Apple Reviews

I have to agree w/ the other reviewer that said this printer is an ink eater. It's absolutely ridiculous how often I have to replace the ink cartridges. I rarely print in color & try to use the 'gray scale' option as much as possible, but it still doesn't help. Although the cartridges are cheaper (you can get all 4 for about $50) than most, they run out much faster so you end up spending just as much on them. The print quality is good & once the printer gets started it prints very fast, but having to go to the store & replace the cartridges all the time is a big hassle!

The Canon s530d has been a wonderful little printer and has suited all my needs. It came with both a Dazzle 4-in-1 card reader as well as a Canon specific PCMCIA card. I was able to plug in my Sony Memory stick and start printing right away. The photo index mode (printing a contact sheet of all the photos in the card) is extremely helpful, as is the availability of multiple layouts directly from the built-in LCD screen.

On an economic note, the print cartridges cost less than the typical inkjet cartridge because each cartridge does not include the print head. The head is also a separate component which allows cleaning or replacing in case of a clogged nozzle. The colors come in individual Cyan (Blue), Magenta (Red), Yellow and Black tanks. Unlike some cartridges which you have to throw out once a single color runs out and cost an arm and a leg because they have the print head built in, Canon has done ink management right.

...The Canon s530d is the economical choice if you want a photo printer with memory card reading capability.

The print quality is not as good as some of the other photo printers. There are many factors that go into a quality print (camera, paper etc.) and comparing different printers with different inks can be difficult. With that said, the Canon output is still nice. (Though I prefer the quality of Epson printers in general) If you are printing out family snapshots you will be fine. Otherwise, if you are trying to print high quality art, go find a dye-sub printer and leave the consumer level printers to us hobbyists. This isn't a perfect printer, but a very good one for the price.

I bought my sister a Kodak Easyshare CX4230 digital camera for the holidays, so mom thought a good photo printer to accompany it was a good idea. Since my mom isn't that computer literate, she relied on my judgement over which to buy. After LOTS of research, I decided to recommend this printer for several reasons:

Being on a budget, the price of this printer was very attractive. I had planned to recommend the more advanced S830, but it was out of range. Also, this printer, like the 830, has the ability to accept mutiple memory card types with the included Dazzle! 4 in 1 card adapter, giving you the ability to print photos straight from through the printer on the LCD screen, without having to even touch the PC. Another thing I liked was the multiple ink tanks. Since this printer would also function as a replacement to an older inkjet, I felt that was a key feature since the old printer had just one cartridge for the colors, while this printer has 3 separate color cartridges. Did I also mention this printer is FAST? It managed to print 2 full color 4x6 photos on 8.5x11 paper in less than 2 minutes, and can print web pages and full color charts in less than 15 seconds.

As for the photo printing, the pictures came out looking absolutely beautiful, as far as I was concerned. The qaulity may not be up to par if you're a serious photo enthusiast, but for as far as my family's needs are concerned, they looked just great.

Setup was a bit more complicated than any other printer I've had to install, but was problem free. Be warned, though. There's no USB cable included to connect it to the PC. Overall, this is a fabulous printer and I highly recommend it to anyone who's just plunged into digital photography.

I bought two of these printers at the same time. They have both lasted less than year.
Pros: The ink is cheap to purchase for this computer. It prints great pictures. Its pretty fast.
Cons: In about the time of a year, both printers (around the same time) just stopped printing black ink. There is no printer cleaning or deep cleaning that will help the problem. There is no way to fix the problem, unless you buy a print head perhaps, which will cost the same amount as a new printer. I have done my research, and apparantley, this problem has happened to other canon s330 printer users as well. That makes this printer model not worth buying in my opinion. I always do prefer canon to other products however.

My printer just gave out after 1 year and one week (past warranty). The black ink will not print despite new cartridge(s), cleaning the nozzles, and every other maintenance procedure.
This printer has been fairly reliable in the year. I have used it extensively for photograph printing, greeting cards, address labels and stationary gifts for family. Other than the cartridges running out quickly, I have been happy with the machine. The color has been good for prints and photos.
I am unable to find an online source for troubleshooting, and am of the opinion that a $99. printer although inexpensive, ought to work longer than one year. I hate to dispose of it.
If anyone has any advise, please contact me at Peggy7122@aol.com
Thank you.

The printer does print pretty fast and offers reasonable (but not great) quality print outs.

Pro: Includes both Color and B/W ink cart. Low printing cost (cheap ink carts, a BIG PLUS). Supports gray scale printing, good for printing drafts and saving color ink.

