Canon Pixma iP2000

The Pixma iP2000 is a relatively small inkjet printer that uses a single black cartridge and a three-in-one colour cartridge for cyan, magenta and yellow.

It comes with two USB ports: one for connecting to your PC and another that can be used with PictBridge-compatible devices. PictBridge allows you to print photos directly from any digital camera equipped with the compatible technology. This is a useful feature for those who don't own a computer but want to print their digital snaps.

Unlike many budget printers, the iP2000 has dual input trays, allowing different types of paper for different printing jobs. In our tests, text quality was very good, particularly for an inkjet model. The edges of some letters faded but this would be noticeable only to the discerning eye.

Photo printing was even more impressive. Despite the three-colour cartridge, results were comparable to more advanced (and more expensive) printers. Contrast levels were good, and colours accurately reproduced. The iP2000 also supports borderless printing.

Canon has incorporated its Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering technology into the iP2000. This allows more than a thousand nozzles to be crammed onto each print head, which are capable of ejecting some of the smallest and most consistent ink droplets we've seen to date.

Canon claims speeds of up to 20 pages per minute (ppm) for black prints, but in best quality mode this drops to 6ppm.

The iP2000 is a very good budget printer, but it isn't quite as attractive as the Pixma iP3000, which costs only £15 more but offers double-sided printing, faster performance and uses high-capacity cartridges.

Contact: Canon 0870 514 3723
www.canon.co.uk

Also consider:
Lexmark Z815