Rating: Summary: Great Printer Except for Big Print Head Clogging Problem Review: The black print head constantly clogs. If I haven't printed in a day or two I must clean the head or my printout will soon run out of black ink. I'm not sure how much ink is wasted in this cleaning process, but clearly this is not a defect I expected from a Canon printer. I bought the i550 because I like Canon ink cartridge prices - a major cost often overlooked by buyers. Other than this major exception, the print quality is great and the price was good. Would I buy another Canon printer? Absolutely! Following the cleaning the print quality is very good.
Rating: Summary: Great printer at a great price! Review: This is a fantastic printer! I had a Canon printer before this one, but my primary reason for buying it was the individual ink tanks. Having to buy a new color cartridge when just one color runs out was stupid and wasteful to me. When I saw this printer used the individual tanks, I immediately bought it to replace my broken (then) current printer. And I'm glad I did. This new printer is faster, quieter, and prints excellently! I highly reccommend the Canon i550.
Rating: Summary: An easy choice Review: I bought this printer because I needed a printer. The Epson that I wanted was out of stock. So far, I haven't been disappointed. The i550 has performed admirably. I've had only 2 problems.(1) On plain paper, color prints of images result in a lot of ink and the image can look poor. This isn't really a criticism of the i550 as much as something nearly all inkjets do with plain paper. (2) For a month or two, I had a lot of problems with black not printing, largely due to the print head. After quite a bit of cleaning, it's been fine, but it's conceivable that I may have to replace it in the future. I think this is probably just bad luck on my part rather than a flaw of the product. This being said, I've loved this printer. For the price, this printer can't be beat. On photo paper, it does an amazing job. Not only do my digital photos look fantastic, but I've been printing out scans and downloaded images on the photo paper with superb results. The software has all the printer controls, so you can manage and configure everything from your computer without fussing around the printer. It's a real no-brainer. It's relatively quiet, and the print speed is adequate. For simple print jobs, it performs admirably. The borderless photo printing is quite nice and results in a print that you'd swear is from film. If I had more funds, I would've gotten a different printer, but for the price, the i550 doesn't disappoint. My only word of wisdom: remember to buy a printer cable, whether USB or parallel, since it doesn't come with the product.
Rating: Summary: ink jets clog Review: Great printer in every way except one: I have to run a nozzle cleaning every time I try to print. ...
Rating: Summary: I Love This Printer! Review: For the money, this printer is a real trooper. It's an upgrade from my Canon S450; the quality is unbelievable for an inkjet printer in this price range. My operating system is Windows 2000, it can be fussy with some printers but the i550 was a breeze to install. How nice it was to not have to download drivers. I really like being able to shut up this printer; keeping the dust and pet hair out. Using seperate cartridges for each color is so smart- and, by the way, it uses the same cartridges the S450 does so you can save yourself a few bucks there too.
Rating: Summary: Black ink nozzle is always clogged Review: Like a number of other reviewers I have experienced the same problem; I have to perform a deep nozzle clean for the black ink before EVERY print job. Once this is done, the output is exceptional, especially photos, but this cleaning wastes time, ink and paper. From the number of other reviewers who have experienced the exact same problem it is clearly not a fault with my particular unit, but a fundamental design flaw of this model. Be very wary.
Rating: Summary: Oh Yeah! Great color and Excellent network set-up too! Review: I bought this printer after my second Epson died, and neither Epson had a long life. Not only is the color on this printer great, it was a piece of cake to set-up through my Netgear print server! With both my wife and I working professionally and three kids we have a network set-up at home, complete with a laser and color printer. The Epsons were a major pain to set-up on the network. This Canon i550 was trivial to set-up on the network. Stick the CD in, load the drivers, add the printer via the printer server software and print the test page. One minute, two tops; if you count walking upstairs to the printer from the downstairs computer (most of them are upstairs). I test printed some photos with regular white paper, and they look great. I can't wait to try this printer out with good photo paper. This printer is also very quiet. I am very impressed and highly recommend the Canon i550.
Rating: Summary: this printer is a godsend! Review: About 4 months ago, I was in the market for a printer to replace my Epson. The Epson was fast, printed good quality documents and pictures, but it was an ink hog and I just couldn't afford new cartridges every month. I wanted a everything- decent print speed, good quality prints, efficiency, something that wouldn't guzzle ink, something simple to use, and something under $150. A friend suggested a Canon, because he bought an S-series Canon for his business and had wonderful things to say about it. I asked another techie friend his opinion and he said to go with a Canon, too. Seeing as how the I-series is basically a newer, upgraded S-series, I went with the i550. Since then, I've been very pleased with the purchase. Prints are beautiful, and documents printed are wonderful- letters are clear and crisp. I was so pleased with it that I chose to with Canon again when I bought a scanner a month later. I like that this printer also features 4 separate ink tanks, so I don't have to buy a whole new color cartridge when I'm only low on one color. The physical design of the printer is very nice, as well. Some printers look hideous, but it's pretty sleek. I also like how I can close up the printer when I'm not using it. There are flaps you can snap shut to close up the paper feeding area and the output area where the prints come out. I have two cats, so cat hair gets everywhere, and the last place I want it to get into is the printer. It's given me no trouble at all with my Windows XP operating system. I've printed documents galore and many pictures, and I've barely dented the ink. For those who will be printing picture prints, I'd suggest you use Canon's photo paper, as it seems to get the best results. This printer isn't exactly what I'd call silent, but I wasn't expecting something that'd work completely quiet in my price range. It's a trade off I'm more than willing to make for a good machine. I've been very satisfied with this printer. It's sleek, cost efficient, handles various jobs well, doesn't waste ink, and is perfect for the average homeowner and small businesses who just want an inexpensive machine that lives up to its hype.
Rating: Summary: Simple, easy, cheap Review: Our old HP 882C finally started acting up. Checked the PC Magazine top 10 and bought the I550. So simple to set up. Put the CD in and in minutes set up on the Windows XP machine. Then just as fast set up on the Windows 98 machine, then as a network printer shared between them. I like the "inexpensive" refills. Yes, the output tray is a little flimsy but so far no problems.
Rating: Summary: Excellet Printer! Review: I would buy this printer again. Actually, I have bought it again, as a gift for a family member. I have too many great things to say about this printer. I know if you are researching what printer to buy, it can be difficult process. Short, sweet, and simple -- Buy the Canon i550 you will not be disappointed. It prints amazing color photos and it's not even categorized as a "Photo Printer". I have given photos to friends and family and they can't believe that the picture is the output of a $... printer. I've had my printer now since December 2002, and it has never once failed me, and never had to clean the heads. The replacement cartridges are reasonably priced, but after 150 black and white pages, 2 packs of Canon Glossy 8.5x11 and 4 packets of Canon 4x6 Glossy Paper Pro -- I don't see myself buying cartridges anytime in the near future. I have more than 3/4 of the cartridges left.
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