Canon Pixma iX7000 Color Printer

It's not just large (and it is); the Canon Pixma iX7000 is a large-format printer, meaning it can easily handle paper up to 13 x 19 inches. With its jutting cassette, it will require a table of its own. I wish it included wireless connectivity, given that its size may force you to keep it in a corner; but in terms of quality, photo output is excellent, while colored graphics look better if you use good paper.

The Canon Pixma iX7000 offers very little--it's made to help small businesses with big print jobs. And by that I mean the ones that won't fit in smaller printers. Other than its size, it doesn't offer any bells or whistles. Or even an LCD screen or a control panel.

Connected via USB 2.0, I found print speeds to be competitive. A four-page Word document took a mere 36 seconds (with first page out in about 12) and provided decent-looking text. A colorful four-page Excel spreadsheet took 45 seconds, though it left the cheap copy paper I favor limp with ink. Colors looked decent though there was some bleed into the paper. This printer did better with photo printing; an 8.5x11 photo took 1:52 but the colors were vivid and the image crisp and clear. The print came out dry, not tacky as I've experienced with other Pixmas; the improvement is likely due to the additional tank of clear ink that coats images.

Canon says on its Web site for the iX7000 that it offers "downloadable templates to print posters, brochures, menus," and more. Unfortunately I couldn't locate that information, which would certainly add value to this printer.