Rating: 
Summary: Its Truly Unbelievable
Review: I've never written a review for anything before, but this printer made me do it. I simply cannot believe what a great printer this is. I researched all of them before this purchase, and I can say without a doubt this is the best printer for home printing of photos out there. I replaced an Epson with this one, and I cannot believe how much better it is... not only the quality (which is FAR superior), but its Quiet... Really Quiet. It Sips ink where the Epson gulped ink, My son was just born 2 months ago, and I have printed at least 100 high res color photos , the ink has hardly dropped. The epson would need a new cartridge by now. Its FAST a little over a minute to print an 8x10(and the S900 is faster)... and the startup is maybe 20 seconds where the epson took over 2 minutes.The real plus is the quality though. I know all of the reviewers have said it before, but when you use Canons Photo paper pro, the results are amazing. I can't believe how good the printout is. With my 2.1 megapixel camers, a 4x6 photo is as good or better than conventional film. Scratch that, its better because you can adjust the quality on your computer. No one can believe these are inkjet prints. It does kind of [stunk] that you really need Canons paper for the best prints, (I tried Kodak Ultima, Epson, and HP' premium papers, and while the epson paper works very well, it is not nearly as good as canons pro paper), but Epson's regular glossy photo paper works almost as well as canons regular glossy paper... and I can get 100 sheets of epson paper for 9 bucks at c0stc0. Canon says if you use their pro paper, the prints are archival quality and will not fade for 25 years. It is really amazing how far the technology has come. As I said, and I seem to be echoing everyoner elses sentiments, this is one awesome printer.
Rating:
Summary: Perfection...
Review: I was looking for a printer mainly for my 20-year inventory of slides and negatives, plus some limited use for B&W documents. Initially I bought the Epson C80, which I returned because I wasn't too happy with its photo quality. The S820 has far exceeded my expectations. Especially on Canon's Photo Paper Pro, I end up with better quality prints than the photolab. With my scanner (Epson's 2450 -- highly recommended), with Photoshop 6.0, and the S820, I have the perfect digital darkroom. Main pluses for the S820:
- Perfect photos. The borderless feature works nicely - not the slightest defect at the edges.
- Quick. ~1minute for 4x6 at max resolution
- Robust and quiet.
- Simple: Just a basic on/off button; no need to experiment with the numerous options other printers provide: Just pick the paper type and size and you're fine.
- Economical Disadvantages: Nothing I can think of. A few additional comments:
- Use nothing but Canon Photo Paper Pro for your prints. Costs about the same as the Epson paper, but the results in quality are remarkable. It's still difficult to find the paper even online, Canon's site is the only one I found that has both sizes (4x6, 8.5x11). For the 4x6 size, make sure you buy the borderless type, not the perforated type.
- Canon introduced the S820 with three other printers. All seem to have the same photo quality, with the following differences:
* The S820D Can print directly out of memory cards.
* The S900 Faster (8x10 in 1 minute)
* The S9000 Faster, plus can print up to 13x19
I do not think any of these features are worth the extra $$: Though I have a digital camera, I still like printing out of the PC, and I'm happy with the S820's speed as it is. This is perhaps my best IT purchase in a long time. I couldn't recommend a product more than the s820. Not surprised that most of the online shops are out of stock so quickly...
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Printer
Review: I recently tried the Canon S630 printer...and wound up returning it becuase when printing black text, it smeared to the touch (very annoying). However, I was very impressed with the S630's abilty to print amazing quality color pictures so when I heard Canon was coming out with a new line of printers - I decided to take another chance. This time, though, I decided to plunk down the extra [money] to get the S820. I'm pleased to report that the problem with the smearing text is not present with this printer (it comes out dry to the touch) and the quality of the color pictures is exceptional (this was less of surprise since I was also impressed with the S630). Becuase this printer uses 5 color cartridges versus 3 color cartridges in the S630 (not including the black cartridge), the colors come out more vivid. The printier is also sturdier and and an overall better build. Well worth the extra $$.
