You finally splurged and bought that digital camera, and now friends and family are clamouring to see prints of the shots you've taken. But with the wide range of available printers expanding almost daily, what model do you go for?
If scanning and copying are tasks you'd like to be able to tackle as well as printing, a multifunction device might be the answer. Sitting roughly in the middle of Canon's multifunction range is the Pixma MP500 -- a device that is very easy to use and reproduces photos with lovely clarity. (Note: before you start, be aware the printer does not include a USB printer cable for connection to your PC, so remember to buy one at the store -- they're about AU$5 -- if you need to do that.)
Design
Although quite bulky, the printer is light
enough to move around the house or home office without too much
effort. If need be, you could store it away in cupboard or closet
when it's not in use, and take it out when needed.
The quick start installation guide that comes with the MP500 is very well thought out and makes setting up the printer very simple. The 2.5-inch LCD screen makes navigation and previewing photos a simple task. Included in the box are sample sheets of standard A4 paper and photo size gloss paper, both of which are great to help get you started.
Also included are five toner ink cartridges. These are supplied for one each for Cyan/Magenta/Yellow colour and two for black, so you only need to replace them as each colour runs out, instead of having to buy the whole set each time one gets low on ink. The instructions to load these are very straightforward and within no time you can have the device up and ready to go.
Features
Being a multifunction device, the
printer is also a scanner, so you can take your "old fashioned"
film prints and scan them in for manipulation or e-mailing on
your PC. The MP500 is a flatbad scanner, so it won't be able to
scan multiple sheets automatically. However, flatbeds allow you
to scan images from books or folders.
The copy function is also very simple to use and has some great functionality. We tested it by copying a 4 x 6-inch photo we wanted to print in A4. Although it took about 3-5 minutes to complete, the results were very good and the pixilation on the page was minimal.
There are a number of ways to get your photos from the camera to the printer: You can (1) upload them to your PC and print them from there, or (2) remove the memory card from the camera, plug it into the printer and print directly or (3) use PictBridge (with compatible cameras). The MP500 supports Compact Flash, SmartMedia, Memory Stick and Secure Digital memory cards. You can also buy an adapter for other types of memory cards such as the miniSD card.
The MP500 has a CD-R tray which allows the printing of images onto printable DVD/CDs. This is a great feature if you're burning your photos or music to CD to give out to friends or family as gifts.
Performance
Photos print fairly quickly with the
MP500. We were able to print about 20 postcards with a full
colour photos in about 10 minutes. An A4 high-quality,
full-colour shot took less than five minutes to print on glossy
paper and the results were sensational.
The software included in the box made choosing styles for printing postcards, photos with borders and text etc., very easy. The resolution on the 4 x 6-inch postcards with borders was slightly muddy, with less graduation in shading, although this was not an issue on straight out print jobs. A little practice might be required to get this right so we'd recommend having plenty of paper available to start off with.
In total we printed over 150 full colour photos in various sizes and the ink cartridges did not show any sign of running out. The MP500 LCD display will indicate when an ink tank is low and therefore a replacement is needed.
Overall the MP500 is very simple to install and get started with printing out your memories. If you're after something easy to use and yet functional and adaptable to allow you to do a variety of things such as make cards, print different photo sizes for frames, print onto CD/DVD and print straight from your camera, this is a great machine for you.
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TnT2007
27/07/2008, 10:04 PM
rating
9/10
I bought the Canon MP500 in 2006 and I am pleased to say it has provided endless hours of quality printing, scanning & copying. It is extremely easy to use and configure with the provided software. Printing directly onto ink-jet suitable CDs & DVDs produced high quality images that were indistinguishable with the original to the untrained eye. If you are looking for an ink-jet to handle your daily printing & copying needs for different media (CD, DVD, photos, documents & envelopes) then the MP500 is the printer to buy.
Pros: -high quality printing, copying & scanning
-reasonable printing speed
-easy to use
-looks good
-easy to replace printer cartridges
-easy to print directly onto CD's & DVD's
Cons: -slow to start up
-bulky
-expensive printer cartridges
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All errors are not the same
11/07/2008, 01:36 AM
rating
6/10
Wont do ANYTHING if it 'thinks' there is a problem with an ink tank. So if you are out of red but are fine with printing in black only - you can't do that. Right now it keeps telling me there are two yellow ink tanks installed. I spent the money on more new ink tanks - still gets same error. There is no way to tell it to let me print in yellow if that is what i want
Pros: when it prints, it is good quality
Cons: It is built to see 'warnings' as 'errors'. I can still run my car if the window does not work. I can still use my camera if the flash is out. But you can't get to a menu, scan to your pc, download from your camera, print in grayscale or anything if it thinks you are out of an ink color!
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Missymichele
23/03/2008, 03:52 PM
rating
9/10
Automatic alignment head won't work. Can anyone give me instructions how to fix. Lost Manual.
Pros: Haven't had any trouble up till now.
Cons: Ink cartridges are expensive. $26.95 each. I use a lot
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newblet
26/10/2007, 09:25 AM
rating
9/10
Great printer,I've had mine for nearly 2 years and it works well with photos and other stuff
Pros: good photos and great on printing cd covers and scaning. :D
Cons: It keeps saying Ink is low when it's not >.>
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YorkieLover
03/08/2007, 09:21 AM
rating
9/10
Love the printer, its great and very easy to use with the iMac
Pros: Easy to use, great quality for the price of printer, so many to list
Cons: I am not sure if you are able to print in just black and white or not... I have not figured out how to yet
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scorpion
13/07/2007, 06:57 PM
rating
9/10
Great printer. Found scanning not so good but was not capturing image first. Could be explained a little better.
Pros: Easy to use. Great quality. Photos come up brilliantly.
Cons: Ink cartridges say they are out of ink well before they are, but you can override this easily. Access to card slots not so easy.
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anonymous
13/06/2007, 11:16 PM
rating
10/10
Very Good.
Pros: Too many to list.
Cons: None.
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anonymous
31/03/2007, 01:28 AM
rating
9/10
Great printer! Good scanning.
Pros: Surprising photos, if using Canon photo papers.
Cons: No cons. Don't forget it's for home use, not for copygeneral! Inks are good, if you don't print each of xour pics.
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KINNARD_GR
05/03/2007, 01:07 PM
rating
9/10
I've had my MP500 for nearly a year now. I find it very easy to use: scanning, copying and printing. The software is flawless. Pictures from my digital cameras are very good, though slightly green.
Pros: Easy to use software. Very good reproductions: copying, scanning and printing. low ink level flashes slowly inside printer. Empty flashes quickly. Easy to replace cartirdges. Only replace the empty color.
Cons: I'm told ink cartridges are expensive. $15.00 each -- not bad compared to HP.
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09D416
09/02/2007, 12:33 AM
rating
3/10
MP500 does what It claims, but:
be ready to buy new cartridges quite often
cannot scan with empty cartridge ...
I want to sell it out. brrr
Pros: nice photo pictures when you have very very good photo paper
Cons: -consumption of ink + you are forced... to use expensive canon cartridges with chip
-can't use scanner once black cartridge is empty
- software
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