CNET Editor's rating: 7.5 out of 10
Reviewed by
David D. Busch
Review date: 10/05/05
Release date: 07/20/05
The good: Automatic duplexing; two paper-input trays; easy to operate; Mac and Windows compatible.
The bad: Average print quality.
The bottom line: Autoduplexing, multiple input options, and acceptable photo and text quality make this printer a versatile choice for home and small-office users who aren't in a hurry.
For busy families on a budget who need one printer that can print two-sided text and image pages (using special double-sided photo paper) and crank out 300 sheets between refills, the Canon Pixma iP4200 should fill the bill. A versatile performer, this four-color inkjet includes automatic duplexing, decent text output, bordered or borderless color prints, and dual paper trays that make it easy to alternate between paper stocks.
3 out of 10 - Poor Great printer... until the ink-filling reared it's head
I have only encountered recently the aspect of this printer which changed my opinion of it from a 9 (it'...
I have only encountered recently the aspect of this printer which changed my opinion of it from a 9 (it's a really nice printer, overall) to a 4 or 5, mostly because it's an insulting defect.
Printing... works great.
My BEEF with the IP-4200:
First, background: 1. The printer uses individual ink tanks. 2. Each tank has a visual prism for detecting low/no ink conditions. 3. Each ink tank now also has a microchip (think "killer chip" of an epson inkjet or lexmark laser cartridge) to record ink usage.
The physical refilling the cartridge isn't a problem(same as the BCI-3K series, and on the pixma 4000 series), but it will land you in the following scenario:
1. The microchip on the cartridge colludes with the computer (calculating how much ink you've used) and notices that you've printed a suspiciously high number of pages from the cartridge, and pops up a dialog with effectively two choices:
CHOICE THE FIRST: (Cannon's preferred choice): Admit that you've refilled your ink cartridge, remove it, and place a new cannon certified cannon manufactured ink cartridge in it. I achieved approximately 420 pages in a refilled "300-page" pigment black cartridge.
CHOICE THE SECOND: (The insulting option): Conceed that you are refilling your ink tanks, with the following consequences: 1. The warrantee is voided, and this fact is written into the flash-rom of the printer, thus barring you from claiming service under warrantee period, even if the failure is unrelated. 2. The visual ink-monitoring system is DISABLED. Completely. Without a good reason, other than scaring you into buying cannon ink. (Or, rather, if you've chosen choice the second, being spitefully punitive you for doing so. Once the "I admit I refill my ink" choice has been selected, there is no way to return to the "good graces" of their warrantee.) In plain english, the consequences of a disabled visual ink monitoring system are that you will not receive warning when your ink runs low (even though the hardware is present to do so), and that your print heads and ink plumbing will dry up into a crusty sad little crisp, squeak their last little squeak, and die. Then you purchase a non-cannon printer. (May I reccomend the IP4000, or the IP5000, neither of which have the chipped ink bottles).
Voiding the warrantee, I can understand. Disabling the ink monitoring system is simply, spiteful BS from some heartless bottom-feeding bottom-liner.
So... To Canon, for making an affordable, dependable, high-quality duplexing printer: Kudos. You've done well. AND, To Canon, for their spiteful business plan: A seven page fax, with the letter F on the first page.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Extraordinary
The Canon iP4200 replaces both the ip3000 and iP4000 printers and is essentially an upgrade. The iP4200 uses Canon's ...
The Canon iP4200 replaces both the ip3000 and iP4000 printers and is essentially an upgrade. The iP4200 uses Canon's new ContrastPlus inks (5 cartridges: 3 colors plus a a dye-based black for photography and a pigment based black for text) and continues the use of Canon's FINE printhead technology. Text is extraodrinarily crisp, rivalling a laser printer. Graphics are sharp, with good color contrast. The few photos I've printed so far rival what I've seen from Snapfish, Ofoto. etc. Setup with WinXP Pro was a breeze. Canon provides clear, step-by-step directions which worked first time out. My computer, which is 3 years old, has only USB 1.1 ports. Although the installation directions warned that I might encounter problems during installation, it went smoothly (the printer will function best under USB 2.0). All in all, for a price under $120 delivered, this printer is an extraordinary buy.
