I picked this model partly because I've always wanted an ink jet that uses separate cartridges for the different colors. All the other ink jet printers I've owned use two cartridges-one for black, the other for the three colors, meaning you have to toss the entire color cartridge when one color is used up, or else continue printing with sometimes unexpected results.
Having never owned an inkjet printer this high end before, I wasn't expecting the set-up to be slightly more complicated than normal. It wasn't bad, but I did actually refer to the instructions to make sure I was doing it right. Lower-end ink jets I've owned basically just have you slap the two cartridges in and you're done. On most, the print heads are actually part of the ink cartridge (as I understand it), not the printer itself. On the iP4820, the print heads are part of the printer, but ship as a single piece in a little sealed bag separate from the printer. Installation just takes a second or two-the part just fits right in.
Installing the cartridges is as easy (or easier) than any other printer I've used, other than there being five cartridges instead of the normal two. They snap right in, and a red light lights up when they're in position correctly. For whatever reason, besides the three colors, there appear to be TWO black cartridges-one larger than the others.
The printer has two paper sources-I think generally it expects you to use the tray on the bottom for normal paper, and the feed on top (which folds down to save space) for fancy paper (or I suppose legal sized paper, etc.) It took me a minute to figure out how to extend the tray so it fits normal paper...it's actually easy to do, I just didn't realize I had to adjust it.
While the instructions clearly tell you to install the included software first before connecting the printer to your computer, I wanted to see if I could just use built in drivers or have Windows Update grab them...it turns out you can't (or at least Windows Update doesn't yet have the drivers when I tried over the weekend). I had to unplug it, install the software, and plug it into a different USB port. I installed everything except a tool that's supposed to let you format web pages before printing. Thankfully it does let you install the drivers themselves if you don't want the other software. Installing all the software seemed to install one background process-I don't think it's part of the driver though, as I printed after killing it just to see what would happen.
At that point, the software had me run a calibration using an included piece of (apparently) special paper. That took a few minutes (and doesn't require that you do anything other than stick the paper in) and after that it was ready to use.
On normal paper, both text and graphics look noticeably higher resolution than an older HP model that's on its last legs. I tried printing a single photo, just to get an idea of what it could do-I don't have any photo paper (I use Kodak to develop my photos) so I don't know how much better photos can look on special paper. On normal paper it was clear that it was a printout, but at the same time it also looked better than the results I've seen from any other printer.
Print speed seemed very fast-even on high quality mode printing that picture it printed faster than my current (admittedly old) printer handles text...obviously text on draft is faster still.
I'm curious about how long the ink will last. The cartridges are cheap-not much over half what I'm used to ink cartridges costing. They don't SEEM much different in size compared to other printers I've had, but does the low price mean they don't hold much? Or maybe they're less expensive because you aren't re-purchasing the print heads every time? And for that matter, what does it mean for longevity that the heads are part of the printer and not the cartridges? Perhaps they're higher quality? I don't know.
I haven't tried it, but the iP4820 is supposed to be able to do borderless printing. My current printers can't, so that should be handy even just for normal documents, where occasionally I have something that doesn't quite fit within that printer's margins. (I have one document which annoyingly fits within one printer's margins but not another's...hopefully that won't be an issue on the iP4820).
Another random thing-I like that it doesn't use a power adapter, just a normal power cord...since that's much easier to find a spot to plug it in!
At any rate, assuming I get a reasonable number of pages from this, I'm pretty happy with it so far! I'll update this review if/when I find out about how long the ink lasts me or that sort of thing.
Average Rating:
Brand: Canon
Model: 4496B002
Product Description:
High Performance Inkjet Photo Printer with Built-in Auto Duplex Printing
Features:
- Incredible 9600 x 2400 color dpi for the best in photo lab printing
- Borderless 4" x 6" photo in approx. 20 seconds
- The Chromalife 100+ system gives you beautiful and long lasting photos
- All new Full HD Movie Print Software turns your favorite memories from your captured HD movies into beautiful prints
- Keep it eco-conscious: Built-in 2-sided printing helps the environment and can cut your paper usage by up to 50%
Available at Amazon
List Price: USD 99.99
Lowest New Price: USD 79.99
Customer Reviews
I LOVE this printer!!!!
This is EXACTLY what I was looking for, and I am LOVING this printer!!
When you first get it, make sure you set aside some time to set it up. It takes a bit of time to get it all together and install the software, but the instruction guide makes it VERY simple with easy/clear step by step instructions. (really, I promise, super user friendly)
I was happy to see that it comes with a sample of three sheets of Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II so I could test it out right away. I was blown away with the quality of these prints! Side by side with mail order developing and pharmacy developing, I couldn't tell a difference, except I actually prefer the Canon paper. I immediately ordered Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II, 4 x 6 Inches, 400 Sheets (2311B031) from Amazon.
The paper is so easy to load, unlike my previous paper which I had a hard time lining up the photo paper just right..the Canon is VERY user friendly. Pictures are printed suprisingly quick, they state aprox 20seconds, but it was quicker! As a document printer it is lightning fast as well (yes, it isn't just for pictures;)!
I've been having SO much fun playing around on [...] (Canon's "Creative Park" website)! I'm already planning our Christmas cards to be printed at home so also ordered Hallmark Premium Blank 4x8 Photo Cards from Amazon. :)
One thing to note, this is not wireless and does not include the necessary USB cable..which wasn't a problem for us since we had an extra from our previous printer.
I couldn't be happier with this and highly recommend!
Nice Photo Printer
Printer is quiet, fast, and real easy to use. I have an aging Canon i9900 and the Pixma 4820 actually does a better job of printing 8x11 photos on Canon Pro Platinum paper using the included Canon printing software. Really pleased with the results. Also prints text-based black and white documents really fast.
Canon Pixma IP4820
I got this printer 3 days ago. Installed easily and worked as advertised. Very quiet. Not sure about ink consumption yet, photos are very, very clear. The paper placement is a little different than the IP4000 I previously had, but just something to get used to. The size is perfect for me.
