In summary
Full review
The new Pixma range from Canon breaks the mould in inkjet printer design, with a spare — almost bare — ‘bread box’ design which occupies minimal space on the desktop and is very comtemporary-looking. We looked at two models, the ip5000 and the iP6000D, which we felt would appeal to Photo Review readers. Though the Pixma printers do a (literally) fine job printing text and graphics, these models are all about printing photos.
The Pixma iP5000 is the mid-range model in the line-up, though it’s really the first in terms of price that a keen picture maker would hanker after. While it doesn’t print direct from storage card, it is possible to print from a Pictbridge-compliant camera via USB cable, but only at standard quality (there’s no control panel on the printer for making adjustments.) Both Pixma printers we looked at distinguished themselves through extraordinarily quiet operation. The disconcerting bash and clatter that goes on inside some inkjets is much subdued in the Pixmas. The iP5000 uses a five-colour ink system, employing an extra ‘photo black’ for improved contrast. Paper is loaded from the rear and the paper path is nice and direct, ideal for heavier photo quality stock. This applies to the iP6000D as well.
Printing a high-resolution JPEG from a 5-Megapixel camera to A4 borderless size took just on two minutes at highest quality, while 10x15cm prints took under a minute from mouse click to output. For what is essentially a four-colour system, the quality produced using the recommended Canon Photo Paper Pro stock is absolutely outstanding, and certainly comparable with several of the six-colour printers we’ve recently seen. The five-tank system should deliver some marginal cost savings over a printer with more cartridges. Replacement of all five tanks costs around $130, while 100 sheets of Canon Glossy 10x15cm paper are just $30. Total cost of a postcard print is around $1.50, and an A4 print around $5 depending, on paper stock selected. (The thicker and more archival Canon Photo Paper Pro costs around $30, or $2 a sheet, for a pack of 15 A4 sheets.)
The Pixma iP6000D is a step up from the Pixma iP5000 in functionality, features (printing from cards and mobile phones; bright, 2.5-inch LCD colour viewer) price and size – but not necessarily quality and performance. While the iP6000D uses a six-colour ink set, it has a lower maximum resolution than the next model down and uses 2-picolitre rather than 1-picolitre ink droplets. Yet output onto Canon Photo Paper Pro, results from the two printers were hard to distinguish — no criticism of the 6000D, as output from the 5000 is excellent. What’s confounding is that two ink systems, which are quite different, produce so very similar results.
The 6000D is not fast – an A4 borderless print took just on four minutes to emerge and a 10x15cm print almost two minutes. Printing from Compact Flash card was not noticeably faster or slower. A clear screen, logical menus and a straightforward printing routine made direct printing quite simple. Auto-duplexing worked very smoothly and to better exploit this feature, Canon has postcard and A4 double-sided printing papers, sold as Photo Album Kits with their own hard cover binding. Clever idea. A full changeover of ink cartridges will cost around $160. We estimate that all up print and paper costs to produce an A4 print is around $6, while a 10x15cm print is around $1.60.
With slower print speeds, marginally higher cost per print and equivalent quality, the iP6000D suffers just a little in comparison to the $150 cheaper iP5000. Nonetheless it would be an excellent choice for those needing the direct printing function. IR mobile phone connectivity may prove an attractive feature as camphones evolve.
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Canon Pixma iP5000
Maximum resolution: 9600* x 2400 dpi. max (*Ink droplets can be placed with a pitch of 1/9600 inch at minimum.)
Interfaces: USB, Direct Print port (PictBridge/Bubble Jet Direct)
Ink cartridges: Black (BCI-3eBK); Black (BCI-6BK); Cyan (BCI-6C); Magenta (BCI-M); Yellow (BCI-6Y)
Acoustic noise level: 34dB(A) in best quality mode
Dimensions (wxhxd): 418 x 286 x 170mm
Weight: approx. 6.7kg
RRP: $349
Pixma iP6000D
Maximum resolution: 4800 x 2400dpi
Interfaces: USB, Direct Print Port (PictBridge/Bubble Jet Direct), Mobile Phone IrDA 1.2 (JPEG only)
Ink cartridges: BCI-6PM (Photo Magenta)/PC (Photo Cyan)/C/M/Y/Bk
Acoustic noise level: 35dB(A) in best quality mode
Dimensions (wxhxd): 429 x 312 x 185mm
Weight: approx. 7.0kg
RRP: $499
Distributor: Canon Australia; 1800 021 167; www.canon.com.au
Specifications
Canon Pixma iP5000
Maximum resolution: 9600* x 2400 dpi. max (*Ink droplets can be placed with a pitch of 1/9600 inch at minimum.)
Interfaces: USB, Direct Print port (PictBridge/Bubble Jet Direct)
Ink cartridges: Black (BCI-3eBK); Black (BCI-6BK); Cyan (BCI-6C); Magenta (BCI-M); Yellow (BCI-6Y)
Acoustic noise level: 34dB(A) in best quality mode
Dimensions (wxhxd): 418 x 286 x 170mm
Weight: approx. 6.7kg
RRP: $349
Pixma iP6000D
Maximum resolution: 4800 x 2400dpi
Interfaces: USB, Direct Print Port (PictBridge/Bubble Jet Direct), Mobile Phone IrDA 1.2 (JPEG only)
Ink cartridges: BCI-6PM (Photo Magenta)/PC (Photo Cyan)/C/M/Y/Bk
Acoustic noise level: 35dB(A) in best quality mode
Dimensions (wxhxd): 429 x 312 x 185mm
Weight: approx. 7.0kg
RRP: $499
Distributor: Canon Australia; 1800 021 167; www.canon.com.au
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