Product Reviews

Canon's range of inkjets is getting ever larger and, like the whole sector, more confusing to the outside observer. This is due in part to the increasing demands from the rapidly expanding number of scanner and digital camera users.

The company's answer has been to specialise with some, such as its photo-dedicated models (BJ S820 and S900), and generalise with others. Its new BJ i550 is promoted as an all-rounder - great for text and graphics as well as photos - and replaces the still fairly new BJ S520.

Sizing up

At just 41.8cm wide and 27.4cm deep with the output tray closed, the BJ i550 is very compact and doesn't take much desk space. Although not practical, keeping an assortment of inkjet paper to one side, flat as recommended but ready to load, would allow both the input and output trays to be kept closed. This both keeps dust from entering the print mechanism and maintains an illusion of even greater compactness. However, few will use it that way and even with the trays open and the maximum 150 sheets loaded, it retains a neat and tidy appearance.

Setting up involves loading the large print head and four separate ink cartridges - one black and three colour - a system designed to maximise ink use for greater economy. Installation is straightforward, although not as easy as the two-cartridge, six-colour ink system employed in the competing Epson Stylus Photo 830.

The printer works with Mac OS 8.6 to Mac OS 9, and driver software installation is simple enough using the CD and clearly written Quick Start Guide. However, Mac OS X users must download the necessary drivers from Canon's Web site.

The driver software has extensive options, although most are concealed at first sight. Many of the features are to be found under the Utilities drop-down menu under Page Setup, and include a useful option that allows the user to specify a time period - say, between 7pm and 9am - to run the printer in quiet mode,

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which Canon claims outputs at just 39dB. The mode can also be employed full time or switched off totally. Normal operation is, to our ears, very quiet anyway, although we did notice some slightly intrusive vibration. Borderless printing and auto power on and off options are also thoughtfully included.

Fresh prints

Printing from one of the four print modes: Text, Graphics, Photo and Manual, with the latter having plenty of scope for fine-tuning output, especially photos. However, there's seldom any need for this, as the printer's default settings are pretty good.

For the record, Canon's tried-and-trusted Image Optimiser and Photo Optimiser Pro, as well as a new Photo Noise Reduction feature, are all included. This new option does well to clean up the image without any penalties in printing times, though we often found prints were left with reduced detail and sharpness.

Photo output to heavyweight glossy paper is very good and a full-colour A4 print took just under two minutes. Image quality is high, colours are vibrant with good tonal range and dots are all but invisible. Our only concern was a slight green bias, which often disappeared using the preset photo setting and printing was speeded up a little as well, to just over 90 seconds - not far behind Canon's super-fast S900 or Epson's Stylus Photo 950. While photos were printed at the speed that Canon claims, the same can't be said for text and graphics.

However, the print speed and quality of both, using the relevant media, are more than acceptable for a low-cost device such as this. Canon quotes up to 18 pages per minute (ppm) in black and white and 11ppm in colour, but we found 6ppm to be a more realistic figure, falling to a disappointing 1.3ppm for the preset text setting. Nevertheless, mono text is crisp and sharp, and, although it doesn't achieve the same depth of black as that produced by the near laser quality of the £125 Lexmark Z65, it can easily be considered for both fast draft and high-quality text output.

The BJ i550 is a great generalist but is also very capable when it comes to producing high-quality photo output. This is quite something considering it's just a four-ink system printer. True, it doesn't match the best for image quality - for example, the Epson Stylus Photo 950 - but that device is over double the price at £330.

If you're looking for an affordable, well-balanced printer that's capable of producing great photos as well as high-quality text for home use, the Canon BJ i550 is the one to plump for.