Canon Pixma iP4500 Photo Inkjet Printer (2171B002)

This printer is every bit as good as the IP5000 it replaced. It's solid with both photos and text. My only gripe is that it has the same ink absorber pad design flaw that most Canon inkjets have.

I love the thing. It's print clarity is better than I expected, pictures turn out great though I seldom use it for that. I think it's a great buy.

My last printer was a Canon i960, which I thought at the time was the last word in performance for around $100, and it truly was. It had 6 ink cartridges, and a miniscule 2 picolitre droplet size -- and rendered the best and fastest photos I'd ever printed (4x6 in 34 seconds). But I made the mistake of buying cheaper ink replacement cartridges, and not using the printer regularly. People, here's a freebie on me, cuz it cost me my last printer: If at all possible, stay with Canon ink cartridges (yeah, I know they're expensive)....and if you're gonna buy discount cartridges, MAKE SURE YOU PRINT PHOTOS OR COLOR COPY EVERY WEEK!!!!!! I'm not sure if the channels that the ink travels through to get to the printer head became clogged, or maybe it was the brand of ink I used to replace Canon, but I do know that after not printing anything for a few months, it simply didn't work. I researched the problem on multiple forums; found my experience was fairly common; tried every known remedy to clean/soak/fix the print head and cartridge dock -- bottom line is I had to toss a perfectly good printer in the garbage.

OK, a long-winded preamble/caveat to a (hopefully) shorter review:

Yes, it is larger than I expected, but nicely laid out, with a full 100 sheet tray (cassette) feeding from the bottom. This allows me to load the top feed with my photo paper, and simply touch a button for which source I want to print from -- either way, paper is always loaded.

Yes, it's fast, and surprisingly so. I'm getting 4x6 prints in 20 seconds, and full page copy off the web (black and white w/ some color -- borders, bylines, and author headshots) at 6 seconds per page. Very respectable at any price. Black and white printing resolution is fairly sharp to the naked eye, but under a magnifying glass there's some bleedout noticeable. While that may be a function of the paper I'm using, it's definitely suitable for any business application.

No, it doesn't come with a USB cable....I simply used the one I had for my last printer....(hello? not a big deal folks)

But the real surprise is the quality of the photo printing. In a word, it's spectacular! I'm an avid digital photographer, and the color saturation of the prints I've made with the OEM ink is studio quality. The pics I printed of some concept cars from last year's North American Auto Show look digitally enhanced, and suitable for any magazine.

Setup really is a breeze. Anybody with a pulse and a third grade reading proficiency will do just fine with the Easy Installation Instructions. The CD is self-installing (aren't they all nowadays?), and yes, the print head alignment takes a bit of time (12 minutes for mine)....so read a book, watch TV, make out with your girlfriend -- it's well worth the wait.

Bottom line: This is really a no-brainer. A great printer for a great price -- just remember to use it regularly!

This is a nice home printer that prints good color maps etc. (Of course the ink is a little expensive, but that is normal these days.)
These Canon printers seem to clog less than Epson when you use them infrequently.

The reviews describing the Canon iP4500 on Amazon's Site were concise and detailed and easily enabled me to make my choice of this printer. Ordering was simple and the price was very good. The delivery was fantistic (3 days), I couldn't have obtained this printer locally nearly this fast. Thank you Amazon for another excellent buying situation.