Hardware article and Tip

So you might have already heard about the new Canon Pixma iP4200 that’s doing the rounds in the computer hardware industry nowadays. Everybody is reviewing it
including us.

Canon has been keeping mum over the longest-lasting-photo-prints debate for sometime now. Possible explanations include the newly released Pixma iP4200
with built-in duplex printing; individual cartridges; two paper-input trays; easy operation; inexpensive; great-looking photos; and 100-year print life. Epson
the leading contender for lasting prints
now has competition. The key ingredient to long-lasting prints is Canon’s ChromaLife 100 ink set
included in the Pixma iP4200. The company claims that when used with their branded photo papers
photos printed using ChromaLife 100 inks will last up to 100 years when stored properly.

Compared with the iP4000
the iP4200 is less expensive
faster for business applications
and offers more longevity for photos. However
photos take a little longer to print and earn a lower quality rating than the iP4000
but the overall balance of features makes for an impressive package.

The Pixma iP4200 uses Canon's Full-Photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE) print head
which releases droplets as small as 1pl for each of the 1
536
cyan
magenta
yellow
and black print heads (plus 320 nozzles for pigment-ink black text)
providing an effective color resolution of 9
600
400
Two separate black ink cartridges for both a pigment-based black and a dye-based black
significantly improve photo output.

Apart from five inks
the photo printer offers the advantage of two paper inputs: a standard paper feed tray in the rear and a second paper tray that slides into the front bottom. You could now easily load standard paper in one tray and photo paper in the other
and switch back and forth between standard printing and photos without having to swap out paper every time. One eco-friendly feature of this printer includes the ability to automatically print on both sides of a sheet of paper. However
it might take you three times as long to print a 10-page Microsoft Word document in this mode compared with printing one-sided sheets.

The iP4200's driver can automatically adjust colour balance
you can access sliders that modify the intensity of the individual inks; you can also switch from sRGB to Windows Image Color Management (ICM). Grayscale printing simply requires the tick of a check box
and a simplistic Print Advisor wizard can quiz you on the type of document you're printing and recommend an appropriate paper.

Other than duplexing
the Page Setup options include size and orientation
number of copies
border/borderless printing
and addition of a background image or a watermark. An Effects tab provides settings for optimizing the image; reducing noise; boosting contrast; or adding effects such as sepia
pink
and other colours. You can save your settings as a profile for reuse in another printing session.

The Maintenance tab offers functions such as nozzle checks and cleaning
printhead alignment
and other tasks
including a bottom-plate-cleaning function that uses a folded letter-size sheet to tidy up before duplex printing.

Graphics quality
rated at the high end of good
is suitable for schoolwork or internal business use
and is marginally good enough for an important client or customer you might want to impress. However
some visible problems with photos include a slight pink tint in monochrome photos and a tendency for some colours to be overly punchy. It was also a little troublesome to get a neutral gray out of the printer as prints tended toward either green or blue depending on the driver settings used.

Refilling the Pixma iP4200 Cartridges

The new Canon PGI-5 and CLI-8 cartridges have an onboard chip to measure the ink level of each individual cartridge. The five individual ink cartridges in the Pixma iP4200 feature bright red LEDs that light up when properly installed. The cartridge lights also start blinking when ink is running low
and the blinking gets faster as the tanks get emptier. The numbers of the Pixma iP4200 cartridges are:

PGI-5BK - Black pigment ink
CLI-8BK - Black dye based ink
CLI-8C - Cyan dye based ink
CLI-8M - Magenta dye based ink
CLI-8Y - Yellow dye based ink
These cartridges are also suitable for Pixma iP5200
iP5200r printers
MP500
MP800 and MP950 MFPs.
Needless to say
many people would like to know if these cartridges can be refilled
or if compatible cartridges are available. As of now (February 2006)
compatibles are not available for the PGI5 or CLI8 inks
probably for 2 reasons:
The ink formulations are quite complex
and refill ink manufacturers need to ensure their inks will perform equivalent to the original Canon inks.
Canon has patented the on-board chip; consequently
compatible manufacturers have to be very careful not to infringe that patent
which could leave them open to litigation. Canon recently won a lawsuit against a company in Japan
which was involved in the business of refilling and resale of Canon cartridges. Naturally
this will set back any plans for compatible cartridges.
However
there are refill inks available on the market and refilling instructions are available from ink vendors. Canon has very cleverly adapted their printers; if you refill the cartridges and re-insert them into the machine
a warning message will appear on your computer along the lines of:
“You are using refill ink in your cartridges. If you continue
your printer warranty will be void.” You are prompted to press OK
and after doing so
the low ink warning facility on the printer no longer works. If this is the case
you must be very careful never to let the inks run dry
as this will burn your print head.