Among Canon’s recent printer releases this summer was the Canon Pixma mini320 compact photo printer, the replacement for the Canon Pixma mini260. The mini320 incorporates all the features other Canon inkjets have become know for, including the Easy-Scroll Wheel, support for wireless devices, and, best of all, good print quality. While the mini320 is comparable in price to many other compact photo printers on the market, what separates it from the pack is its ability to produce 5x7-inch prints. The compact and easily portable mini320 inkjet printer uses just one ink cartridge and sells for $179.99.

The mini320’s design, while basically the same as the mini260, sets the printer apart from others in its class. In fact, it looks somewhat like a shrunken version of Canon’s all-in-one (AIO) photo printers, with a sturdy carrying handle. This printer has a folding top which protects the printers control panel and 2.5-inch LCD screen, and when open and folded at its central hinge, acts as a paper support for the rear input tray. The Easy-Scroll Wheel makes menu navigation a snap, and the single ink cartridge is easy to install and replace. The mini320 has full memory card support, IrDA device capabilities, and Bluetooth compatibility. Users can also purchase an optional battery.

Menus on the mini320 are similar to Canon’s MP-series AIO photo printers, with all primary menu items viewable on the main screen. The automatic image correction features can be left on or turned off to make some simple custom color, brightness, and contrast adjustments. The drivers accessed via computer provide all the same functionality of the printer menus and more. More image editing features are possible, as is the ability to print in many shades of monochrome. A simple software program, Easy-PhotoPrint EX guides users easily through several projects, from printing just a single photo to creating a whole calendar with their images.

Consumers interested in lighting-fast performance might be a bit disappointed in the mini320, which is no speed demon. It ranks about average for print speed, with single 4x6-inch photos on the best quality setting printing in about 70 seconds from a computer. Others compact photo printers, such as the Epson PictureMate Snap could print the same image in almost half the time, at 43 seconds. On the other hand, the HP Photosmart A440 took 98 seconds to print the same image.

However, when it comes to print quality, where the rubber meets the road, the mini320 excelled. It beat out every other compact photo printer we’ve yet tested in every quality test we ran, save one. Only the very high quality Epson PictureMate Snap was able to garner a better color accuracy score. The mini320 also produced very rich blacks and a good dynamic range. Our black-and-white test prints were a bit contrasty, but this is to be expected from Canon’s products and it gives photos more pop.

For the money, the mini320 has its competition beat. The only other comparably priced printer that can produce 5x7-inch photos is the new HP Photosmart A626. We’ll be reviewing this printer next, so it remains to be seen if print quality stacks up, but on the face of it, the A626 has a few perks over the mini320. It has a very large 4.8-inch touchscreen, which provides easy menu use.

Epson also has some new printers to compare to the mini320. The new PictureMate printers—the Dash ($99) and Zoom ($199)—bracket the mini320 in price. Both printers feature a larger, 3.6-inch LCD screen and an optional battery, but they both can only print 4x6-inch photos. The Zoom (Review also in the works. Stay tuned.) throws a CD writer/reader into the mix, which would be very useful for dumping loaded camera memory cards or saving photos digitally for friends and family.

The Canon Pixma mini320 provides excellent quality for a reasonable price, and it even allows users to print up to 5x7-inch photos. This last feature might be the deciding factor for many consumers since few competitors offer it. Those buying the mini320 for just this feature will also be surprised to get easy printing abilities with the handy scroll wheel and menu. For a little more money, users can tote the mini320 anywhere with the optional battery. Our only beefs are that the screen could be larger and the card slots covered. Small potatoes, with quality and price this competitive.