Rating:
Summary: Lives up to its claim
Review: While I am still testing different printouts of photos, I am amazed so far. The control panel is basic (3 buttons and a round light) but all details can be handled on the computer. Its clear that the S820 is geared for Canon's "Photo Paper Pro", which at the moment is still finding its way to the shelves next to the stock of Epson, HP and Kodak papers. Printouts on the 4X6 Canon paper are astonishing. This is a definite leap forward for home digital photography (for reference, I'm taking pictures with a 4.O megapixel Olympus D-40 at super-high-quality). I'm amazed at the prints and I still have yet to go into Photoshop to tweak the pictures. They really look like traditional glossy photos -- and in some ways even better. (On the Mac I'm still trying to figure out how to bleed the picture to the edge using iPhoto in Mac OS X instead of classic, but I'll figure something out). Overall, my friends can't believe the prints are from an inkjet printer, and my photograher friends who own the new Epson printer appear to be a bit jealous. Finally, for anyone who has used an inkjet printer, the ability to selectively replace individual color cartridges --and not the whole thing-- is a dream. Canon seems to have jumped out ahead of the pack on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Awesome!
Review: I just cannot believe the output of this printer - the prints look EXACTLY like they came from a photolab. The printer is super easy to set-up, the software is great, and the results are amazing. Using the Canon Photo Pro paper is the way to go - it is well-priced, and I tried a few other brands that just weren't as good. I also thought the photos would take forever to print and they are pretty quick for a 4x6 printout. I had been researching printers and was going to go for the Canon S800 until I realized that the new models were coming out. I waited for the S820 and have not been disappointed whatsoever. Do not hesitate to buy this printer, ..., it is a great deal.
Rating: 
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS!!!
Review: I bought this printer in March 2003, after doing much research. I was prepared to spend about $200-300 to get a decent photo printer, this one seemed to have rave reviews and I found it on sale. At first, it worked beautifully. Then I started to notice skin tones looking a bit odd...next there were streaks in the photos, and no amount of adjusting seemed to change that. Next, I went to print a document and the print quality was just terrible. Cleaned the print nozzles, went through tech support--only to find out that I needed a new print head, which is going to cost me about $70. I think this is ridiculous considering the age of the printer, I had a CHEAP Lexmark before this that lasted me about 3 years. I never did have a problem with it, but I gave it away after I bought this one, only because the ink cartridges were so expensive. I should have kept it!!! At least I'd still be able to print documents!
I will not be buying another Canon printer. I'm buying an Epson, like I should have bought in the first place.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent output, short life--beware
Review: I've had this printer for about 18 months and have been very satisfied with the quality of photos. However, the printhead has died, and replacing it will cost me more than the printer originally did. This seems to be a common problem with these printers (see fixyourownprinter.com), and Canon doesn't seem at all apologetic. Making printers that are intended to be thrown away after a year or two is not a responsible corporate practice, so I'm going to be shopping around.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleased but some issues
Review: I have had my S820 for over a year now and I love the output. The photo quality is 4.5 stars for me but you do have to use Canon photo paper for the best results. The only issue that I have with Canon printers is the short life of the print head. My print head went after about 8-9 months. When I called to inquire about the extended warranty after first purchasing this printer a rep told the print heads last for about 6 months. After warranty period you have to shell out about $90 -$100 to get a new print head if it should need replacing. Add that along with the cost of ink and you could be talking about a printer thats expensive to maintain.
Rating:
Summary: High Quality Pictures - but they will fade
Review: Just purchased it. Took about 10 minutes to install. Printed out a digi photo with various results:
plain paper (Avery Vivid White Injet Paper, 24lb)- very good for color printing
Epson Glossy Photo Paper:
set printer properties to 'plain paper' - printed out excellent!
set printer properties to 'glossy photo paper' and it was also excellent, but a bit darker on the skin tones, not as great at 'plain paper' setting. Don't see the issues of poor photo printing using non canon paper. Also, the Epson Glossy Photo Paper is 120 sheets at [local store] for ....
Rating:
Summary: Canon S820 Photo Printer
Review: I have had this printer for about six months. It is awsome! Very clear photos, just as good as a developer. I was able to find an inexpensive 4x6 paper that works great for 10 cents a sheet. This is a great printer and extremely inexpensive to operate. The ink cartridges are also available on the internet for very little money. So far after printing over 135 pix, I have not had the need to change any of the colors. The Canon paper is high cost, about 50 cents for a 4x6.
| 
