Canon IVY 2 Mini Photo Printer Review

Canon is a major player in the business photography sector, but they must still release consumer-oriented cameras and lenses. The IVY category also includes micro picture printers and Canon’s Cliq instant film camera, which employs a low-megapixel sensor to produce 2×2- or 2×3-inch prints. Although the first Canon IVY reviewed here in June 2018 had subpar results compared to other portable photo printers that used zero ink (Zink), it still couldn’t match the image quality of dye-sublimation models. The new Canon IVY 2 Mini Photo Printer is an excellent deal, especially considering the current reduction that lowers the price from $129.99 to $99.99. It produces superior small-format (2-by-3-inch) prints at comparably low running costs.

Canon IVY 2 Mini Photo Printer Specifications

Application

Canon’s Mini Print App includes a robust print driver and tools for enhancing and editing photos. It allows you to print directly from the cloud or your favorite social networking apps on your phone. The app’s features include the ability to crop photos, remove unwanted elements like red eye, tweak the image’s contrast and brightness, and add tools for adding text and ornamental frames and borders. Tiling, or linking many prints at their edges to make bigger pictures or collages, is a feature exclusive to the Mini Print App. The program automatically splits the image into four or nine 2-by-3-inch portions that may be printed separately and reassembled.

Design

Canon claims that the IVY 2 Mini can print a photo in 50 seconds or less, which is on par with the time it takes most of the 2-by-3-inch (or roughly) pocket photo printers I’ve used recently. My new IVY takes an average of 48 seconds for each print, which slightly improves over the previous model’s 44 seconds. Anything under 60 seconds is acceptable, and 48 is relatively fast, but the Kodak Mini 3 Retro wins the race with its 43-second print time. (I conducted all of my evaluations on a Samsung Galaxy Note equipped with the most recent version of Android.) Several factors can impact the speed at which a pocket printer prints a picture, including the image’s resolution, the phone’s processing power, and Bluetooth connection. Our issue with the original Canon IVY was that its print quality needed to match the competition.

The IVY 2 Mini, thankfully, provides more vibrant colors, as well as more colors and sharper details. Prints from this Canon are less than those from similarly sized dye-sublimation machines, but they are on par with most of their competitors thanks to the vast improvements in zinck technology over the past few years. As I mentioned, the image may be tiled into four or nine smaller parts, allowing you to make collages or bigger images. There is no other portable photo printer that I am aware of that can accomplish that.

Making Preparations

The printer’s installation process is painless. The things that are in the box include:

• The printer.
• A USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
• A starter pack of 10 sheets of picture paper.
• A user guide/instruction brochure.

After connecting the device to your phone through Bluetooth, you will be asked to scan a QR code and install the Canon Mini Print app. I didn’t need to charge the printer first; my Bluetooth device instantly found it. The printer’s support for multiple connections bodes well for situations when several people want to print photos from their devices.

Controls

The printer’s controls, including the power and reset buttons, are minimal. Instructions for loading paper are clearly labeled, and the paper tray pops out with a simple push of the unit’s face. The printer’s charging indicator light flashes red when charging and green when illuminated, while the white status bar shows the printer is powered on and ready to print. The unit is light (5.6 ounces) and small (about the size of a palm) enough that transportation is not an issue.

Affordable

The IVY 2 Mini, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C charging cable, and ten sheets of 2-by-3-inch sticky-backed Zink paper were available at a reduced price of $99.99 as of this writing. There were fewer deals on bundles with extra paper and scrapbooking supplies like the Kodak Step offers, but I found a couple. Two circular stickers on each of the 20 sheets cost $12.99, and extra 2-by-3-inch media costs 50 cents per photo whether you buy 20, 50, or 100 sheets (at $9.99, $24.99, or $49.99, respectively). It pays to look around; I paid $22.99 for 50 sheets of paper instead of the usual $24.99.

Setting Up The Printer?

While the status LED is dark, powering the printer requires pressing and holding the Power button.

1. To use Bluetooth and connect your phone to the printer, you must access the phone’s settings and download the Canon Mini Print app (compatible with iOS and Android).
2. Open Canon Mini Print and tap the button in the program’s upper right corner.
3. Select a printer from the list.
4. Press the Power button until the status LED light powers the printer.
5. Enable Bluetooth and associate your phone with the printer in settings.
6. Launch Canon Mini Print and touch the icon at the top right. Choose a printer. After connecting your phone and printer, the symbol will change to show the battery level.
7. The printer will immediately reconnect to the app if linked. If the printer isn’t connected to the app, press the top-right icon and choose your printer.