Canon Pixma iP3000

Name: Canon Pixma iP3000
Rating: 3.50
Author: Ben Camm-Jones

Ben Camm-Jones

PC Advisor

14/11/04

Expert Rating

3.50 / 5

Pros

Low price, high quality printing of text and photos

Cons

Ink is costly

Bottom Line

Although the PIXMA's initial price is low, ink costs are steep. Overall this is a well-designed printer with high print quality, although our speed tests show it to be a good deal slower than Canon claims.

Would you buy this?

Yes 3
No 0

Price
$ 199.00 (AUD)

The PIXMA iP3000 boasts a resolution of 4800 x 1200dpi (dots per inch) and uses technology that Canon refers to as FINE (full-photolithography inkjet nozzle engineering). In layperson's terms, this means that the PIXMA can produce tiny ink droplets--two picolitres--from each of the nozzles on its printhead to produce what should be incredibly sharp printouts.

Theory is one thing; putting it into practice is another. Canon has pulled it off, though, producing images that are near-photolab quality. Detail is sharp, while colours are bright and bold.

The PIXMA doesn't take too long to churn out documents either, whether it's picture or text-based printouts. Print speeds are some way off Canon's claims, though. We could only produce 10ppm (pages per minute) of text and 3ppm of colour, as opposed to the 22ppm and 15ppm respectively that Canon states.

PictBridge compatibility allows you to print directly from certain digital cameras, and the separate ink cartridges mean that you only have to replace the one that has run out rather than everything at once. Ink costs are quite high, however. If you plan on printing out a lot of photos then the iP3000 isn't ideal. If you're more of a now-and-then hobbyist, this Canon printer is a good buy.