Costco's Fun Portable Printer Is A Mini Must-Have For Documenting Travels The Old-Fashioned Way

Taking photographs during vacation is a time-honored tradition to preserve wonderful memories and share experiences with friends and family back home. But in the digital age, it's becoming more common to show these photos on a screen rather than have them printed. Thanks to the Canon IVY 2 Mini Photo Printer, available at Costco, that's about to change. This pocket-sized printer makes it easy to create tangible copies of your photos, and even turn them into stickers.

This printer links up to your smartphone via Bluetooth and allows you to print any photo with the click of a button. Because it uses something called ZINK Zero Ink technology, there are no ink cartridges to fiddle with and no extra cost associated with replacing them. It also makes the IVY 2 easy to slip into a bag or backpack without worrying about messy ink leakage. IVY 2 produces 2" by 3" prints on special ZINK paper that comes with an adhesive backing, allowing you to transform any image into a sticker. There's even special circular cut paper for making round stickers.

This opens up a lot of creative possibilities, particularly when you consider the Canon Mini Print App, which allows you to add decorative frames, text, filters, and much more to your photos. You can even put together a creative collage right on your phone and print it out. Currently retailing at Costco for $99.99, it also comes with 60 sheets of ZINK paper, making it quick and easy to start printing your memories.

The Canon IVY 2 sounds great, but how does it stack up to other mini printers and traditional desktop photo printers? While there are only two reviews on Costco, one very positive from a person who used it for scrapbooking and one negative due to the printed photos turning out too blue, we scoured the internet to find in-depth reviews on the photo printer. Reviews by PC Mag and Gear Tech, who both tested the printer firsthand, praised the mini printer for its affordability, ease of use, and creative photo app.

Because the IVY 2 can print photos in around just 30 seconds, it's a quick way to print pictures in person and hand them out as souvenirs, something one Redditor said renewed their love of photography. "To be able to capture awesome photos of friends or even just strangers and provide them a print right then and there is super satisfying and people love it." This convenience, however, does come at a price in terms of photo quality. Reviews caution that while the photo quality is good for a mini printer, it will not compete with the results of a traditional desktop photo printer. 

The Gear Tech review also mentioned that colors — particularly blue — can be an issue, which is a similar complaint found on Costco's website. However, if you don't mind a filtered look and are fine with prints that aren't perfectly color-correct, it's a handy bit of travel photo gear. And, it gives a wonderful excuse to improve your vacation photography. Best of all, it's so compact that it's easy to take with you, whether you are packing for a cruise or putting your bags together for a road trip.