Canon Pixma iP4500 Photo Inkjet Printer (2171B002)

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 my second Canon printer and is a replacement for my 5 year old i960 which I absolutely loved. The print head started to go and I do a lot of fine detail printing so I had to replace it. I chose the ip4500 for a few reasons, One was because it also had separate color ink tanks (C,M,Y,K) plus the addition to pigment black which i'm not sure what difference that really makes.This printer also has dual trays, one on top and one underneath so you can have different types of paper loaded and can easily choose which tray in your printing setup right before you print or click a button on the printer.Another major feature that isn't mentioned, is that you can print on printable cd's and dvd's. You have to do some slight modifications like remove a small plastic tab and a little bit of configuration by hitting a combination of buttons on the printer to turn on this feature. You will need to purchase an "F" size disc tray for feeding the discs into the printer. You can get one on ebay for around 20 bucks. The printer does NOT come with a tray (the European versions do) as one of the other reviewers mentioned. I got mine from seller rungsamilathai, there are also step by step instructions as well as videos showing the procedure.The printer is very nice looking and folds up well. Its not a tall machine but it is a bit wide just about the same width the i960 was. It is a fingerprint magnet because of the hi-gloss black finish but cleans easy. Its sturdy and seems to be well made with thick plastic and don't really see anything cheap that can break easy.OK now for my big complaint. The ink cartridges have that chip on it which makes it very difficult to refill and or use non-OEM brands. Epson started this B.S. back in like 2000 and others have now followed. You can get the printer for a very low cost and to offset these cheap prices they jack up the prices on the ink and then put chips on them so you are forced to buy the manufacturers ink. I read an article in PC World about third party Inks and most of their tests showed no differences other than some brands did fade from UV light when they printed photos using photo paper. Regular plain papers had no issues. I've had fade outs with OEM brands so I now get my photos printed with Shutterfly or SnapFish because I believe they still use the old chemical process for prints and not inkjet.I have seen chip resetters out there but they cost half the price of the printer. To replace all 5 inks it will cost just under 50 bucks and almost the same for these chip resetters that allow you to refill the ink and trick the cartridge to think its brand new. I have also read that there is a way to bypass the chip via the printer programs utility, we'll see what happens when the time comes to replace the ink.Final thought on the printer that it is totally a great printer, looks good, printing both photos and general stuff look great and has the capability for disc printing. Its a great replacement for my i960 with many more features.

Like many on here I purchased this based on reviews and previous experiences with Canon. I'm beginning to regret it as the constant replacing of ink cartridges is getting to be a real pain. As others have pointed out, when one color runs out there is no way of printing in black and white. You either have all the cartridges functional or the thing will not print, in essence making it a really expensive paperweight until you get some more ink. When it does print I love the quality, but the ink problem has really soured my opinion of it. The other beef I have is that when I submit a print job it will many times take quite some time to think about it before it actually prints. My old HP printer would print almost immediately, but this apparently isn't inclined to do that. Frustrating when you're in a hurry, but now that I've paid the money for it I have to put up with it.

I purchased this printer Canon ip4500 because the reviews here looked pretty good and I have a Canon scanner and on a friend recommendation. It printed fine the first few months but then the yellow cartridge stopped printing. I have replaced the cartridge twice, run all the maintenance and alignment solutions and nothing has worked. I contacted Canon and they said they could offer me a discount on another of their printers, no thanks. I know most of us have gotten use to a product only lasting a year, two if lucky, but I'm so tired of buying products like this that are not inexpensive, having problems for months only then to throw it out and buy another make. Very disappointed. Do not buy this printer!