Con: Long ink-wasting-cycle, head continue to move even w/o job. Rather bulky (still better than Epson). Insist that I install driver from CD instead of auto install by XP.

I bought this program after getting a digital camera and wanting to "play" with AND improve my images taken. I bought this program based on it's packaging. They make it sound great. However, upon getting it home, became frustrated very quickly. For someone with no experience, your totally on your own. I knew I would have to experiment and learn on my own, but there is no manual, the help menu's are, at best, minimal and offer no help, merely a description of what the icon does. Save your money and search, like I should have, for a program that is more user-friendly WITH a manual for learning!

I have tried other photo editing packages in this price range and like this about as well any. On the positive side, it is pretty easy to use and handles the basic tasks and then some. There is no manual to speak of, but the program is not too complicated. I like that it uses the jpeg format in native mode (unlike Adobe Photodeluxe which uses some oddball native format). I was amazed, though, that the window under which the program runs cannot be made full screen. It was like trading my 19" monitor for a 15". Another dissapointment was that it didn't allow viewing of all information text imbedded in the jpeg file. My Cannon Powershot S10 stores information about cammera settings in the jpeg. Canon Photo doesn't display this (although it leaves them intact for other programs that can). I would hope the next version fixes these problems.

For more information about Macrolite Adapter visit:

http://www.powershotpro1.com

I purchased this printer from Amazon.com back in March and have used it for photo printing and standard document printing (i.e. Word files, etc.)

Setup: Very easy and intuitive. Just followed the instructions and I was printing in minutes (using a USB cable I bought at Staples)

Software: The included software is very easy to use, especially the Easy-PhotoPrint package. The available options under the printer preferences make for flexibility that might otherwise only be available with editing software.

Print Quality (photos): Simply astounding edge to edge prints and the machine is fast and quiet. I have used Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy for all my photo printing. If you are feeding the printer a good image, you'll have a difficult time distinguishing it from a traditional professionally developed photo. BUT...I have noticed some discoloration / fading in dark sections of some photos in as little as a couple of weeks. Areas of black have faded some and lost their contrast, sometimes looking like a very dark red. Not all photos have done this, so I'm waiting for an explaination from Canon (Images are off a Canon S45 Camera, using original Canon Inks and on Canon Photo paper) I'll update when I get a response (just emailed them today)

Print Quality (documents): Very good, but a lesser printer would do just as well. Where this printer shines is with photos so if your usage will be more with text, you could save some money and be satisfied with a less expensive model.

Paper handling: Good with standard paper and Canon photo materials. My only complaint with these types of materials is if you load one sheet (1 4x6 photo stock) it takes a few seconds for it to figure out that it needs to push the bottom edge of the feeder forward to feed the paper. It has had difficulty (frequent jams) with perforated card stock - i.e. for post cards. Avery material worked fine, but Staples brand constantly jammed - didn't have this problem with my old HP, but using the Avery brand avoids the problem entirely and doesn't cost any more.

Ink: The multi cartridge design is excellent. You only replace what you use and they actually include one of every cartridge in the box. My black is just about out, so I would advise keeping a backup of at least that one. - only caveat is that fading issue I've encountered -

Years ago, I worked as a custom color printer, so I feel I have somewhat of a background in judging photo print quality. Hopefully the stability of the Canon photo paper pro media truly approaches 25 yrs, as Canon claims. This is good enough for me at this time. My prints are made for myself, and as gifts for my family and friends.....

The output from this printer, with the 8.5"x11" photo paper pro, really impressed me right out of the box. I figured I would give it the acid test right away and try printing portraits. I don't have any professional color management, but the color was bang on, did a +13 intensity change in the print driver and I felt I had honest WYSIWYG work-flow!!

Accurate flesh tones are critical in portrait printing and the printer nailed them. I didn't need the Canon supplied imaging software as I am a PSP 7 user, so I can't comment on Canon's efforts here. I printed 6x8" prints with 1" borders that are easily frameable, wall-hangable prints. I would have no hesitation in giving these prints as gifts to family and friends....

I am totally amazed at the output of this printer. Buy good quality Canon photo paper and you'll be amazed at the output quality.

