Canon BJC-1000 - Compact And Cheap, But Very Annoying
Written: May 07 '02 (Updated May 07 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Paper Handling: |
|
|
|
Pros: Compact and cheap, no paper jams, easy to use, prints on envelopes well, sturdy case
Cons: Slow, poor printout quality, expensive cartridges that don't last long
The Bottom Line: I wouldn’t buy BJC-1000 even for $20 today. Two years ago, it could be a reasonable choice, but not now.
|
|
|
| dkozin's Full Review: Canon BJC 1000 InkJet Printer |
I bought the BJC-1000 about two years ago on the web for $60. At that time this price could have been considered a good deal. However, the best quality of this printer is its compact size.
After having used it for the last couple of years, I must say that it annoys me more and more. I would have replaced it long time ago, if I could find a much better printer that doesn’t take more real estate on my file cabinet.
Since the BJC-100 can now be purchased on EBay for less than $20, I have to warn you about the drawbacks of such decision. So now let’s talk about…
What Annoys Me in My BJC-1000
The printer came with no printer cable (a standard practice) and only a color cartridge. Although it is possible to print text (and black & white pictures) using the color cartridge, it will not exactly black and the ink consumption will be high.
So, to print text, you better get a separate black cartridge (I believe it is called BC-02). The catch is that the cartridges for BJC-1000 cost $20-30 and don’t last very long. I cannot estimate the number of pages, since I don’t print much, but the cartridges expire quickly.
The printer can hold only one cartridge at a time, so to switch between color and black you have to open the lid, replace the cartridge and then open the printer’s “properties” in the Windows’ Printer folder (to make sure that the printer driver will know what kind of cartridge is installed).
Plus, when one of the colors in the color cartridge is gone, the entire cartridge has to be replaced (wasting other two colors). The print quality (the printer has 360 dpi resolution) is not great either, especially in color. The photos look terrible.
And, the printing is very slow, especially comparing to modern inkjet models. The specs say it is four pages per minute in black. I can tell you that it takes more than a minute per page in color, and I am not even talking the photo mode.
The printer works so far, but the mechanism looks very flimsy.
Refilling
You can try to save money by refilling the cartridges. I tried the refilling kit by Calidad and, although they try to convince you that the refilling is so easy that you will not get stained, it is not the case. And refilled cartridge lasted much less than if I bought the new one.
I Have Had It, I Am Getting a New Printer
Although it is difficult to find a good small printer with separate ink tanks (for inexpensive ink replacement), I will probably get a new printer soon. It will be cheaper in terms of ink, will print much faster and produce better printout quality.
Is BJC-1000 a Good Deal At $20 on eBay?
I wouldn’t buy BJC-1000 even for $20 today. It is cheap for a reason (and I listed some of the reasons here). Two years ago, it could be a reasonable choice, but not now.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 60
Operating System: Windows
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
dkozin
|
 in Electronics |
 - Top 10 |
|
Location: California
Reviews written: 845
Trusted by: 521 members
About Me:
I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.