Which Canon printer: ip4000, ip5000 or ip6000D?

[lawyerboy2k]

I'm looking to buy a new inkjet printer to accompany the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 I just purchased from Butterfly Photo (woo hoo! I can't wait to get it!) The three printers I'm considering are all Canons: the ip4000, ip5000 and ip6000D. Everyone seems to speak very hightly of all three, so I'm having trouble distinguishing between them as to which is the better purchase. I know the ip4000 and ip 5000 have fewer colors than the ip6000D, that the ip5000 has the smaller droplet size, and the ip4000 is the fastest. But is there anyone who can enlighten me as to which has the best combination of attributes and best overall output in practice? If no one can tell me any better, I may just go for the least expensive one I can find.

Thanks so much,

Jeff Evans

[Rex914]

Avoid the iP6000. It's done very poorly in the all reviews compared to the other 2. The iP4000 is the best bang for the buck, but if you want to squeeze a little more out in terms of print quality, the iP5000 is slightly better because of the smaller droplet size.

[lawyerboy2k]

Does the same go for the i960 as for the ip6000D? I've heard they're basically the same printer technology.

[Robert]

I'm looking to buy a new inkjet printer to accompany the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 I just purchased from Butterfly Photo (woo hoo! I can't wait to get it!) The three printers I'm considering are all Canons: the ip4000, ip5000 and ip6000D. Everyone seems to speak very hightly of all three, so I'm having trouble distinguishing between them as to which is the better purchase. I know the ip4000 and ip 5000 have fewer colors than the ip6000D, that the ip5000 has the smaller droplet size, and the ip4000 is the fastest. But is there anyone who can enlighten me as to which has the best combination of attributes and best overall output in practice? If no one can tell me any better, I may just go for the least expensive one I can find.

Thanks so much,

Jeff Evans


I can't speak for the other Canon printers but I've had the ip6000D since it first came out several months ago. I am more than pleased with it's all around performance and have never experienced so much as a hiccup from it in any respect. In my opinion the printing quality is as good or better as I've seen on any of the newer Epsons. The feature that allows printing directly from memory cards is a boon to my daughter who is into scrapbooking but not really comfortable with printing photos using the PC. Editing is limited when printing from memory cards but if the photos are decent to begin with the results are more than acceptable.

P.S. Yes the i960 is pretty much the same as the ip6000D other than the fact that the appearance has been somewhat altered. I chose the ip6000D because at the time Newegg was selling it about $20 less than the i960.

[eastcoastjoe]

I've had an i960 since jan or feb 04 and I love it. So far it works all but flawlessly and everyone just assumes the prints it makes came from a lab. I have made a number of prints in a number of sizes and frankly it beats the local Ritz on quality and price, especially 5x7s and 8x10s. It's a nice compliment to my FZ20.

I think there is a difference between the ip6000d and the i960 though; the i960 uses a 3072 nozzle print head. The ip6000d's printhead has 1536 nozzles.

As far as I can see, it just adds up to the i960 using more ink. That's the only complaint I have ever really heard about it. I think you'll be quite impressed with it's quality, speed and economy. Just make sure you use Canon paper and ink and you'll be making great prints in no time. Good luck

[Jim K]

I bought a Canon IP2000 for $30 on sale at Target after Christmas '04 (normally sells for $80). It does a terrific job with every printing task. My 4X6 prints using Canon paper are as good as any 35mm photolab print. I bought this because my Lexmark ink cartridges were so expensive and using a refill kit was a pain with poor results. The IP's cartridges are inexpensive, even though they are smaller capacity. Canon has Easy-WebPrint for IE which does not cut off the right side of the screen display. Its Easy PhotoPrint is as easy as it gets to produce wonderful prints fast. For what its worth, I also have a Canon CanoScan 4200F scanner which teams up well with the printer to scan, copy, and e-mail. :)

[Warin]

I dont know why the ip6000 gets such a bad rap. I bought one back at Christmas specifically because of the card reader and the LCD, and I havent had a problem. Great prints, fairly fast, easy to use.

I did some portraits for a friend this last week, from a D70s. I gave her the standard "lightfast for ~25 years" speech, and she was good with it, so I printed her about 10 sheets in various sizes. When she picked them up, she told me they looked as good as the digital prints she paid ~500.00 cdn for from a local "Pro" photographer. Quite a compliment to my photograpy, but also a compliment for the printer.

I'd rather have the i9900 for large format prints, but up to 8x10, I love my 6000.

However, I would also recommend looking at the 8500. it's the same print engine as the 9900, but in 8x10.

[g0tr00t]

ip5000. best bang for my buck. I bought it and printed and sold over 100 8.5x11's. The range of colors, sparse use of ink, clean prints and great price...sold me.

I have not had 1 client come back and demand that I print with a wider gamut of colors ;)

Good luck! Your best bet is to take a CF card with you and have them (the store) print the pictures on the printers you want. Then let them dry for 24 hours and analyse them yourself from a normal viewing distance then upclose with a decent loupe.

I did this and ended up getting the IP5000.

[aparmley]

I have the i960 and love this thing... For 79 bucks this thing kicks arse...4x6 5x7 8x10 3000+ plus nozels = quick print speeds and the 2 picoliter drop size means great detail... Good luck topping that with anyof the IP series.. but I would purchase any of them because of the success and quality of the i960.. would have loved the money to buy that i9900 but oh well.. no biggy.. im saving for the epson R1800...

[Bald Eagle]

We just bought a IP6000D, And I have to tell you, The prints are fantastic. Colors are excellent, printing time is fast, and the quality is wonderful. I for one, am sold on this printer. I would recommend it to anyone. :D