Canon - SELPHY QX20

I’ve got both the cp1500 and the qx20. The latter went to Canada with me from the uk and worked really well. The cp1500 prints are better but it’s a bulky beast to be lugging around on airports etc. mine came in my hand luggage, on the Canadian and was great to write and capture photographs as the trip happened.

Look at dye sublimation instead of zink printers! The quality will be better. I have a canon SELPHY Qx20 which I love but there’s also Polaroid hi print and Kodak mini 3 retro. The cartridges are super easy to use and if you’re worried about the ink making a mess or something it’s not like that at all.

I have the Canon Zoemini, the ZINK paper is super convenient for traveling plus the printer is tiny! Canon CP 1500 offers the pest print quality but it’s size make it better suited for desk use Canon QX20 is the good middle ground.

Canon Selphy Square Qx20!! It's amazing. I love that the prints are dye sublimation so won't fade (archival quality, guaranteed for 100 years) and the sticker backing is so handy and the photos are nice and thin. I got mine at the end of last year for Christmas and it hasn't missed a beat! I mostly use it for photos in my 5 year diary so it was especially important I chose a printer with photos that won't fade 😊 Also the app has always worked well and I like I can collage up to 8 photos per piece of paper, which saves money on the prints. Usually I'll do 6 pics per paper & I cut them up.

I'm getting the Canon Selphy Square QX20, it can do two paper sizes, big squares or rectangular credit card. It can also print right to the edges on 3 sides (borderless) and you can print multiple pics (I think up to 6?) to a sheet like a collage, so I'm using it to make smaller photos for my 5 year & Weeks. It's really versatile! And the prints are archival quality, rated to last 100 years as it's dye sublimation. It's also sticky back and thin enough not to bulk up the journal too much.

I second the Canon qx20 (or qx10 if you just want a 2x3" print). I don't like the HP sprocket 200 or Canon ivy 2... they seem to overly sharpen and I don't like how they reproduce darker skin tones.

Canon Selphy QX20 for me. I did a ton of online research beforehand, looked at sample photos, reviews, and specs and bought the HP Sprocket Panorama (bc it allows different sizes). If you’re not too picky about the color, then it’s a “good enough” printer. The Sprocket prints very blue-toned. As such, there is practically NO pink, the yellows and the greens print quite a bit darker, ultimately changing their color. The gradients are also way smoother on the Selphy, but as a photographer, I’m already a huge fan of Canon products and so far, it hasn’t disappointed!! I do wish the paper was less expensive, but I’ve printed mostly collages, stretching my dollar. In truth I think it’s perfectly priced bc of its superior quality over the sprocket/zink photos. Other than a portable printer, I print from my (canon lol) inkjet printer and my absolute favorite is using Washi sticker paper (nice and thin!) and clear adhesive labels (very crisp colors when stuck on white paper!). But that’s when I print my monthly pics/seasonal/garden photo dump. https://preview.redd.it/t374p0f52lof1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab930d05edf1007c9ae984df41a86f38d7311684 Indoor warm light

By what I looked for, the canon selphy papers are less expensive than buying inks for your printers all the time plus glueing them and so on. You can do the collage on the app. I would get the selphy.

I have a Canon Selphy, and I’m really happy with it. Love just being able to use them as fauxlaroids in an album or sticking them directly into a journal, and the print quality is actually decent.

The QX20. I selected it specifically cause the prints are dye sublimation rather than heat, and thus should have a better longevity, but I’m a big nerd who weighs endlessly :p Regardless, very pleased with it, and hauled it in my backpack during a three week holiday in Japan.

OP, I know this was for Christmas, and I saw that you already bought yours—I hope you like it! But for anyone reading this in the future, that’s my take. I was at a photo fair in November and had been thinking about the Canon QX10 for a while. So, I went to the Canon stand, asked about it, and inquired if anything new was coming with USB-C. The representative told me, "You're in luck—we're just launching the QX20." I really liked what I saw. There was also a Fujifilm stand with the Instax portable printer, where they allowed you to print as much as you wanted, with options for both portrait and square formats. I personally wanted something for my photography business. My idea was to give a photo to a client at the end of a shoot by sending it from my camera to my phone, doing a quick retouch, printing it, and handing it over as a thank-you gesture. I noticed that Instax prints took more time to develop, and since they use the same paper as their Polaroid-style cameras, I was concerned I’d end up with a lot of hit-or-miss prints, resulting in wasted money on paper. So, I preferred the Canon QX20. However, the next day, when I looked at photos from the Instax, I realized they had much better colors and overall quality. They felt more like real photos, with a glossy layer on top. Now, I kind of regret not going with that option. But if you need something instant, you might prefer the Canon QX20 or a similar ink-based printer. If you don’t mind the wait, the Instax is worth checking out.

Depends on what you want. Instant cameras, while fun, do have a learning curve if you're not used to working with film. Their technical limitations also mean they're not as versatile. Few, for instance, are good in low light situations or capturing fast moving subjects. If you want something to play with for artsy vibes, they're a great choice. If you want something that will work just as well for fireworks as a day at the beach, you should probably go with something else. Photo printers are more likely to give you consistently high quality photos. Assuming you're thinking of a pocket printer rather than a desktop one, you have basically two options: Zink or dye sublimation. Zink is what you'll get with HP Sprocket, Kodak Step, Canon Ivy, and other similar printers. The colour is not anything close to as crisp as what the promo images will show you. It's more subdued, sometimes a bit colour shifted, along the lines of old film. If you want a vintage vibe with the convenience and capabilities of your phone camera, Zink is the way to go. For dye sublimation in pocketable (ish) form, you're basically looking at the Canon Selphy QX line or the Polaroid Hi-Print. I grabbed the QX20 to test and ended up deciding to keep it to replace my Zink printer. It's a fair bit bigger so you'll need either a bag or men's pockets if you want to carry it around (unless the return of wide leg jeans means women's jeans have functional pockets again, in which case you're good). The print quality, however, is crisp and modern. This is the only of the three primary options that I am comfortable using to print collages. The main drawback, at least for me, is that the ink cartridges and photo paper are only sold in combined packs. The cartridges are *supposed* to be calibrated such that you finish both the ink and the paper at the same time, but if you're like me and print a lot of black and whites that just doesn't happen. That said, if you want photos that look like they belong in the 2020s, a dye-sub printer is what I'd recommend.