- Relatively quick printing - Great output with beautiful color reproduction. (With the right ink!) - Easy to use with enough options to be useful but not staggering.

Expensive ink to replace!

I have used several inkjet printers from manufactures such as HP, and Epson, but after seeing prints from a friends Canon I went ahead and bought the i9100. At first I was furious! This printer spit out some of the worst prints I had seen yet... but it was my own fault. I had chosen an aftermarket ink. I spent lots of time reading articles about new inkjet technology and everything pointed towards using the right ink and paper to get the best results. Without making this review too long... I ended up purchasing OEM Canon ink and printing on Canon, Epson, and Ilford paper and I am still stunned at the results. With the right ink and paper this printer is truly amazing... everything including the largest prints is incredible!

Similar Products Used:

HP, Epson, Lexmark

prints envelopes pretty good with Microsoft Word

With default settings, pictures are pale and lack color and contrast. It takes a lot of trial and error to get satifactory results. Prints display banding and a weird kind of "grain" or "clumping". There is no USB cable included, you cannot print directly from the camera, there is no media slots to print without a computer, I could not print envelopes successfully with WordPerfect, I had to use MSword (yech).

Previously I was using the HP PhotoSmart 1000 and I was satisfied with the results, so this is the printer I am comparing with. I am also using the new Canon 10D digital SLR as a source. I purchased the Canon i9100 anticipating it would be better than the HP, and it should be, considering the price and the technical specifications and advances. With the HP 1000 I have been using Kodak high gloss with great results with very little adjustments to get the quality I wanted. The first print I ran from the i9100 I was in awe... the print was pale, lacked color, contrast and any "pizzazz". The photos also had a weird "grain" or "alligatoring" or "clumping" I'm not sure what to call it. Looking at them with a lupe showed obvious "banding" and "clumping" of colors. Looking at the HP you can see the ink dots about the same but no banding or clumping. The HP printer only has a black and a color cartridge with 3 inks, the Canon has 7 inks.I used up 13 sheets of 8x10 paper trying to get the color and contrast right. I spent 1 hour and 10 minutes with Canon tech help. This is a "free call" until I get my long distance bill. I told the tech what printer I was using and the first question she had was "are you using USB or parallel?" My confidence was rocked because this Canon "expert" should know, as we all do, that this printer is USB only. (She even asked me if my Canon 10D was digital or film). The tech help person did tell me that the info she was looking at said that it should be fine using the Kodak paper I was using if I use the "photo paper Pro" setting. She finally told me to go to a service center and let them check it out. I finally got a color profile I could live with but still got that weird "clumping" look. I tried many settings and tried the 5 pack 4x6 Canon Photo Paper Pro. I got the "best" results with this paper, but it still had a noticeable grainy look due to the "clumping" and banding was still visible with a lupe. I didn't get any of that with the HP 1000. Am I stuck to using Canon paper only? I could use any paper with my HP 1000. I have been in contact with Coopers where I bought it and probably am going to return it. I really wanted this to be a nice printer. The pictures look horrible, I can't believe it. Maybe I'm too picky and looking too close, but I would not blame my customers for doing the same.

Customer Service

not very knowledgeable or helpful.

Similar Products Used:

Lexmark photo printer, HP PhotoSmart 1000