Canon Selphy ES40 review

SELPHY ES40 SPECIFICATIONS

• Dye Sub photo printer
• Voice guided creative print
• 3.5-inch LCD, Canon Easy Scroll Wheel
• 4x6 prints in 55 seconds
• 50-sheet output tray
• Built-in memory card reader
• Optional Bluetooth, Gold & Silver cartridges

BUILD AND DESIGN

The latest and greatest Selphy has at least one thing in common with its peers: it is an incredibly cute printer.  The ES40 looks like it belongs in a kindergarten class with its soft round edges, mixture of pale tan and white, and large, easy to read control panel.   And thanks to the new voice guided feature, a kindergartner could work the ES40 with little effort.

The control panel consists of a large 3.5-inch LCD, Canon's Easy Scroll Wheel, four large buttons (on, creative print, print, back), and eight smaller buttons (voice, menu, display, edit, zoom in, zoom out, plus copies, minus copies).

Below the control panel is a thin slot that runs the width of the printer; it is part of the ES40's paper path as you'll see in our video demo. On the top of the printer you'll find the other end of the photo path which also serves as the output tray.

Also, on the top of the printer is the built-in memory card reader.  The Selphy ES40 is compatible with SD Memory Card, miniSD Card, microSD Card, SDHC Memory Card, miniSDHC Card, microSDHC Card, MultiMediaCard, MMCplus Card, MMCmobile Card, MMCmicro Card, HC MMCplus Card, RS-MMC Card, CF Card, Microdrive, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, and the Memory Stick Micro.

On the right side of the printer there is a small switch that opens a door into the printer; this is where users will load the Canon Easy Photo Pack.  On the ES40, the ink and paper are rolled into one easy to install photo pack; you can get the packs in postcard size (4x6) or card size (approx. 2x3).  Canon also offers special Gold & Silver photo packs for jazzing up traditional photos.

The left side of the ES40 is home to the USB port for PC connectivity and the PictBridge slot for printing from digital cameras and other acceptable media.

On the back of the Selphy ES40, you'll find the AC adapter port.