Updated I've recently had occasion to use the duplexing feature. Duplexing print is seamless; all you have to do is check off a box. The printer handles printing on both sides easily. On the subject of photos, I'm still amazed at how well this 3 color (plus black) printer reproduces the color range. I will compare my photo prints to those of any of the commercial photo services, and having the ability to edit my shots, at home, is a major benefit. This printer is an excellent bargain, especially at the price.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular An Outstanding Printer!!!
I took back an HP 8250 Photosmart, broken photo paper tray, and I was shown the Canon. I've been ...
I took back an HP 8250 Photosmart, broken photo paper tray, and I was shown the Canon. I've been extremely happy with this printer. It prints better and faster than the HP printer. I love the dual paper trays. I can leave the bottom tray full of photo paper while I print out of the top one. Switching is a snap, just a touch of a button and your ready. The price for what it can do is amazing. I saved $50.00 buy switching printers and the Canon is better in every way.
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by Dean M (see profile) -
September 1, 2005
13 out of 14 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 out of 10 - Terrible BEWARE---INK RIPOFF
I loved this printer until one of the color inks ran empty. Then it refused to print until I replaced ...
I loved this printer until one of the color inks ran empty. Then it refused to print until I replaced the low cartridge. It would not even print black text in grayscale, which does not use any the color cartridges.
So, out I went to buy a new cyan cartridge. It turns out that I had to buy a whole set of cartridges, at over $80. I couldn't buy just the one I needed. I had visions of myself spending $80 every time just one color emptied, as I collected a whole shelf full of colors I didn't need. I couldn't believe it, so checked other stores, and they were all the same. So, this extorniate piece of crap goes in the dumpster, and I will never, ever, buy a printer without checking on the ink situation. And I will never, ever buy another Canon printer because of this.
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by Billat908 (see profile) -
April 19, 2006
8 out of 10 - Excellent Valuable for the price
I am coming from a slightly different point of view than the other previous reviewers.
I bought the i4200 when ...
I am coming from a slightly different point of view than the other previous reviewers.
I bought the i4200 when my Canon i950 printer broke down not too long after the warranty had expired. (Apparently, this is not a rare phenomenon. Thanks, Canon.) Since I needed a printer right away, I bought this one as a stopgap until I buy a better printer.
Let it be known that I use my printers mainly for printing images. I knew this would be a downgrade, but I got it for $100 ($130 minus a $30 mail-in rebate). I have to admit that, for the money, this is a very good printer. But you get what you pay for, and there was a very significant drop in the quality of the images from the i950. I know it seems obvious, but I was sort of hoping that the quality would be closer to the i950 than it actually is, (possibly because the i950 is 2 years old).
Now, for people who are UPGRADING to this printer, it's a great deal. It's fast and easy to use--perfect for people who mainly print text and aren't photo/art enthusiasts, like me. It is a bit boxy, and takes up more real estate on my desk than the i950. Also, pulling out and extending the front paper tray is a little awkward.
It's difficult to try to be objective about this printer since I downgraded from the i950 to this one; but I can say that this is a very good printer for the price. I'm giving it an 8 because of the size, and the overall quality of the images it produces.
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by Applerod (see profile) -
October 5, 2005
9 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Superb: Exceeds all expectations for a printer in this class.
I wanted to say perfect, however I refrained from using the perfect rating just because there is always room for ...
I wanted to say perfect, however I refrained from using the perfect rating just because there is always room for improvement.
My frame of reference for this review is: a) I'm a long time photo hobbyist with prior dark-room experience b) My prior ink-jet printer was a high-end $400, purchased 10 years ago! (My value perspective is skewed by the amazing advancement in printer technology over the passed few years.) c) I have an engineering background in an electronic related field d) I've used this printer for about 1 week before writing this review. e) I haven't had the opportunity to evaluate any other printer in this class. f) I haven't spent any time tweaking photos in photoshop or using the printer utilities to optimize color rendition. g) I have no financial interest of affiliation with Canon.
That being said, I was debating between buying a $500 high-end printer and a $100 budget model. I wanted to have a printer which could do both text and photo's. Staples had this printer on sale for $100, so before plunking down $500, I thought I would own a $100 model first and get an education on photo-printers. I've heard about the expense associated with the high-end models and some issues with reliabilty and decided to defer my high-end photo printer purchase.
