Canon PIXMA iP4300 Photo Printer (1438B002)

List Price: $99.99 Discount Price: $118.00

Features:

• Exceptional resolution--up to 9600 x 2400 color dpi
• Buil-in two sided printing and second paper tray
• Easy-PhotoPrint 3.5 software makes it simple to enhance and print amazing-looking digital photos
• Up to 30 ppm black and up to 24ppm color
• Capture image with a PictBridge-ready digital camera/DV camcorder, connect, and print

Customer Reviews:

Very happy with this great printer! [Posted on 2008-04-18]
I bought this printer in December 2006 and have been very happy with it ever since. I've been using Canon inks and Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy, and to my eye it prints *fantastic* photos. The text printing is also great and I usually use the double-sided printing option. I love the dual paper-source option, and use the cassette for regular paper and the flexible top-load slot for photo paper.

I run Windows 98SE, and I've had zero problems with this printer in one year and four months' usage. However, my usage has probably been light compared to what some users do. Well, OK, *very* rarely I've gotten a paper jam message, which was easily cleared by opening a few access panels. *If* I remember correctly, a past issue of Consumer Reports rated the Pixma iP4300 as fast, cheap to operate, with excellent output quality (that's why I bought it).

Canon now has an enhanced, newer model, the Pixma iP4500, very similar to the iP4300. The May 2008 Consumer Reports lists it as top-rated considering quality of output, speed of output, and (importantly) cost per page of photo and text output.

It's a nice paperweight. [Posted on 2008-04-19]
I used this printer a few times after getting it, and it seemed OK. The quality was nice for what you pay, but there's something seriously wrong with the ink cartridges. A few weeks after getting the printer, I decided to print a few more pages. No such luck. It tells me that one of the ink cartridges isn't recognized. Take it out, put it back. Take it out, put it back. The light finally goes on, and a document prints. Perhaps it was caked up. I let it go and a few more weeks go before I use this again. I attempt to print a photo, and again, this SECOND black cartridge gives me a message. (Why there are two different black cartridges, I have no idea...) It can't find it. I'm playing the old "shake it up" game to get it rolling again. I print my photo. Success! Let's print a second one. ... Error. Open, re-seat the cartridge. Print success. How about a third? Same thing. Re-seat again and again. This thing is a piece of garbage.

If you want a printer that will last longer, buy something better like an HP. I don't know why I fell for this Canon when I've been burned in the past. I guess the all the positive reviews skewed my judgment. I don't what printers these people received, but as a guy who buys several printers a month at work, this one requires more maintenance than all of them combined.

Stay away from Canon printers!

Great product [Posted on 2008-04-21]
Great color photos. Ink doesn't last too long, but it is worth it for the convenience of great color prints at home.

problems with ink cartridges in less than a year [Posted on 2008-05-19]
I use my printer infrequently, so my first set of ink tanks lasted about 6 months. I replaced the PGI Black cartridge (one of the 5 that this printer uses) with an authentic Canon one which cost about $16. Now the printer won't print black at all. I have cleaned and deep cleaned the print head, checked the cartridge lights, followed all instructions on the manual. All seems ok but it still won't print black text - which is the one that I use most often.

When it worked, I liked the clear printing and especially the duplex printing capabilities. The cost of the cartridges and the significant failure rate of the same is really disappointing.

I am ready to throw this printer out, but I worry about the landfill impact of this shoddy piece of engineering.

Wish I liked it better [Posted on 2008-06-11]
I've had the printer for over a year now. It prints good and crisp. Nothing to complain about that. Works great with my Mac, too. But there is one gripe that I'll mention. When I put something in the queue to print, the printer does this "pre warmup" routine. Little motors start a turnin'. Whirring, whirring and more whirring. 30-40 seconds later, it's ready and actually starts to print the document. Then if you print another document, it loads up and prints without the buzzing and whirring. But if you turn off the printer, expect to wait another 30-40 seconds when you press print.

Can I person wait that long? How long does his sanity last? I wish I liked the printer more. It hasn't failed me yet. But waiting so long to print a document is tiresome.

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