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"Great quality in a small package but pricey" on by gregj777
Pros: Quality of photo and documents; very portable, good battery life
Cons: Most useful features are options (battery, bluetooth)
Summary: If the ip90 came standard with the bluetooth and battery it would be a dream. Once you've purchased these items it IS a dream, although it is an expensive one. The printer is $250, add the battery kit for $100 and the bluetooth for $70 and well, you add it up. I bought it because I like gadgets and I figured I could tote it with me to print photos on the weekend, when I have most of my free time. I read on here about some print quality issues- DO NOT REPEAT DO NOT BELIEVE THEM! You just have to make sure your settings are on the highest quality. I have an HP Photosmart 7550 which is a behemoth compared to this printer, and the photo quality- even at 8x10- rivals that of the excellent HP 7550. I had because of this considered the HP's compact competitor to the ip90 but the Canon is slightly smaller and that's what I was after. Plus as another reviewer said it matches my 17" Powerbook LOL! Which is another thing, the bluetooth feature is great and worked right away. My mac recognized it and I was printing in a few minutes. It's great to not have to have yet ANOTHER cable to carry around with you. One thing to beware of though is the casing. It is very prone to scratches. I carried it out of town this weekend and somehow managed to get two small scratches on the outer case and one small gash (yes, a GASH) about 1/10 of an inch on the side casing. No idea what it hit, and they're not that noticeable, but this baby gets it's own carrying case from now on. Overall, an excellent road warrior. And if you're concerned about life expectancy get the extended warranty (mine was $29 for 3 years- or was it 4?- at Best Buy) and you're worry-free. One last thing- it's FAST.
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"great printer faster than older models" on by tededminster
Pros: faster than older bj series
Cons: ink cartridges are small for black but workable
Summary: I like this printer and as for the ink cartridge size I was able to find some on line very cheap so it is not a problem at all.
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"Best printer I've ever owned - hands down!" on by vwdriver
Pros: Totally portable, durable, sleek & attractive, affordable ink, phenomenal photo printing, all-around champ!
Cons: Can't do 11x17 paper, doesn't come with USB cable or Bluetooth built in
Summary: I seriously had to scrape to write any "cons" in that segment...
This is, hands-down, the most amazing printer I've ever bought. I've used every major brand, previously used a great little Epson, and frequently have to use my Dad's HP "all-in-one", and this thing makes them all look like garbage.
When I shopped for a printer, my top priority was that it would have affordable ink. That obviously left HP completely out of the equation, since their ink, per ounce, now costs the same as cocaine. (OK, so I wouldn't know, but I'm sure it's gotta be close!)
I found the Canon cartridges, though small, to be quite affordable in comparison, and my printer tends to print between 150 and 300 pages before needing a black ink change. When printing color flyers (in a mix of color/photos and black text), it can print about 100-150 without needing a color cartridge change. Both types of cartridges come in 2-packs and the black ends up being about $6.50 for one and the color $11.00-12.00 for one (for Canon brand, not knockoffs). Find a price like that for HP-brand ink! And you can carry extra cartridges for this printer easily in your purse or computer bag.
A few times in the last 2 months it's pulled more than one page through at a time, but that's a regular thing for my Dad's HP machine. That thing has to be constantly supervised and often pulls 3-5 pages in at once while faxing or copying. That's the ONLY problem I've ever had with the Canon iP90. The software installation was smart and easy, the machine itself is a hard-worker, and I feel the price is more than worth it. After all, the gimmick with most printers out there is that they're cheap - till you go to buy ink! Consider how much you'd save with one of these - it's a no-brainer!
My advice: If you do buy the iP90, shop around. Best Buy did a price match with a major online retailer for me, so I was able to get it for a good price. The sad thing is that the price on this printer has NOT changed in over a year. But if you shop around or haggle, you can get it for under $200. Seriously consider getting the extended warranty from the store where you purchase. That way, if another model comes out and this one has any problems, you can get the newer one! I've had mine for 18 months and never had a single problem.
Also, I would seriously recommend NOT buying any non-Canon ink for it. I tried that one time and although I saved a few bucks, the cartridge just didn't work. It printed 4 pages and then stopped working. The ink is already affordable anyway! It may just take you a while to get used to not taking your cartridges to some dirty little local store to get the tank refilled with low-grade ink.
Canon photo paper is also great - use the Matte Photo Paper for your prints and you'll be AMAZED. Other photo papers will vary widely and you'll need to adjust your Canon printer settings to make sure the colors come out right.
I'm a Realtor by profession, and this little guy has saved me in many situations. I've corrected and reprinted contracts at my client's worksite, printed at Starbucks, created flyers at the office, and even printed a few times in my car.
My decision to replace my home printer with a portable was a smart one - this printer is THE BEST!Updated
OK, so my first review was pretty long, but a few other notes on the iP90:
-There's a reason it's $200-250. It's WORTH it!
-It works extremely well with a Canon digital camera. You won't need to use a computer at all - just plug directly into the printer and use your camera screen to set up the print job!
-If your computer uses infrared, you won't ever need a USB cable. It's just as fast printing via infrared as it is by cable. Just make sure your infrared port is conveniently located, as the iP90 has the port on it's right side toward the rear. -
"Perfect for students with academic accomodations" on by knerissa
Pros: Fast, great quality print, ultra portable, cheap ink
Cons: Not perfect for a student budget
Summary: When I got this little printer last week I wasn't even sure I would keep it but figured I may as well take advantage of a 15-day satisfaction guarentee and gave it a try.
I fell in love with it from the first printout. It prints way faster and with much better quality than my older desktop printer and parent's new all-in-one.
As a student with diabilities I have an accomodation to type all of my class assignments and exams. The problem I experinced in class is when we have to share our work with other students I would have to either pass my laptop arround or run down to the computer lab to print off a copy of my work. The Pixma iP90 is heaven sent in that it easily slides into my backpack and sets up in minutes when I need to print something in class.
Even on a student budget, this printer is definitly a keeper for this type of use. -
"depends on what you use it for" on by cardfan1212
Pros: small, wireless, reliable (forget the HP450 one)
Cons: expensive, and so is cost of printing
Summary: Great printer, small enough to fit in laptop bag. Good quality prints. Text, not so good. Slow.
I bought this though to use on audits so I basically use this at hotel or at client's office. Most of the time I'm only using black ink since i'm printing documents or spreadsheets so the color is wasted on me. Pictures? I have a great printer at home to do that. Print at airport or on planes? Why would ya want to?
I do find that i have to replace the black ink a lot. And its slow.
What I would recommend for the professionals who want a portable printer (as in my situation) is to do what I did. Get a HP 1012. It's a small laser printer but very fast, laser quality text, cheap on toner, and reliable. While its bulky, you can still find a case to store it in and although its another case to drag on wheels its worth it. Maybe not ideal for some, but i'm much more happy with it.
Canon Pixma iP90 user reviews
