Maybe it has something to do with the rise of social networking websites, but there's been a surge in the number of compact photo printers available recently, targeted principally at youngsters who want a party printer or one for instant holiday snaps while still on location.

To meet this increased demand, Canon has upgraded its popular SELPHY ES2 and ES20 to the ES3 and ES30 respectively. Essentially both new models are identical apart from the ES3 having 1GB of built-in memory and a slightly larger LCD screen, at 3.5 inches.

The ES30's LCD has grown from its predecessor's 2.5 inches to 3.0 inches and, while the ES20's design resembled an old-fashioned upright till, it's presumably not coincidental that the ES30 looks more like a handbag, complete with a fixed handle and decked out in commendably chic iPod white.

As you'd expect, all mainstream memory cards are supported (e.g. CompactFlash, SD, miniSD, SDHC, MMCplus, Memory Stick, xD-Picture) and the card slots are now protected by a cover on the top of the unit. The option is still there to print directly from a PC if you prefer, using the supplied ZoomBrowser EX and Photo Express LE, or from a Mac, using ImageBrowser via the usual USB connector.

The all-in-one print cartridges remain the same Easy Photo Packs which slide in from the side, range from credit card to postcard size and contain the paper (50 maximum in each cartridge) as well as the ink. Two new gold and silver cartridges have been included and they all use the dye-sublimation thermal transfer printing system via the DIGIC II processor, to a maximum resolution of 300 x 600dpi.

An easy-scroll wheel has been introduced for faster menu operation but there's no change to the built-in image optimisation (which offers Auto Image Correction, Image Trim, My Colours and Red-Eye Correction). There has been some expansion, though, to the Creative Print image effects - which no respectable compact printer would be seen dead without currently - which now boast Modern Bright, Pinhole Camera (imitating the vignetting effect of antique cameras) and Nostalgic (i.e. faded colours). You can also have fun with a variety of frames, clip art and calendar functions, yet curiously the word bubble option doesn't allow you to add words.

One major improvement is the ability to preview all effects before printing. However, because the printing operation needs several passes before you arrive at the finished product, completion time is around one minute and 15 seconds for a postcard-size print. Unfortunately, while the effects all seem to work pretty well, there was a noticeable yellow tinge to our test prints which will have to be addressed through the software and hopefully corrected before the next upgrade.

An affordable compact printer with some significant improvements over the ES20 when it comes to creative effects. It benefits from a larger LCD and more user-friendly controls, but leaves some questions to be answered about colour correction.