Canon Brings its Bucket Printer Stateside

The rather odd CP770 and its smaller twin, the CP760, are headed to the United States from Europe.

Whether Americans laughed at or lusted for Canon’s bucket-shaped Selphy CP770 printer when it cropped up in Europe, they won’t have to do it from across the pond much longer. The Japanese image company announced on Tuesday that it has brought the unique CP770 and its more compact brother, the CP760 to the United States.

Although Canon’s marketing materials refer to the CP770’s look as a “basket” design, the rounded top profile and smooth plastic sides definitely lend it a more bucket-like appearance. The actual printing unit sits in the top of the bucket and lifts out, allowing the bottom to be used for storing printing accessories like ink cartridges, power cables and paper.  Controls, along with a 2.5-inch LCD screen for previewing prints, are located on the top of the unit. A built-in infrared interface also makes it possible to print photos wireless from compatible phones, and an optional battery pack allows printing on the go.

The smaller, less conspicuous CP760 basically gives the top half of the CP770 a more professional (and less playful) facelift, and takes away the bucket portion. The top-mounted controls, 2.5-inch LCD, and printer internals remain the same, though the CP760 loses the IR interface and ability to use a battery pack.

Both printers should be available stateside immediately, with the CP770 costing $149.99 and the CP760 costing $99.99. The optional battery pack for the CP770 runs another $79.99, and a Bluetooth adapter that works with both printers is available for $49.99.