Canon Selphy CP1200

The Canon Selphy CP1200 doesn't quite fit into our mini photo printer test series. He is significantly larger than the other devices and does not use all-in-one cartridges or special paper. Compared to other printers, the CP1200 can still be described as small and reasonably mobile. More on that now in our review.

The Canon Selphy CP1200 is a good color printer for use at home and has limited mobile use. Images are large, sharp, and detailed, but tend to have a green cast. 

Different than the others

As already mentioned, the Canon Selphy CP1200 doesn't exactly come in pocket size. With a height of 6 cm, a width of 18 and a length of 13,4 cm and a whopping 913 grams, hardly anyone will carry the device with them in their free time. When printing, the whole thing gets a good 18 cm longer due to the paper slot. However, there is a small peculiarity. The Selphy CP1200 can also be operated with a separately available rechargeable battery. Theoretically it is able to be used mobile, for example at weddings or other occasions. This could be interesting for photographers who want to print and sell their photos directly. Canon supports this application with a built-in Kensington lock to secure the device.

In terms of design, the Selphy CP1200 comes in a serious, black look. The device is made of plastic, the front flap is painted with a black piano finish. Unlike the competition, Canon installs a screen in the printer. This is at the top and can be folded out. In fact, we do not understand why the device necessarily has a display. Only the connection to the desired network for data transmission and some options take place via it. Both of these could have been moved to the printer's app. Mainly because the operation on the device is cumbersome and indirect. Just entering the WPA key takes a long time.

The Canon printer is well made and has significantly more interfaces than the competition. In addition to wireless transmission, an SD card slot and a micro USB and full size USB slot are available. As already mentioned, the printer does not use an all-in-one solution but requires a cartridge and paper. The change works wonderfully easily via the flap on the side or the slot. It is annoying that neither cartridge nor paper is included. Of course, this depends on the package purchased, but we believe that no printer should be delivered without ink. In terms of price, you can be satisfied with the refills. For currently €28,90 you get enough paper and ink for 108 pictures. This results in a price of just under 26,7 cents per image. This puts the Canon CP1200 way up in the comparison.

Fiddly installation

Images can be transferred to the Canon CP1200 with the Canon PRINT app. Most options of the app cannot be used with the CP1200. For example, the printer obviously cannot scan. But before you can print, you have to register the device. To do this, first connect the printer to your WiFi network via the onscreen menu. As already mentioned, the usability of the printer on the device itself is rather modest. As soon as you have connected your printer, you can click the app on the button on the top left. Then click on “Register Printer”. In the best case, the printer will now appear and be ready for use. If not, resetting the WiFi settings on the device helps. 

As soon as you have connected the printer, you can start a printing process using the two buttons "Photo print" and "Document print". Select a corresponding image to end up in the print menu. The Edit Image option is not available on the CP1200. It performs significantly worse than the competition. Possible settings such as passport photos can be found on the device itself. It would all be better off in the app.

Large format printing

Compared to the other products, the Canon Selphy CP1200's images are huge. The largest model in comparison offers a full 15,5 cm in height and 10 cm in width. At just under 50 seconds, the print speed is significantly higher than Polaroid and Co. In terms of print quality, the Selphy benefits from the size of its images. The Canon can better emphasize details that have to be printed in a small space on the smaller devices. In terms of color reproduction and brightness, the largest device in the test is roughly on par with the competition. Only the color gradient from black to white drifts into green. The picture of world star Til Schweiger is also a bit too green. The sharpness of the print is decent. Again, we would like to mention that professional photographers will not be happy with the Selphy either. For hobby clippers and to print snapshots, the Canon Selphy is absolutely sufficient.

home fine

If you are looking for a cheap photo printer, you are welcome to take a look at the Selphy CP1200. The images are larger than those of the competition and convince with detail and sharpness. There could have been a little more color, the pictures tend to have a green tint. In mobile use, we think the CP1200 is too big and too heavy. However, there can be scenarios where the size of the images alone might make the difference and put the CP1200 ahead of the competition.