CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 09/08/2004
The iP1500 has the same basic rectangular box shape as the Canon Pixma iP2000, but it's slightly smaller and lacks some of the bells and whistles of its more expensive counterpart. There's a paper-input tray at the top of the printer but no output tray or guide whatsoever. Anything you print will either fall out directly onto your desk or, if you perch the printer on a shelf, the floor. The iP1500 has a USB port but, like most printers, does not come with cables.
Canon markets the iP1500 as an all-purpose printer, so as you might suspect, its photo printing is decidedly unimpressive. Our test photo, which is designed to stress a printer's photo capabilities, came out extremely dithered. Fine details, such as the illustration on a postage stamp, weren't discernible to the naked eye, and skin tones needed serious smoothing. Because of all the visible dots, prints looked blurry. Graphics were even worse, with lots of banding and, not surprisingly, more dithering. The iP1500 is not as skilled at handling gradients as its siblings (which aren't all that great themselves), its color matching is off, and its photos lack contrast. Text looks much better, especially to the naked eye, but seen through a loupe, it appears oversaturated and feathery. Fortunately, this printer is relatively fast, printing text at an average speed of 6.05 pages per minute and photos at a moderate 3.05 minutes per page.
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