Canon Pixma IP5000

Excellent quality and fast output

The IP5000 is the first printer from Canon's new Pixma range to arrive in the PCW offices. The sleek black design is a big improvement on the old Bubble Jet series, and should appeal to those with an eye for style.

A paper tray sits underneath the unit and a lid on the top can be flipped up to reveal a second tray. Double-sided printing is also provided as standard, which is a good feature at this price.

However, the most notable specification of the Pixma IP5000 is its 1picolitre ink droplets, allowing prints up to a resolution of 9,600 x 2,400dpi. A total of five separate ink cartridges are used - cyan, magenta, yellow and black, with a second black ink completing the ensemble.

This extra black ink attempts to provide more contrast and depth to photos. Its effect depends on what you're printing, but in general we found that it considerably aided performance.

Canon has opted not to include any memory card readers on the printer. It's not something that should concern you too much since it's always best to inspect photos in an image editor before printing. But if you have a Pictbridge-enabled digital camera, the IP5000 allows direct printing using a USB port on the front of the printer.

The Pixma IP5000 is marketed as a photo printer, but it also delivers good performance when printing plain text. The quality is excellent and speeds were very close to the 25 pages per minute quoted by Canon.

Our test A4 colour photo took a slightly lethargic five minutes to appear, but standard 6 x 4s can be fired out in just 35 seconds.

If you're looking for a printer that's capable of producing excellent photos, the IP5000 is a superb choice and comes in at a reasonable price.