Canon PIXMA ip5000 Photo Printer

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!
Review: I just set up this printer yesterday, but the prints I've done so far are excellent!! The 4x6 photos look like they just came from the lab. I definitely recommend this printer to anyone looking for an all around black and white and photo printer.

Rating:
Summary: Works perfectly with Airport Express and PC/MAC environment
Review: I purchased this printer to install on my wireless Aiport Express network. We have a PC and a MAC laptop. The ip5000 works perfectly. To install on Airport Express, download the latest drivers from Canon and install them. Then plug the printer directly in the MAC. Configure the power-management features while the printer is connected to the MAC, afterwards plug it into the Airport Express and re-add the printer in OSX. I don't think the power-management setup is available once you go wireless. The power-management features are outstanding. The printer will stay off until needed and then it shuts off automatically after 5 minutes. This works for the PC and the MAC over wireless. It is so nice to not ever have to turn the printer on or off--no more dried out cartridges.

Printer speed seems fast, I can't get off the couch and grab the paper before it is done. Photo quality looks good, but I haven't done much yet.

Rating:
Summary: Forget reviews, this printer is sweet
Review: I read all the reviews I could, the big reviews complained about speed and claimed the photo's didnt look as good as the existing printers from Cannon. I have to disagree, I can spit out a borderless 4x6 in about 40 seconds and use half the ink of other printers, and if it ever gets clogged, you can change out the print heads too, as long as they dont cost too much. Ink on a "major online auction site" can be found for 12.95 for all 5 tanks with free shipping. Cant beat that.
I will never again pay Lexmark for an overpriced quick to dry out ink refill. The color quality is spot on, and when held up to the prints from Wal-Marts digital developing look the same.
Prints from my Sony DSC 1.3MP camera dont look so great though, but from my Minolta Dimage 3.2MP they look awesome. Just dont plan on photo quality unless you have a good camera to start with.
I do wish they had enabled the CD/DVD print tray on the US, models, it looks like something that we could possibly make work by getting a driver and removing the blocking plate though. hmmm.
I love the duplex option, kind of rare in a home bound ink jet printer. The dual paper inputs is nice also, I keep regular paper in the bottom tray and feed all the photo, label and card stuff in the top tray. Its very quiet, you cant hear it in the next room. It doesnt shake at all like one reviewer said it did. All in all I love it.

Rating:
Summary: Buy This Printer
Review: I was looking for a printer that would allow us to casually print smaller prints, but also print larger, frame-worthy shots at larger sizes, for hanging around the house, gift-giving, etc. 9600 DPI was key. After a lot of reasearch, I bought this printer and COULD NOT BE HAPPIER! The print quality is outstanding, better that what we would expect from the photo lab. It's fast, quiet, and sets up easier. The software included with the printer is easy to use and works very well - options to print flexibly abound, particularly within the print driver itself (an under-rated feature that enables you to get exactly the print you need for a particular task). Downside: no printer cable! All told, I can't recommend this item more highly - and for the price, it's a real bargain.

Rating:
Summary: Repeat Canon Customer Delighted with Support
Review: Let me start by saying I purchased a Canon digitial video camera, digital camera, scanner, and a PIXMA IP4000 for work. I was so impressed with the IP4000 at work, that I figured I'd get the next better model at home as a printer dedicated to pictures. I have a Lexmark 3200 for printing text etc - works fine.

Based on the reviews and prior Canon products, I had high expectations. So let's say I was very disappointed when I recieved the printer from Amazon, took it out of the box, found that there was no cable to connect it to the computer, followed the directions, and it didn't work. Just alternating flashing amber and green. I figured I'd call the customer support number and let the hassel begin. Boy, was I surprised! I was on hold for only 5 minutes, and within 10 minutes of talking to their customer support, a new printer was being shipped, no questions, no hassels, just easy.

So the new printer arrived a few days later, again I followed the directions (again no cable included - I was lucky that the cable from the Canon scanner is the same), and it worked right away. I'm no photo dilitant, but the pictures I printed using the included 4" x 6" paper printed in seconds and looked great.

As a customer support professional, I was very impressed with Canon's recovery - and maybe it was not their fault as the box looked pretty beat up when I got it. Based on this experience, I'll only buy Canon in the future. Great products, surprisingly good customer support. However,if you do buy this printer, make sure you have a spare cable... Hint - the IP4000 comes with a cable. And while writing this review, I've discovered that the price is now $10 less than a week ago.

Rating:
Summary: Great printer!!!
Review: My Epson C82's print heads got clogged so I went on the hunt for a new printer. After a couple hours of investigation I decided to go with the HP Business Inkjet 1200d. I was very excited until I got home and hooked it up. I was very dissatisfied with the install, resolution quality, color tone, and software.

I took the printer back a got the ip5000 by Canon. Install was a snap, print quality is excellent, software is user friendly and packed with features. I am very pleased with the ip5000 and Highly recommend!!!



