Canon Selphy CP770

Editors' note: The CP770 uses the exact same printing technology as the previously reviewed CP760, so the performance tests and an explanation of dye-sub technology have been duplicated in this review as a result.

The Canon CP770 is exactly the same printer as the CP760, with one distinction: the CP770 adds a bucket that fits underneath the printer for convenient storage of paper and ink, in addition to a built-in handle for carrying the printer on the run. The whole package seems very travel-friendly, but there is a caveat: the printer can't run wirelessly unless you purchase an optional battery pack and Bluetooth adapter, both of which are sold separately. The CP770 is $150 to $50 more than the Selphy CP760 that has exactly the same photo quality and features. We love the printer itself, but we recommend the CP760 instead, because it's actually smaller than the CP770 (unless you have an incurable urge to spend $50 on a plastic bucket).

Design and features
The CP770 is a two-piece printer and bucket set. The oval-shaped dye-sublimation printer is slightly larger than the CP760, at 8.1 inches high and 10.9 inches wide, and it has the same rubber control buttons underneath a bright 2.5-inch TFT color display. The onscreen home menu is easy to read and uses several icons to display the current settings. Picture editing is narrowed down to an image optimizer and five color presets: Vivid, Neutral, PositiveFilm, Sepia, and Black/White. The print settings also let you automatically correct red-eyes, insert a date stamp, and change the page layout (up to eight images per page). The interface can use some improvement in usability. First, there's no way to view more than one image at a time; you can either print all the photos on the card at once or scroll through the entire collection and manually specify which pictures you want to print. Also, the small icons on the picture screen that represent the current settings are difficult to decipher without peeking at the manual--at least until you've used the printer long enough to memorize their meanings.

The body of the printer is a slimmer rectangle with a covered panel that reveals a port for the external paper tray, an IrDA port, and slots for SD, Memory Stick, and Compact Flash cards. The proprietary ink cassette fits into a protected bay on the right side of the printer. An external power adapter plugs into the back of the device, but it lacks a rechargeable battery that would make the printer wireless-ready out of the box. Of course, Canon sells an optional battery pack, available on its Web site for a staggering $80.

The accompanying bucket is made of durable, molded plastic and matches the white color scheme of the printer. It also has a built-in handle as well as two light green tabs that lock onto the printer for safe travel. Inside the bucket, you'll find slots and labels to organize and store the power adapter brick and a few extra paper/ink cassettes. As a whole, the bucket is large enough to accommodate everything you need to take the printer with you.