Monday, March 19, 2007

The Canon IP6700D Photo Printer

I decided recently, that in order to fill some of my less orthodox printing requirements so that I can offer my clients the products I wish to, I needed to purchase a photo printer.

This was not an easy feat for me. First, I know what a scam a lot of printers can be- especially these days. Print heads get ruined, they don't print quite up to your expectations, only work with their own special paper (don't get me started on the availability or lack there of of good lustre paper) and drink ink like my husband drinks mountain dew. Overall, a consumable product- my least favorite kind.

But for the good of my clients, and my desire to bring some interesting products to my lineup, I bravely shopped on.

I have to admit, I let price sway me for a while. The Epson R380 was an attractive and extremely affordable option- and it prints direct to cd! Further research proves however, that this is Epsons attempt at a clever scam- the thing goes through cartridges like nobody's business and on top of that, the high capacity ink tanks could ONLY be purchased direct from- you guessed it- Epson at high cost. Forget it! It would have been very expensive long term.

So I opted to look closer to home. I have a strange, loyal love for canon...probably in a bigger way than is actually healthy.

So after looking through their line up, I selected and purchased the Pixma IP6700D
from amazon.com. Now, normally I can not stand amazon. Its hard to navigate, shows me crap I don't want from other strange sellers and is overall big and scary. However, it was about fifty dollars cheaper there.

After several days of waiting patiently for the mail man, and then having him leave it my printer on my door step without anyone home and despite the sign- my printer arrived! Kirk unpacked and set it up (albeit on the couch- he didn't know where I wanted it) before I got home.

After some rearrangement it was set up properly and ready to go.

Pretty huh? (Image courtesy of Amazon.com)

Now if I may, let me back up for a minute and further explain my purchase of this magnificent machine- short of my own selfish desires to "print cool stuff!".

Canon has an amazing track record for being the best with the digital and the imaging. I should know I shoot with a canon. This printer is no exception. Check out what Amazon.com has listed about this fine piece of machinery:

Product Features

  • Features patented print head technology and six ink tanks to produce beautiful, long-lasting prints with startling color and detail
  • Extra-large 3.5-inch color LCD viewer lets you enhance images before printing; advanced paper handling increases your productivity
  • Print from your computer, compatible memory cards, cameras, Bluetooth devices, and even camera phones
  • Uses Canon's ChromaLife100 system, including FINE print head technology, for vivid photo printing

Technical Details


  • Print speed (maximum): 4x6 borderless color photo: approx. 47 seconds; 8x10 color photo: approx. 76 seconds
  • Number of nozzles: 512 x 6 colors (C, M, Y, BK, PC, PM); total: 3,072
  • Print resolution (maximum): Black: 9600 x 2400 dpi; color: 9600 x 2400 dpi
  • OS compatibility: Windows XP/2000/Me/98 and Mac OS X v.10.2.8 to 10.4.x
  • Standard interface: USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, direct print port (cables not included), IrDA version 1.2 (JPEG only), Bluetooth version 1.2 (optional)
  • Buffer / RAM: 42 KB
  • Paper size: Credit card (2.13 x 3.39 inches), 4 x 6 inches, 4 x 8 inches, 5 x 7 inches, 8 x 10 inches, letter, legal, U.S. 10 envelopes
  • Warranty: 1-year limited warranty
In addition to this, Amazon neglected to mention the following:

This printer prints perfect little 1picoliter droplets. In addition to that nifty little factoid, the six ink tanks this machine uses are optimized for max color and effectiveness and are individually replaceable- with their own status reminder light for us dimwitted people. This neat little feature means that I replace only the ink that I need more of, leaving me to use the rest that would normally be wasted. The cool warning lights mean that I don't run out mid print.

This printer is also SILENT. You could put a sleeping newborn right next to this thing in full swing and never ever wake the kid. Its that quiet. Its also slightly faster than Canon's specs say- maybe I got a ringer! I am getting 4x6 prints in about 30 seconds rather than the listed 47.

In addition to all of the technical nifties here, the prints this baby puts out are GORGEOUS! Which really, is the bottom line here. The prints this thing puts out rival my print shop for quality (though for mass printing binges, they work out a little cheaper) with an instant gratification factor.

Over all when I need just a few high quality prints, or something off beat this printer is where its at! The colors are flawless with high quality inks and precision printing on a whisper quiet machine.

The only thing that I see as a small negative is the amount of sway this thing puts out when in full swing- but even I understand the print heads have to move. I just need to get a sturdier table.

Oh! One more cool detail I forget to mention. You remember that I mentioned the Epson could print direct to cd? Canon can too. Now, they don't package it this way in the US market but this same printer has a cartridge to put in disc media- which you can purchase from another company online for about $20! How nifty is that?

4.75/5 stars for the awesome features, but less than awesome sway. From my point of view a great buy- hopefully my clients will enjoy some of the cool things I can do now too such as printing directly to canvass or stickers or any number of other cool mediums to share photographs on. Awesome.

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