Followup 8/17/2003: I've had the printer for 4+ months now and have printed over 150 4x6 prints and 5 8x10 prints and several 5x7 prints, all on Canon Photo Paper Plus or Pro. The results still amaze me each time I print. I use this printer to print photos exclusively and Photo Magenta and Photo Cyan are used at a ratio of 3-4:1. The black hasn't been touched at all. And Magenta and Cyan are almost still full, whereas I'm having to replace Photo Magenta and Photo Cyan. Yellow is about half way used up. So my advice is to buy plenty of Photo Magenta and Photo Cyan. You'll definitely be using up those two colors very quickly if you print photos often.

Stick with Canon ink and Canon paper to get best results. The results are well worth the price.

This is a great printer, but no one, including Canon carries 13"x19" card-stock paper. I bought this printer with idea that I'ld be able to print my own 13x19 colored signs (100 at a time) but alas, no paper is available.

I needed a good printer for my business to print brochures and photo postcards. I received it today and printed a couple of family pictures I took with my Canon Powershot S20 3.3 Megapixel digital camera on a piece of the Canon Photo Paper Pro 4"x6" (5 sheets are included with the printer) to test the quality. I can truly say that the picture quality using this combo was better than labwork. The colors were more vibrant without the slightest hint of pixels anywhere. My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw this beautiful photo print in less than 30 seconds. This printer, I am convinced, is the best you can buy. It does borderless printing in all sizes... Even 13x19! Prints on other papers provided good results but not as stunning as the combo used above. I printed a borderless photo on a piece of regular 8 1/2x11 paper and it looked great!

This printer is truly a marvel and the speed is unmatched with the quality of the prints that rival and surpass professional photo labs. The Canon paper costs a few cents more but is well worth it. Make sure you get Canon Photo Paper Pro and not just the Photo Paper Plus. Ink use is minimal. I printed 5 4x6" photos, 3 5x7" photos and 3 8 1/2x11" photos and the ink level did not go down. I bought mock-up ink carts off of Ebay that cost $10.95 for all 6 carts! Truly, you cannot go wrong with this printer.

Being an avid 35mm film and now digital photo taker (primarily nature/wildlife) and having battled through trying to print off both digitally captured and scanned film images on an old Canon BJ, the time was right for a change. I researched the i9100 and Espon 2200 for some time as I wanted the best quality I could get without bankrupting myself and to have the capability of printing large format prints. The Canon won out based on comparative reviews on Amazon.com, relative speed and price as well as compatability with the rest of my camera/digital imaging system.

I've been using the printer for 3 weeks or so now and printed approximately 300 prints, mainly 5x7 but also numerous 8x11 and a couple of 13x19s. The sources for the images ranged from 2mp p&s digital to EOS10D digital SLR to slides scanned from between 2000dpi and 4000dpi. Without exception the i9100 has delivered with excellent results. The printer is fast (almost too fast to keep up with if you get distracted with some other task while printing off multiple pages of 8.5x11) and unbelievably quiet (normal paper loading sounds when the sheet is first fed in but that's about it).

Ink usage is pretty reasonable - I feel like I'm replacing a cartridge fairly regularly but I'm printing off large volumes and haven't noticed anything abnormal. My old printer used to fail to print one ink when first used for the day and required constant cleaning/nozzle checks to come up with usable results. The i9100 has had no such issues and doesn't seem to mind if you don't clean heads that often.

I would recommend that you use good quality paper with the printer but then again why spend this sort of money and feed cheapo paper into it?! Canon's papers work well, naturally, but Kodak Ultima works great with no profiling adjustments etc.

Overall, highly recommended to those who want to print high volumes of prints, large size prints and who care about top quality yet don't want to wait around all day just to get one print to work.

I couldn't decide which printer to get. I am using a Sony DCS P9 (4MegaPixel) camera. I bought both the Canon I850 and the Canon S900. I decided to use both and whichever one I liked better, I would return the other one.
I was only using Canon Photo Paper Pro papers. I used both 4x6 and 8 1/2"x11" full size papers. The price I paid after rebate and tax on the I850 was $140 (yes, afer rebate and including all taxes) and the Canon S900 set me back about $250 dollars + tax. Both were equally easy to set up out of the box. I was comparing 3,072 nozzles on S900 to 1,600 nozzles on I850. But, the I850 also offers:

5 and 2 pico-liter droplet size for ink...S900 is 4 pico-liter
248 RAM buffer for quicker printing compare with 80 for S900
4 colors of ink cartridges including a double size black (because it does text well, too)which is cheaper to replace than 6 cartridges on S900
Very, very quiet operation BOth were quiet but I850 was quieter
Liked the fact the I850 has a door that closes on front AND BACK...the S900 doesn't close on back to keep dust out
Smaller in size than S900...and sleeker looking in aluminum look

