Canon CP-200

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By Calvin Siew
Jun 08, 2004

Successor to the Canon CP-100 and sibling of the CP-300, this third-generation dye-sublimation printer offers fans of direct printing the latest in connectivity support, PictBridge. PictBridge is an open industry standard for direct printing between PictBridge-compatible digital cameras and printers of any brand.

Upside: With current and future digital cameras sporting PictBridge, this one feature will prove very useful in the portable photo printer category. This will allow users to select images straight from a compatible camera's LCD, eliminating the need for a PC or a printout of thumbnails--which results in wastage of ink and paper. The other competing solution is in the form of HP's Photosmart 245, which features a built-in LCD for selection of images.

Downside: The CP-300 performed worse than the CP-100 that it was replacing, and it may be that the CP-200 will do the same. Like the CP-300, we'd look out for those exposed screws where we encountered some current leakage. Similarly, because the CP-200 also makes use of heat to produce photos, the unit will occasionally require cool-down periods. While the CP-300 had a built-in battery for a truly portable experience, the CP-200 needs to be tethered with a power cable.

Outlook: The CP-200 is essentially the same printer as the CP-300, but without the battery option. However, the proven ease of use, water-resistant photo media and general affordability of the consumables should make the S$0 (US$0) CP-200 popular among snapshot photographers.