Labs

Colour inkjets

Canon BJC 620 [PC Pro]
COMPANY:	PRICE: Ł289
RATING:	ISSUE: 33 DATE: Mar 02

Verdict: With serious competition from Epson, Lexmark and HP, the BJC 620 doesn't really deliver on speed, price or print quality.

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In our last Colour Inkjet Labs (issue 22), we were surprised to find the BJC 610 outclassed by some cheaper rivals, with little to recommend it over the cheaper model, the BJC 4100. Since then Canon has worked hard on upgrading its range. The BJC 620 replaces the old BJC 610, to which it looks superficially identical.

Installation isn't a problem, although it can only be installed using the supplied setup program, rather than the usual method of inserting the driver disk when Windows discovers new hardware. The BJC 620 utilises a Windows Print System driver. Canon supplies an excellent manual, covering all the major adjustments available in software. These include options for selecting paper type and size, the quality and type of print-out and the dithering method employed in graphics output, as well as colour correction and head maintenance options. We're particularly impressed by the section at



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the back which covers common print problems, complete with explanations of the physical factors that can affect the print-out. Another fine feature is the use of separate CMYK ink cartridges within the print head. As they're clear you can accurately estimate how full they are and you can change the cartridges one at a time.

Unfortunately, we're not quite as impressed by the performance of the BJC 620 in our tests. In terms of raw throughput, it's far from perfect, coming eighth out of 12 overall in our speed tests. Print quality is variable. Black text is a particular strong point of the BJC 610, but while the 620 is capable of reasonable results on coated media, thanks to a separate black ink cartridge and a 720dpi resolution, it suffers seriously from bleeding and smudging on our standard office paper. Graphic reproduction on plain paper is equally poor, with obvious banding and some clumsy dithering patterns visible in many of the test pages.

Ink coverage seems quite heavy, so the drops of ink struggle to maintain coherence on uncoated paper. On coated paper, the results are better, but not up to the standard laid down by the winning Epson printers. We also found it impossible to print the photo test at full resolution. All such attempts resulted in six minutes of hard disk thrashing followed by a system crash.

Despite the enhanced 720dpi colour resolution, the BJC 620 was beaten by the BJC 4550, which offered more impressive overall results at a quicker pace.