Bottom line...I could see a difference in certain kinds of pictures...I saw a little more purple in a flower picture printed on the S900 and more of a deep blue color on same picture printed on I850...the picture looked more blue than purple on my computer though so I don't know how good a test this was. This color shade difference may be due to the 49 graduations of color available on S900 and only 27 on the I850. But, on most printing, the sharpness seemed to be slightly better on the I850..only slightly better...details were darker on the I850, like outlines of green leaves on trees.
Would I justify the difference in price for the difference in print...ABSOLUTELY NOT. It just seems that the I850 is the newest printer technology and the S900, although only out since March 2002, will probably be replaced in the next 6 months or so with newer technology similar to the I850. Some colors on S900 came out with a different shade like bails of hay in a Halloween shot; on S900 it had a little more yellow tones than the I850 but the I850 had more detail on lines in hay and on my kids hair. Both were excellent and I took both 8 1/2x11 sheets (1 from each printer) to my local Best Buy store on a Saturday and the Canon rep working there couldn't tell the difference between the two printer's results. Bottom line is; If you need a magnafying glass to see the difference, then the I850 should be the choice. These pictures on both printers rival those that you get from local photo developing store...and you can adjust the contrast, brightness and color to your liking.
The speed when printing pictures on the I850 is fast. Again, I must stress how quiet this machine is while printing. You will almost forget it's on even when printing. The software that came with the I850 is Canon's Zoombrowser 3.5 version...the S900 came with older version. I took the pictures to show some friends and they couldn't believe I printed them at home. If you get this printer, you will not regret your purchase. Just remember, from what I've heard, that it does make a difference which photo paper you use...Canon's Photo Paper Pro is the BEST (and Canon claims pix will last 25 years on this paper). The text is quoted in Black/White as 22 ppm (WOW). Also, haven't done it yet but I've heard from other's that the I850 does awesome Black and White pictures...better than the S900. I hope this helps in your decision...by the way, it does only take about 30 seconds to do a high quality 4x6 print on this printer. An Epson of equal comparison would easily take at least 4 to 5 minutes to do the same print!!!

Okay, I haven't had that many ink jet printers but I do graphic design and have worked with color lasers and this little inkjet beats them. I'm sitting here with a photo printed out borderless 4x6 that came out 15 seconds after hitting PRINT. This is a 9MB file on a USB 1.1 connection and it looks like it came from the lab. Stunning color, no dots, and perfect resolution. Caveat -- you have to print on the nice, glossy, photo paper but that's the case with all inkjets to get this quality.

Set up was a breeze and the instructions are very clear. The software is easy to use and necessary to get your prints right. BUT -- Don't forget to get a cable because it doesn't come with one (as most printers don't.)

Ink cartidges are all separate so if one gets low you replace just that cartridge. Since I just got it I can't tell you how long they last, but I can say:

BUY THIS PRINTER!

I have owned all the other brands, these new Canons with the 4 seperate color cartridges are about the fastest performers and least expensive to replace cartridges. I used to own 3 AB Dick offset printing presses and with todays technology all of my printing is now done on these printers. In the past 2 years I have owned the s750, i850, and I just purchased an i550 because my 750 just crapped out on me, when I use them I really put them through the ringer, literally thousands of copies are produced on these printers in my small print shop. Since I have converted to these printers I have sold off all of my heavy printing presses and equipment and now I can get even BETTER quality text, photo, and color registration without the messy setup of a press. I have been a commercial printer for more than 20 years and if these printers pass my standards for quality text, color, and photos you know they're good. I produce letterheads, envelopes, carbonless invoice forms, postcards, brochures, all with color or photos and with the Canon programs I can adjust colors and photos easily. I am always running 2 of these printers at the same time from one computer, if I had the space I would set up a couple more and run all of them at once.

I was in the market for a portable printer to use with my Fujitsu Lifebook. The portable markey is pretty small, being that there are only a very few printers that are small enough to be called portable, but still print on full-size paper.

At first I didn't like anything available. I checked in depth but nothing out there really caught my eye. One day I strolled on over to Canon's website and what did I see, but the i70 listed as "Coming Soon!"

I decided to hold off on buying a printer until I could see the i70 in person, which I later did. It's beautiful. It's sort of a platinum silver color, with a rich blue printhead cover. It closes easily and a small magnet keeps the bottom sheet-feeder attached to the top cover (it's way cooler than I'm describing it...)

Installation was a snap. Typical of Canon. I'm running Windows XP and I have no problems in the slightest.