It's absolutely amazing what this $100 printer can do. For comparison I've had the same digital image printed by this printer, Shutterfly, CVS, and a dye sublimation printer at a local photo specialty store. The quality of the prints (details and color rendition/precision) easily exceeds that of CVS, Shutterfly and Mystic (mail order, film based). The more expensive dye sublimation print was superior but not by much. The colors of the Canon print don't match the screen exactly, but I found this with all of the test prints from the above mentioned sources. If you have been happy with Internet, CVS or mail order photo services like Mystic, you will definitely be satisfied with the prints produced by this printer - Canon prints, in my opinion, are superior.
If you are a professional photographer or have a very very critical eye, you will find some fault with the pictures - but those types of people should not be buying $100 printers and expect art/professional-quality photo finishing.
Rest assured, the prints delivered from his Canon printer are very good! The laymen I've shown the prints to have been very impressed and very pleased with the quality. I will, however, be buying a dedicated high-end printer in a few years when I have more hobby time and the performance/reliabilty/cost improves.
For my other computer printing needs, this printer is excellent. Most of the time I print in draft mode for expediency and to keep the costs down. I don't typically keep draft documents for a long period of time. The draft mode text/graphic quality and performance is very good and certainly much better than my 10-year old HP ink-jet in draft. The high-quality text and graphics is excellent, albeit much slower relative to draft. (This is true for all printers.)
The software is very easy to install and use. The photo printing utility makes it very easy to select prints and crop to fit the paper format size.
The paper management mechanism is excellent. I keep plain paper in the cassette and use the top feeder for envelopes and prints. The printer can be configured to select the paper source automatically or manually.
It's too early to make an assesment on reliabilty, print quality consistency, or consumable costs (ink & paper). I'll update this review as I gain more experience.
In short, I highly recommend this printer. It's an outstanding value.
Updated It is a great printer for the price - or is it? Great features but drinks ink like a fish. I complained to Canons customer service and they told me to expect around 80 4x6 prints per ink cartridge set. That amounts to about $1 per 4x6 picture including paper - compared to $0.28 for those stand-alone dye sublimation printers.
Printer has good features (I like the duplex printing capabilities & paper feeder options), modest print speeds, modest quality picture printing - certainly better than most one-hour photo shops and online services. HOWEVER - consider yourself warned - the low initial price of this printer is nothing compared to what you'll pay in ink! By the way, Canon technical support is great.
Updated I'm very dissappointed with the ink consumption of this printer. I spoke to a Canon representative (their technical support is excellent) and they told me a colleague of his was getting 80 4 x 6 prints when low ink warnings are given. This translates to about $1 per print including paper. Compare that to the $0.28 per print cost of the stand-alone dye sublimation photo-printers and commercial phot services. I've own this printer now for four months, I've printed around 30 4 x 6 prints and around 150 pages (single sided) of draft grey-scale text and my magenta low ink warning light is on, and the remaining ink wells are around 40%. Unfortunately printer ink costs are not covered well in the reviews I have read. Buyer beware!
Updated I've had this printer for 7 months - already on my second cartridge set. I'm a light duty user so I'm very dissapointed with ink usage. I'm switching auto-power off mode to always on to see if ink usage is better. (The 4200 cleans the heads everytime it powers up. This wastes a lot of ink.) It's pretty frustrating to see ink being consumed when you're hardly printing anything. At $50+ per cartridge set I'm seriously considering cutting my losses and decommisioning this printer! This will be the last Canon printer I'll buy. Lesson learned - don't post any inkjet review until you had sufficient time to evaluate life-cycle costs! (Corollary - look for reviews from users who have had a time to evaluate ink costs!) Do yourself a favor and don't buy this printer! Canon your greed is a big dissapointment - the Canon scanner and cameras I own are top notch, its a shame your printer division has taken this contemptable marketing strategy - low printer cost with outrageous consumable costs!
8 out of 10 - Excellent Direct cd/dvd printing can be enabled
After you refill the carts you get a warning that using non-canon ink will void the warranty. This is Canon'...
After you refill the carts you get a warning that using non-canon ink will void the warranty. This is Canon's way of trying to sell more of their ink but it's illegal in the USA. The new carts also have less ink then the old BCI-3/BCI-6, I guess they needed the room for the microchip.
The new ink is chromalife 100 but it really doesn't last 100 years unless you place the pictures in a photo album but this is true of all printers I would guess. No big deal since were in the digital age and in 10 years I can print a new copy from a stored DVD or harddrive and the new printers of 2015 will be better then today.
