White , rounded , portable , and armed with a scroll wheel , the Canon Pixma mini260 is reminiscent of Apple ’s iPod . And like the popular music twist , this printer is a good companion to any Mac . This modestly price compact pressman farm high - quality 4 - by - six - inch snapshots quick and quietly . It also includes a few spare perks that make it attract to more discerning shooters .
The mini260 prints best on several different types of Canon photo theme include matte , glossy , and pro varieties . canyon bid a $ 28 package that include 100 tabloid of its glossy 4 - by-6 photo paper and a three - color pickup , for a cost per print of 28 cent .
Thanks to Canon ’s ChromaLife100 system , the mini260 ’s prints look excellent : the colors are accurate ; the images are crisp and clear ; overall , the photos front professional . We mark during testing , however , very faint scratches on some of the prints — in all probability made by the printer ’s roll . you’re able to see these scratches only when you count very nearly in bright brightness level . For most people , this wo n’t be a problem .
If you ’re really fussy about colors , the mini260 features a particular Color Balance style , which prints a 3 - by-3 - column inch preview containing numbered thumbnails of your selected photo with nine numbered color place setting . After choose which color setting you care best , just perforate in the figure and hit the Print button .
custom-make your photographic print is easy with the mini260 ’s scroll wheel and bright LCD sieve . In addition to color and quality alternative , you may easily utilise the scroll wheel to clip photos by breadth or height . One option that the printer lacks , amazingly , is black - and - white printing process . you’re able to make such change in an image - editing program by connect the mini260 to your Mac via USB — but that would defeat the intent of purchasing a portable photo printing machine .
If you connect the mini260 to a Mac , the printer can easily import figure into iPhoto . Whatever photograph card or camera you plug into the printer mount on the desktop as a ride , from which you may replicate the files to your computing machine . Printing borderless 4 - by-6 photograph can be reasonably puzzling if you ’re trying to utilise iPhoto with this printer because that program ’s photographic print choice overlap with those included in the mini260 ’s gadget driver . Unless you involve to publish in opprobrious and white , we ’d recommend using the printing machine as a standalone unit without your Mac .
The mini260 substantiate a compass of camera memory wit , including CompactFlash , SmartMedia , Memory Stick , and Secure Digital , but it lacks build - in support for xD impression card game . Many Fujifilm and Olympus digital cameras are xD - compatible , mean those user will have to buy an xD - adapter ( available from a smorgasbord of vendors for about $ 30 ) to take advantage of the mini260 ’s card proofreader . Otherwise , they have to connect their cameras directly to the printer with USB .
Adding to its portable convenience , the mini260 includes a build - in hold for carrying . Canon also offers an optional rechargeable battery pack scream the Canon NB - CP2L , which can be purchased from on-line vendors for about $ 70 .
timed trials
Scale = Minutes : second
jury test
Scale = Superior , Very unspoilt , Good , Fair , Poor
specifications
Macworld’s buying advice
The Canon Pixma mini260 produced some of the best 4 - by-6 borderless exposure of all the portable printer we tested and is a firm challenger to Epson ’s top - of - the - air PictureMate Flash PM 280 ( ) . Though it lack a few desirable features , this promiscuous - to - habituate , full - featured printer does its job well .
EDITOR ’S banknote : The review of the Canon Pixma mini260 submit that the printing machine has no red - centre remotion function . In fact , there is an option to move out crimson oculus via the printing machine ’s Advanced menu .
[ Brian Chen is an adjunct editor forMacworld . ]