The first thing I noticed is that it's quiet. I didn't think it was really printing until I saw the paper coming out.

Second: it's FAST. It's the fastest inkjet printer I've ever used, beating out my HP 1120C in both speed, noise, and print quality.

It's not labled as a photo printer, but the print quality of the i70 is just amazing. If there's a difference between this and real photo printers, I haven't seen it, nor do I care. It's good. VERY good.

I have not tested the infrared communications yet... I send everything to the printer via USB, which is a breeze.

To sum it up:

Pros:

Appearence
Speed
Noise
Quality

Cons:
Not the same silver as other Canon products (such as the LiDe30) but it's still so pretty...

I HIGHLY recommend this printer.

THE GOOD:

(1) This is the lightest printer among peers. HP's 450cbi, the closest alternative in my book, is nowhere near as portable as the i70.

(2) Prints directly from a digicam. I use Canon's G3, and I can now share photo print-outs straight from my camera. No need to lug my laptop around.

(3) The battery life is great, don't believe detractors. IN general you don't need the battery -- that is only for outings, for those occasions when you just have to print out something while sitting by the lake.

(4) It is FAST! Especially for color prints, it outpaces my full-blown HP laserjet.

(5) It is QUIET. You'll have to get used to its noiseless printing. First time round, I had to check to make sure the paper was printed on.

(6) Is a breeze to INSTALL. Something you can expect from Canon, of course.

(7) Works with both Windows and Macs.

CAVEATS:

(1) The photo quality may not appeal to shutterbugs, especially if NOT printed on photo paper, but for general office workers with little desk space or for folks with a packed travel roster, the i70 is a pretty safe bet.

(2) The ink costs may sky rocket quite quickly if you print colored stuff often. If, like me, your general printing is B&W, then this is a great buy.

(3) The price, especially if you buy the battery pack. But there are deals if you know where to look.

SUMMARY:

A great overall printer, definitely if you need to carry one around. I purchase Epson's photo paper (not Canon's own) for color shots and the i70 prints more than adequately. The speed, the quality and the quietness make it one of my top printer recommendations -- all things said, even better than a regular inkjet.

I needed a small portable printer for my laptop, and after researching them, I chose the Canon i70. It has all of the attributes I needed-lightweight,super easy to use, fast as the office rumor mill, and a great print job. I highly recommend this product to anyone fortunate enough to have purchased it.

I bought this printer for basic home use because it was highly rated by PC Magazine. A lot of internet research was performed as well (about 2 weeks worth). I debated between the Canon i850 and the i550...The only discernable difference between the two was print speed. This was confirmed on Canon's website. I am very impressed with its photo printing. Since we went all digital photography at our house, my wife kept complaining about not being able to get a good quality print. PROBLEM SOLVED!! It prints a beautiful, 4x6 borderless photo in no time at all! It would take a magnifying glass to distinguish it from a professionally developed photo. 4x6 glossy photo paper is only 15-20 cents a sheet. The individual tanks, and ink cost was the deciding factor as well. The cost of the Canon ink replacements vs. the other leading brands is a no-brainer. I had my last Canon for 4 years before I decided to upgrade to the newer technology. Bottom line - great printer, great photos, great price.

PS-The text printed by the i550 is laser quality, just in case you need to actually use it as a "regular" printer:)

With a baby on the way I wanted a more convient way to take pictures and share multiple copies of them with the family. I bought a 4 megapixal camera and needed a great printer to make hard copies. This printer makes photo lab quality 4x6" photos in under a minute. I see no difference between ones taken with a 35mm and developed at a store then the ones I printed out. It is much quieter then my previous Canon BJ-4300 and light years ahead in quality. The individual tanks are very cost effective too. The software included even made a low resolution digital print (about 20 kb) come out very nice at 4x6". You can see all your photos and send multiple copies to the printer. It also does regular printing of letters very quickly. Highly recommend!!

With a baby on the way I wanted a more convient way to take pictures and share multiple copies of them with the family. I bought a 4 megapixal camera and needed a great printer to make hard copies. This printer makes photo lab quality 4x6" photos in under a minute. I see no difference between ones taken with a 35mm and developed at a store then the ones I printed out. It is much quieter then my previous Canon BJ-4300 and light years ahead in quality. The individual tanks are very cost effective too. The software included even made a low resolution digital print (about 20 kb) come out very nice at 4x6". You can see all your photos and send multiple copies to the printer. It also does regular printing of letters very quickly. Highly recommend!!