too easy for favourite photos to get lost in a huge collection of digital images, tucked away on our phones and other smart devices, never to be seen again. Canon's range of portable printers make it quick, easy, efficient and fun to create physical photo prints, stickers, postcards and more besides, so you can ensure they get the attention they deserve.

Matthew Richards
  1. When stored in an album. Based on accelerated testing, assuming a temperature of 23°C / 73.4°F and humidity of 50%.

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