For iPhone users looking to bring their digital memories into the physical world, a dedicated photo printer is a fantastic investment. While there are many options available, the Canon Selphy CP1500 stands out as a top contender for the Best Iphone Photo Printer, delivering exceptional print quality and user-friendly features. This review dives into why the Canon Selphy CP1500 is an excellent choice for printing photos directly from your iPhone, producing vibrant and durable 4×6 prints right at home.
A Canon Selphy CP1500 on a desk, printing a photo.
The Canon Selphy CP1500 excels in producing high-quality, sharp prints that truly capture the essence of your iPhone photos. Unlike some portable printers that might produce smaller, film-like images, the CP1500 utilizes dye-sublimation printing technology to create larger, 4-by-6-inch borderless glossy prints. This process involves layering colors onto the paper in four passes, followed by a protective coating, resulting in photos that are comparable in quality to those you’d receive from professional photo labs.
One of the key advantages of the Canon Selphy CP1500 is its ability to produce exceptionally sharp images with remarkably accurate colors. In contrast to other dye-sub printers that may suffer from banding issues, the CP1500 consistently delivers stunning images with rich, natural colors that avoid oversaturation. Both bright and dark areas in photos are rendered true to life, and details are clear and crisp, ensuring your precious iPhone memories are printed in the best possible quality.
While the printing process with the CP1500 might not feel as instantaneously fast as some instant printers, the slight wait is well worth it for the superior output. The printer makes several passes to ensure each layer of color is perfectly applied. However, once the printing is complete, the photo is immediately ready to handle, unlike some instant film options that require several minutes to fully develop the image after printing.
A hand inserting a Canon KP-108IN Color Ink/Paper Set into a Canon Selphy CP1500 printer.
Although the initial investment in the Canon Selphy CP1500 might be slightly higher than some instant photo printers, it proves to be more cost-effective in the long run, especially for iPhone users who print photos regularly. Canon offers convenient ink and paper sets, such as the Canon KP-108IN Color Ink/Paper Set, which provides enough supplies for 108 prints at a reasonable price. This translates to a lower cost per print compared to many competitors, making the CP1500 an economical choice for printing your iPhone photos over time.
The Canon Selphy CP1500 offers versatile printing options, making it seamlessly compatible with iPhones and other devices. Like many iPhone photo printers, it can print wirelessly from your phone via a dedicated app. Beyond smartphone printing, it also features an SD card slot for direct printing from memory cards and a USB-C port for connecting to computers. This range of connectivity options makes it a particularly appealing choice if you store your photos across various devices, not just your iPhone.
The design of the Canon Selphy CP1500 is both sleek and functional, making it an attractive addition to your home setup. It is available in black and white, with the black version featuring a sophisticated matte finish. The printer’s buttons are designed to be mostly flush with the surface, except for the slightly raised OK button, ensuring ease of use. The paper tray conveniently attaches to the front, and the SD card slot and USB-C port are located behind an easily accessible front panel, keeping all essential functions within reach.
Wireless printing with the Canon Selphy CP1500 is smooth and dependable, a crucial feature for a best iPhone photo printer. The Canon Print app allows for a stable connection via either an ad-hoc Wi-Fi signal directly from the printer or through your home Wi-Fi router. During testing, the connection remained consistent without drops, providing a frustration-free printing experience from your iPhone, unlike some printers that can suffer from intermittent wireless connectivity.
The Canon Selphy CP1500 incorporates a user-friendly 3.2-inch screen and intuitive controls, setting it apart from printers that solely rely on smartphone apps for operation. This built-in screen allows you to preview images and navigate menus directly on the printer. While the screen is not touch-sensitive, the physical buttons are well-designed and easy to operate. Although the menu system can occasionally feel a little slow, and zooming in to check image focus takes a few moments, the overall user experience is straightforward and efficient for printing photos from your iPhone.
The Canon Print app enhances the functionality of the CP1500, offering advanced editing options directly from your iPhone. Compared to basic printing apps, Canon’s app gives you greater control over your images before printing. You can easily crop, rotate, and adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation to optimize your iPhone photos for printing. The app also includes creative features like customizable borders and time stamps. Furthermore, it offers unique layout options such as Bookmark Layout for creating strips of images and ID Photo for passport-sized prints with alignment guides, adding versatility to your iPhone photo printing projects.
While the Canon Selphy CP1500 is designed to be portable, allowing you to print photos on the go, it is slightly heavier than ultra-portable instant printers like the Fujifilm Instax Mini Link series. Weighing 2.4 pounds (or 3.1 pounds with the charging cable), it’s not quite as effortless to carry on outings. However, it remains conveniently portable for home use or for taking to events where you want to print photos. The printer comes with an AC power cable for standard use, and Canon also offers an optional rechargeable battery for true mobile printing, providing flexibility for various printing scenarios with your iPhone.
In conclusion, the Canon Selphy CP1500 is undoubtedly a top contender for the best iPhone photo printer. It combines exceptional dye-sublimation print quality, user-friendly operation, versatile connectivity, and a cost-effective printing system. For iPhone users seeking a reliable and high-performance photo printer to bring their digital memories to life in vibrant 4×6 prints, the Canon Selphy CP1500 is an outstanding choice.
