Caon Selphy DS700 review

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Verdict:

Hooking up a TV to a photo printer is a promising idea, and the DS700 implements it well. It's just a shame that its prints are too expensive and not high enough quality.

Review Date: 22 Jun 2005

Price when reviewed: inc VAT

Our Rating 2 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

Those nostalgic for Sega's Dreamcast games console might be attracted to the Selphy DS700.

Its size and design is uncannily similar, down to the circular lid on top that opens for cartridge replacement. The box even contains a composite video cable for connecting the printer to a TV.

This apparent identity crisis is explained by the Selphy's unusual ability to output preview images to a TV screen. This and the supplied remote control make viewing and choosing photos convenient in the home. It's an interesting alternative to a built-in screen, but direct printing is limited to a simple print-all mode if you don't have a TV to hand.

It seems odd that Canon has chosen an inkjet engine for the DS700 when all the other models in the Selphy range use dye-sublimation. A tiny BCI-16 ink cartridge helps keep the printer reasonably compact, but it's much bigger than the CP400 and still feeds paper out of the back.

The ink cartridge has a particularly low capacity. The DS700 produced only 45 photos before it needed replacing. Though hard to find online, twin BCI-16 packs are available for around £20. Even so, the Selphy's photos work out at 51p each, the highest cost of any here.

Printing with just three colours, the DS700 can't offer the photo quality to compensate. Its small two-picolitre droplets help it produce less-grainy images than the Photosmart 325, but not by much. A slight pinkish cast made many photos too warm, but improved some of our portrait shots. However, dark regions lacked subtle detailing and the Selphy's muddy black-and-white print was the worst we saw.

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