Price: £129

*Max paper size:A4
*Resolution:4800 x 1200dpi
*Size:41.8 x 28.6 x 17mm
*Weight:6.7kg
*Ink type:Dye
*Number of colours:5
*Separate ink tanks:Yes
*Contact:www.canon-europe.com


Canon has recently launched a new range of home photo printers with a bold and original look ? it now consists of eight models, with the iP4000 being near the top end. The new look isn?t all that?s high tech. The i4000 features the very latest in printing technology, including five separate ink tanks, two-picolitre droplet size and 25 page/min printing speed. It incorporates Canon?s new FINE technology, giving a print head with the tolerance and precision similar to that of integrated circuits. The results are certainly impressive, with superb detail and colour rendition, and also very fast with a borderless 6x4in print taking about 40 seconds. The printer is also virtually silent in operation. The internal layout is unusual for Canon. All the company?s previous desktop printers have had a one-way paper flow, with paper going in the top and coming out of the front. The new model maintains this arrangement for A4 and 5x7in paper, but also has a drawer in the front for 6x4in and credit-card size media. Paper from this drawer follows a U-shaped paper path emerging from the front of the unit. The paper feed tray and output slot are concealed behind hatches when not in use, which keeps out dust as well as small curious fingers. Other features include Pict-Bridge compatibility and direct printing from compatible cameras.

VERDICT
Modern styling plus excellent performance, plenty of features and robust build quality combine to produce yet another outstanding Canon photo printer.

SCORES:
PROS: Good performance, feature rich
CONS: 3 colour inks, design is subjective

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