Canon PIXMA iP4200 Inkjet Printer Conclusion

My Use of the iP4200 for Printing Photos

I've printed about a dozen pictures on the iP4200 using both plain paper and glossy photo paper. So far I am pleased with the quality of the resulting pictures. Printing on both plain paper and glossy photo paper, the smaller sized 4 x6 pictures, as well as larger 5" x7" and 8" x10" pictures, had clear images that did not appear to have washed-out colors. The images did not appear grainy or include any other artifacts that would distract from the appearance of the image. The colors were consistently vivid and natural looking, and I am very happy with the results. Overall, the quality was excellent.

Again, I was impressed with the speed of the PIXMA iP4200. In the standard quality setting, it only took a little over 1 minute to print a 4" x 6" photo! Printing an 8" x10" photo was also very fast, and I measured that it took about 3 and a half minutes to print. This is excellent for an inkjet printer in the $100 range, especially when considering the quality of the resulting photos.

I found the "border-free" print option to be useful for printing photos. This option allows you to print pictures in typical frame sizes - 4"x6", 5"x7" and 8"x10". Once you finish printing, the pictures can be easily framed or added to your photo album.

The noise level when printing photos is essentially the same as when printing text.

Unfortunately, I was not able to test the PictBridge function because my digital camera is not PictBridge compatible.

I found it useful and a time-saver to keep paper in the both of the paper trays. I used the lower tray - which has a higher capacity - to hold plain white paper for printing text and slides, and I used the upper tray to hold the glossy photo paper whenever I was printing photos. You do need to be careful when printing, however, to make sure you have the correct paper source selected before you print. You can set the default paper source with the  Paper Feed Switch button on the front. Otherwise, if you're not paying attention to which source you re printing from, you can end up wasting some expensive glossy photo paper.

Conclusion

Overall, I am impressed with the Canon PIXMA iP4200. At a reasonable cost of $100, it provides a lot of bang for your buck. I found that it produces high quality text and photos with useful print options. It is quite speedy and keeps the noise level to a minimum while printing. I also liked the fact that it includes separate ink cartridges that allow you to purchase replacement ink only as needed.

If you do find yourself often switching between printing text and photos, the dual paper trays should be useful for you. If you do have a manual to print, or just like to save paper, the double-sided printing feature should be useful. I do not find any major drawbacks to the iP4200, and it has a lot going for it. Based on my experience using it, and the positive experience I have had with Canon products in the past, I highly recommend the PIXMA iP4200.