Amazing Features & Quality at a Low Cost!
Written: Jul 02 '03 (Updated Jul 02 '03)
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Pros: Affordability. Speed. Simplicity. Print quality. Quietness. Ink-replacement ease, affordability. Parallel-port/USB options.
Cons: Not the tiniest desktop footprint. Capable of jamming (albeit only when pushing your luck).
The Bottom Line: Easy-to-use, low-cost printer. Speed, quietness, print quality, and paper handling are all more than acceptable. Replacing ink is easy and affordable, via third-party makers/vendors.
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| henry_thoreau's Full Review: Canon i 550 Ink-jet Printer |
Well, it was time to buy another printer. Since early 1999, my Canon BJC-2000 had been reliable and pleasant. But suddenly it just mysteriously "died" on me. So, I headed back to my local Best Buy store and checked out their offerings. In fairly short order, I decided on yet another low-cost Canon model, the i550.
Why did I opt for this printer? For starters, I had been fairly impressed (lucky?) with my former Canon model, and so the "brand-affiliation" was there, even though I must say that this i550 does have a significantly larger "footprint" on my desktop than my prior Canon model did. Indeed, I would have to say that the relatively larger footprint (about 17" wide x 16" deep) is the only significant disadvantage of this model that I've noticed. Even so, this is by no means a "huge" model, and most people will have the requisite desk space for it. Do some desktop measuring before you decide.
Second, I wanted a printer for which I'd be able to buy third-party (non-Canon-logo) ink cartridges. For, assuming that you use your printer a lot, the biggest ongoing expense can be the ink cartridges, sometimes amounting, over the long haul, to as much as, or even more than, the initial price of the printer itself. I've found that there are some great on-line vendors for "third-party" ink tanks, but generally only if your printer is by one of the most popular makers; for example, in the past I've noticed that certain Lexmark models require you to spend a lot more per ink-tank replacement (even if you buy "third-party" ink tanks) than what I've had to pay for my replacements for more popular Canon models. It just sounds like a lot less long-term expense if you buy one of the most popular makes and models; for such models, it looks like third-party manufacturers and vendors can surely charge somewhat less per unit, knowing that they'll make it up in "volume" sales.
Also, I wanted a relatively low-cost model. And, at a price of just under $120, this one was just within my range. I've subsequently noticed that you can find this model for under $100 via on-line vendors.
Also, I wanted a printer that could connect to my computer via the same old "parallel" cable I'd been using. Many new models only offer USB connectivity. This one gave me a choice. This seemed nice and convenient, considering that I already have a veritable plethora of "USB" devices wired up to my computer, and, even using a USB "hub," I was running out of available USB "slots" (unless I were to buy and daisychain yet another USB "hub"!
Note, however, that the i550 doesn't include any printer cable, which is increasingly becoming the case with many printers these days. So, if you don't already have the requisite cable, you'll have to shell out some bucks for some overpriced, separately available cable--whether "parallel" or "USB."
Also, my prior Canon BJC-2000 had been the most "utterly jam-free" printer in all my experience, and I'd owned still other models by Canon and Epson. With my prior Canon BJC-2000, I could even place little, narrow strips of paper (much less than three inches high) on its "loading tray", and it would accept them uncomplainingly and print and eject them just fine, every single time. This was handy for printing a quickie address label, for example. And so, I figured maybe this new Canon i550 should be able to replicate that feat.
I was, however, slightly disappointed in that regard. Oh, this unit will handle strips of paper a mere three inches tall, or so, with no problem whatsoever. But when I once tried using a piece of paper a mere two inches high, a paper jam occurred, and I had a devil of a time getting the paper out of there; in fact, I just barely managed to do so, by utilizing some tweezers. Hence, though this model is "very good" at handling small pieces of paper, it's still not quite "fully incredible" as was my former Canon model, the BJC-2000.
On the other hand, my old BJC-2000, contrasted with this new i555, was relatively slow, noisy, and unable to print with quite so much "tight," "high-res" quality." These things are far more important matters than the abovementioned (modest) paper-handling-flexibility tradeoff. Moreover, I've noticed that, when using the Canon software, the new software (for the i555) seems slightly easier to understand than the very similar software for my old BJC-2000. We would expect such software matters, too, to improve over time, and I was glad to see that was indeed the case.
Installing/changing the various ink tanks in the i550 is a breeze. For color printing, there are three tanks: one each of cyan (blue), magenta (red), and yellow. For strictly black-ink printing jobs, there is a separate, black-ink tank. When you use the Canon software to set up a print job, and if you only need black ink (as for the majority of text printing), then I suggest you click the "Properties" box and then specify (click) the "grayscale printing" box, so that only the black-ink cartridge is used. That could save you from using so much of the more costly color ink (which could create a sort of composite "black" by mixing ink from all three color tanks). You can buy a set of six or seven "black-only" ink tanks from certain on-line vendors at really low cost.
Also, when you don't need the very highest quality of printing (which is the case with many text-only letters), you should consider clicking the "draft" print-quality box via the Canon software, instead of printing in the default, "standard" print-quality mode. Then you won't be using so much ink per page. The "draft" mode produces "nice-enough-looking" printing for run-of-the-mill, text-only letters.
A final thought: my former Canon (BJC-2000), while not absolutely "perfect" in terms of speed and noise, was virtually totally satisfying except that it suddenly "died" after a mere four years. I wonder if I cut its lifespan short by having it always "on" whenever my computer was turned on. With this new printer, I've gotten into the habit of only turning it on when I actually need to print something, and then switching it right back off. Food for thought, anyway.
In sum, thus far I am very satisfied with this new i550, and I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking an easy-to-use, inkjet printer in this (low) price range.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 119
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
henry_thoreau
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Member: Mike
Location: Olathe, KS USA
Reviews written: 221
Trusted by: 255 members
About Me:
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. ~Henry_David_Thoreau
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