Canon SELPHY CP1500 Compact Photo Printer review

REVIEW – I love taking pictures with my iPhone which I use for all of my review photos and for my everyday photos. In addition to posting these photos on my social media sites, I also print them to include in my handwritten journals from time to time. When Canon offered to send me their new SELPHY CP1500 Compact Photo Printer to review, I was happy to say yes. Let's take a closer look.

The Canon SELPHY CP1500 Compact Photo Printer is just as its name suggests. It's a small dedicated photo printer that you can use with an iPhone, Android phone, a computer, an SD card, and even through WiFi.

Print resolution: 300×300 dpi, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow Film 256 levels/color (16.8 million colors)Printing method: Dye-sublimation thermal transferPrint longevity: 100 yearsPrint finishes: Glossy / Semi-Gloss / Satin (user selectable)Supported Paper Sizes:Postcard (4.0 x 6.0)L Size (3.5 x 4.7)Card Size (2.1 x 3.4) with optional card tray which is sold separately)Square Label (2.1 x 2.1)ConnectivityiPhone and AndroidWiFi: Compatible with 802.11 b/g (2.4 GHz), AirPrint4,5USB: USB 2.0 Type C (USB charging not supported) for computer and flash driveCard Slots: Direct: SD, SDHC, or SDXC, With adapter: miniSD, miniSDHC, microSD, microSDHC, micro SDXCPower options: AC adapter and optional battery pack (not included)Dimensions: 7.2″ (W) x 2.3″ (H) x 5.2″ (D)Weight: 1.9lbs

The Canon SELPHY CP1500 photo printer is available in black or white.

The front has a cover that flips down to reveal an SD card slot and the main printing mechanism where the paper cassette tray is installed.

There is a USB-C port and Kensington lock slot on the left side of the printer. The USB-C port is not used to charge the printer, but for connecting it to a computer or a USB flash drive.

There's a cover on the right side of the printer that enables access to the ink cassette slot.

Ink and photo paper are not included with the purchase of the Canon SELPHY CP1500 Compact Photo Printer, but one ink cassette and 5 photo papers were included with my review sample. Additional ink cassettes and photo paper can be found on Amazon for a decent price. At the time of this review, I found a set of 108 4×6″ prints and ink cassettes for $33.38. That comes out to about 31 cents a print.

On the back of the printer, you will find the paper slot (bottom) where the print slides in and out while printing. There's also the power port and battery cover.

You can buy an optional battery for the Canon SELPHY CP1500 photo printer to make it a truly mobile photo printing setup.

The first step to printing with the Canon SELPHY CP1500 is to load the ink cassette and the photo paper cassette tray.

The paper cassette tray slides into the front of the printer. The tray can hold up to 18 photo sheets.

The next step is to decide where you’ll be loading your photos from. The Canon SELPHY CP1500 can import photos from an SD card, USB flash drive, or a computer when you connect it with a USB-C cable. When using one of these methods, you’ll be able to use the printer's built-in display and navigation buttons to choose photos, perform very basic edits, and choose layouts for your prints. Unfortunately, the printer's screen is not touch-enabled.

This printer also has built-in WiFi and can AirPrint to iOS devices through the Canon SELPHY app. I did my testing with my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

The SELPHY app allows you to choose photos from your phone's camera roll and will allow you to do basic edits for cropping, layout, applying filters, text, stamps, and drawing.

The Canon SELPHY CP1500 also has a feature I’ve never seen on a small dedicated photo printer before – the ability to choose between glossy, semi-gloss, and statin finishes using the same photo paper.

The printing process is quick, with the photo paper moving through the printer and out the back of the printer with each pass.

Each print takes 4 passes for the 3 colors (yellow, magenta, cyan) and the last pass is the clear protective coating which gives it the selected finish of glossy, semi-gloss, or statin.

Here's my first print of my "kitten" Ozzy (he's only 7 months old but is already HUGE) which I set to be glossy and borderless.

The prints have perforated strips at the top and bottom that are easily removed.

In addition to printing a full-sized print, you can also print in a bookmark layout with strips of photos, or in combination layouts. There's also a shuffle layout feature that automatically figures out the best way to combine several photos on one page.

In addition to the glossy finish, I also printed semi-gloss and satin finishes. The effect of the semi-gloss and satin finishes is subtle.

I only had 5 photo papers to test with, but I think the prints all turned out well. The colors and sharpness of the prints looked very good and rivaled that of my Polaroid Hi-Print photo printer.

I really like the Canon SELPHY CP1500 compact photo printer. It's not nearly as portable as the pocket-sized photo printers that I’ve reviewed in the past, but this printer prints faster and better quality prints at a lower price point per print. I would love to be able to buy sticker-backed paper for this printer. If that becomes a reality, it will become my new favorite photo printer. Even without that option, this affordable photo printer gets a thumbs up from me.

Price: $139.99Where to buy: Canon and AmazonSource: The sample for this review was provided by Canon.