The first of the PictBridge units to arrive in our labs is fittingly not designed with a PC in mind. Does it deliver on any promises?

If you're a big fan of direct printing, Canon's new dye-sublimation printer may be just what you're looking for. This third-generation offering of the CP series builds on the earlier CP-100 and CP-10's direct way of converting your digital images to 4R prints. As before, the CP-300 plugs directly into a compatible Canon digicam for instant outputs, or connects via USB to a desktop PC of notebook for normal printing. New this time round is PictBridge support, allowing this portable unit to be used with other PictBridge-compliant (and possibly non-Canon) digital cameras.

Editors' note:
The CP-300 comes with a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery for a truly portable solution. If this is not required, the CP-200 is virtually the same printer, albeit of a different colour.

To fully exploit the portability of the older CP-100 on the road, you'll be required to cough up additional money for an optional Lithium-ion battery. For the CP-300, this is not an issue as the power pack comes bundled. However, the CBA-CP100 car battery adapter remains optional. Users who've purchased this option for the CP-100 will be glad to know it's the same and is reusable on this latest installment.

The CP-300 is really easy to set up and operate. There's just one LED-lighted push button on the printer to indicate power or possible errors during operation. While this does away with the need to fiddle with additional buttons and knobs, there are some downfalls. For instance, if there is an error in operation when printing from a PC the LED will just blink red with no other messages on what the cause might be. Admittedly, the majority of the users will not be using the CP-300 in this way and the camera (Canon Powershot G3 in this case) does aid in troubleshooting by displaying more detailed information on faults.

We encountered a problem with our review unit. Our CP-300 refused to power up without a battery pack installed on the rear. Our contact in Canon assures us that this is uncommon and will be shipping a replacement unit for us to verify.

While the CP-300 sports a print resolution of only 300 x 300dpi, our test photos came out sharp. Unlike conventional inkjets where pictures are formed literally in dots, dye-sublimation units make use of colour (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) films that are heated to permeate the glossy surface of the paper media. This produces photos which are of a continuous tone, and upon close inspection do not show grains that would otherwise be visible on some inkjet-printed results. Therefore, we weren't surprised and found the overall quality to be generally above average, satisfying the needs of most point-and-shoot users. I should also add that dye-sublimation printers add a layer of clear, protective coating making your photos more scratch- and water-proof.

In terms of speed, we had problems reaching some of Canon's claims for the CP-300's ratings. True to the printer specifications, we witnessed borderless card-sized photos taking about 40 seconds to print. However, problems arose with regard to 4R outputs. We were consistently clocking the unit at 90 seconds regardless of host (PC or camera). This was 5 seconds off the rated numbers, and slower than its predecessor, the CP-100.

When printing, there are a couple of things to look out for and (possibly) address. Due to the much smaller footprint of the CP-300, you'll be required to keep the rear of the unit clear of any obstructions (up to 9.5cm for 4R prints) for the paper to exit. Also, we do not recommend that you hold this dye-sub when it's switched on. There are exposed screws on the base which has zapped this reviewer one too many times. Lastly, because the printer requires the use of heat to produces photos, it will pause for a cool-down period when it gets too hot. This happens occasionally with multiple prints, but we have encountered it only once and after 12 outputs.

The standard bundle ships with two interchangeable print cassette holders: One for 4R and one for credit card-sized prints. A check with Canon revealed that the print media is sold in packs of 18 or 36, bundled with ink sets. For instance, a pack of 36 credit card-sized consumables costs AU$25; a similar set of 4R media is about AU$35. Adhesive print media like those found on photo sticker kiosks is also available. What this translates to is an affordable AU$0.97 for scratch- and water-proof 4R prints.

At AU$499, the CP-300 is one of the most affordable dye-sublimation 4R photo printers around. While the speed has dropped from its predecessor, the smaller footprint and lower cost (including battery) will go a long way to ease this botheration. Similarly, the proven ease of use, water-resistant photo media and affordability of consumables should make the CP-300 a popular choice among digicam owners.

Canon Card Photo Printer CP-300
Company: Canon Australia
Price: AU$499
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: 1800 021 167

Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All Rights Reserved.
ZDNET is a registered service mark of CBS Interactive. ZDNET Logo is a service mark of CBS Interactive.