Canon has disable the cd/dvd direct print feature but it can be re-enable quite easily: http://pixma.webpal.com or http://pixma.web1000.com
Longtime Canon owner and happy overall except the lamebrain chipped carts which is just a attempt to sell more Canon ink.
Updated Solid machine, fast, quiet, low ink use compared to Epson or HP. Bulk ink is just starting to come out that is compatible well similiar to ChromaLife100.
10 out of 10 - Perfect Sensational Photo printer
My first 4200 was the printer from HELL! There were so many (electronic) problems it would take two pages to ...
My first 4200 was the printer from HELL! There were so many (electronic) problems it would take two pages to tell the grim story. Fortunately, CompUSA gave me a replacement that is the best printer I've ever had (so far/fingers crossed!) - way better than the two Epsons and one Lexmark I had before. I like that the ink cartridges can be refilled - if I choose to. I'm doing lots of color image work (wife's an artist) and it's nice to get such stunning 5x7" art images. So far all the settings and options are simple and totally functional for my purposes. I'm using a USB cable from a Canon scanner that is rarely in use. Not much to add to the other two reviews which I fully agree with and reflect my experience so far with this wonderful printer. Thanks Canon.
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by jimrich (see profile) -
September 11, 2005
6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 out of 10 - Terrible Don't you dare buy this printer
Man oh man, do I regret having bought this thing. Pros first (what few there are): The print quality is ...
Man oh man, do I regret having bought this thing. Pros first (what few there are): The print quality is acceptable, the speed is acceptable, and yeah, you can fold the top down and the front panel up and slide the tray in and it's all sealed up. Yahoo. Acceptable performance until it does
The Canon Thing
I learned about the new Canon Thing too late, but what happens is this: each ink cartridge has a chip in it, and a semi-polished copper contact patch that interfaces the chip to the printer. For a reason no one knows, and Canon refuses to admit even happens, you WILL get an error saying things like "Printer cartridge not recognized. Please insert the correct cartridge etc. etc." Why this happens is a mystery, but the solution is to buy a new print cartridge. Even if the one you remove is brand new and slap full of ink, you have to toss it because its chip is corrupted. There is no "cleaning the contact surface" or "rebooting the computer" or "power-cycling the printer" or any of that. The cartridge will never work again.
Here is why that is SO bad: warranty does not cover it. Canon will not fix it (not for me or anyone else I've contacted) and good luck taking printer cartridge after printer cartridge back to Office Depot telling them "this doesn't work either." Not to mention the price of a cartridge or the gas in driving back and forth to the dang store!
When this happened to us, I went straight to Google and entered the error message and my model number. I had no less than 121,770 hits on it. That's when I realized the scope of this problem, which I've dubbed The Canon Thing. And it's prolific. You owners who haven't had it yet, just wait- then you'll go through what the rest of us have. The biggest problem I see is that it takes a few weeks of owning it to get this to happen. Most Big Time reviews are really favorable, but they don't own it and use it long enough for this to happen. You need to hang in there for at least a month. I read reviews from Consumer Reports to PriceGrabber to CNet and they were mostly full of praise. Plus I'm thinking "Canon!" That's good stuff, Canon is. Well not their printers. Did you know Polaroid makes HD TVs? Good luck if you buy one of those too, so it's not just the brand name. It used to be.
I am thankful for Canon for this, however: I now read USER reviews for making determinations about product purchases. Just like this review you're reading, the USERS have these products for much longer than the staff at some company, who have to blitz through testing. Usually you hear the real story from someone who has owned the product for a while. You don't have to trust me- Google this model and include "ink tank errors" and you'll see what I mean. Maybe this will motivate Canon to fix this problem, I don't know. They'll realize soon enough that sales have fallen off as word gets around.
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by Grand_Pappy (see profile) -
January 30, 2008
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 out of 10 - Very good Colors don't appear true
I am curious if anyone else has noticed that the print colors differ from the actual photograph? I have a ...
I am curious if anyone else has noticed that the print colors differ from the actual photograph? I have a new Canon EOS Digital Rebel that takes great photos and the pictures look fabulous on my monitor. When I print to the Pixma ip4200, the colors appear over saturated (too rich/deep). The end result are photos that look a bit artificial and create too great a contrast between light and dark shifts. The other reviews seem to be very positive, but I can't imagine that I'm the only one who has seen this occur. Any ideas?
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by mjmcaf (see profile) -
October 20, 2005
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