MEET A SMALLER SELPHY
Measuring approximately 1.2 by 4 by 5.7 inches (HWD)
and weighing about a pound, the Selphy Square QX10 is
about twice as thick as the HP Sprocket and weighs
about twice as much. It’s also a tad bigger than Canon’s
IVY Mini Photo Printer, Lifeprint’s 2x3 Hyperphoto
Printer, and Kodak’s Mini 2 HD Instant Photo Printer.
(The last is another dye-sub unit.) While heavier than
most Zink models, it comes in at about two pounds less
than the Selphy CP1300. The chassis has a built-in
battery for mobile use.
Like most of its Zink-based competitors, the Square has
no control panel to speak of. Instead, you get a power
button and two LEDs (one for charge, one for status).
All operations are handled via a downloadable Android
or iOS app, Selphy Photo Layout 2.0. The app allows
you not only to print your photos, but also to edit and
enhance them, or embellish them with text, frames, and
other types of clip art and shapes.
Rather than printing on Zink chemical-infused paper
(which releases various colors based on heat patterns
from the printhead), each Selphy Square paper packet
comes with a dye-sub cartridge with enough dye-sub
carrier rolled inside to cover each sheet of paper in the
pack. The printer comes with a USB charging cable and
a 10-pack of paper and ink.
The 2.7-inch-square XS-20L photo paper is peelable,
with a light adhesive on the back so you can stick your
photos to just about any surface. (The stock that comes
with many Zink printers also has a sticky back.) Paper
loads into a compartment on top of the printer, and the
dye-sub cartridges load from the bottom.
Canon Selphy
Square QX10
PROS Drugstore
photo-lab print
quality. Easy-to-use
software. Unusual
square photo stock
with adhesive
backing. Competitive
(if not cheap) running
costs. Available in
four colors.
CONS Can’t print
from a PC. A bit heavy.
BOTTOM LINE
Canon’s Selphy
Square QX10 is a
portable if not quite
pocket-size photo
printer based on dye
sublimation
technology. It prints
vivid smartphone pics
at acceptable running
costs.