Rating:
Summary: USA Model a Fraud Compared to Euro Model
Review: People are fed up with printer manufacturers having cartridges with sponges that don't refill well (Lexmark), or smart chips that prevent refills (Epson), not to mention HP's methods including "Expired Cartridge" messages, etc. If we don't, as consumers, vote "no" by not buying these printers and sending letters to CEO's we'll just get more of the same scamming. I was excited to read about Canon Pixma IP3000 & up models with separate ink-tanks & no smart chips. Examining all the Pixma models at a local store I noticed this extra pull down tray in the front-middle. After going home to look online, talking to Canon tech support and the local store meantime checking on it...it's a disabled/never will work CD/DVD printing bay. Yet the same models in Europe have a working CD/DVD print bay. Why did Canon USA leave the drop down tray there, only plugging the CD/DVD entry slot with an extra piece of plastic if it can never be functional or upgraded anyway? The USA price does not reflect the non-functional CD/DVD printing either. So I will (doubtedly) try to get a Euro model or wait for Canon to release USA models that are fully functional. I may end up temporarly buying the Epson R200 but I feel like I should be ashamed supporting Epson and their smart-chip scam. There is a chip resetter device (avg. $10 to $15) but I don't know if it works well yet. Forget Lexmark unless you have money to burn on cartridges. And there's concern about Epson printers wasting/spraying ink all over the inside (read all R200 reviews) that soon causes problems (dries solid/hard). The Canon has ink tanks with no smart chips, look easily refillable, and their print head underneath the ink tanks holder is also removable (i.e. replacable, but I don't know what that will cost. If other printers' print heads go you pretty much resort to trashing the printer). I believe some Canon models use up ink by frequently running it's own cleaning cycles but don't know if that applies to Pixma line also. If they are tanks that refill well than that is probably okay. It looks like the Pixma line is leading the way in printing and cartridge technology. Canon: Kudos for heading a little more environmetally responsible with the Pixmas obviously designed for long-term usage in mind but PLEASE get those CD/DVD printing trays functional soon!


Rating:
Summary: I like it! I like it!
Review: The Canon PIXMA iP5000 is some special printer. I like its shiny black and silver appearance, its dual paper trays, its duplex printing, its quiet operation, its frugal use of ink, its speed, and its comparative low cost. But all of this would mean nothing if the quality of its printing wasn't superb.....and it is. You may want to experiment with different papers, but this printer will lay down the ink as well as any of them and better than most. HP will have to come out with something spectacular to win me back.

Rating:
Summary: Great quality for a 4 color printer - good price!
Review: This awesome photo printer makes fabulous pictures. We used photo paper and the prints are hard to tell from store photos. My in-laws bought this to print pictures of quilts and I was very impressed at the vibrant details and quality of the colors! It is also pretty easy to use.

We did try printing a few pictures on standard printer paper - which made a nice pic, but definitely didn't look like a photo. Stick to photo paper with this and you'll be very happy with the results!

Rating:
Summary: Budget-friendly operating costs
Review: With all of the specifications to compare (e.g. pages per minute, dots per inch, number of different color cartridges), it is easy to forget cost of ownership. A year from now, that same stack of vacation and holiday pictures could cost you hundreds of dollars more with one brand compared to another.

Drop for drop, printer ink is probably the most expensive liquid you'll ever buy, and all printer companies want to lock you into buying their ink cartridges. Canon is no different in this regard, but by keeping cost of ink reasonable, customers who print a lot of pictures won't find they need a second mortgage to afford the ip5000.

Because printer companies "buy" market share by selling the printer at or below cost (This is basically how razor companies and video game console makers operate), they only profit from the consumables (ink cartridges, but also paper). This doesn't make them greedy any more than taking a loss on the front end made them altruistic. It does, however, make it important that you understand this: while many specs are pretty comparable, cost-per-picture varies very, very widely by manufacturer. Forewarned is forearmed.

Aside form the confidence of knowing that I could be spending a lot more for cartridges, my experience with the ip5000 has been nothing but positive.

The included CD and quick-start guide walk you through setup step-by-step. Consumer electronics companies are not always, ahem, known for clarity of user manuals or supporting material.

Text quality on plain paper is very good, though not quite up to the standard of either of the much more expensive laser printers I compared it to. In fairness, this is a photo printer first, but it will do a fine job on envelopes, presentations, and letters.

Photo quality, naturally, is highly dependent on paper. The only bad experience was accidentally using laser paper and having the ink smear. Use the right paper and whenever possible, use glossy paper stock for pictures.

The design is excellent. Not too many years ago, almost all printers were boxy, angular and downright homely. This shows how far printers have come. Its polished black finish is reflective (like a good auto paint job), offsetting the matte titanium-look trim around the edges. It manages to look smaller than it actually is and will not visually dominate a desk.

Overall, a very well executed printer. Recommended.