Buying a printer should mean carefully weighing your options and matching your need to the product. You will look for the features that match what you need the best and look for reviews that are either positive or negative. If you’re happy with the features and reviews, you have your printer.
This article is an update of an earlier written article about the iP3500 which at that time was a complete bargain. However time moves on and what used to be a great bargain suddenly is no more and Canon Pixma iP3500 Photo Printer is now a very pricey $250.
This compels me to steer you into a new direction as so much better can be found at far better prices. What we reviewers say one day does not apply the next when we try and find you a good buy. This only goes to show you how you need to research and look at each and every model and compare retail value with such as Amazon. If you don’t go to that trouble you may miss some great buys.
Bad Decisions Means Bad Reviews
While of course not every printer on the market is wonderful, this day and age there are not that many really bad ones either. While the features are factual, there are some cases where your decision might be a little more difficult because of mixed reviews. This is especially the case when some reviewers are in love with the product and others aren’t pleased. This sometimes makes your decision all the more confusing.
Click Here For Full Feature List and User Reviews
Something you should keep in mind is that reviews are often a reflection of whether or not a customer really looked for and bought the printer that matched them best. Some reviewers blame the printer for what was simply a bad decision of there own.
If they didn’t put the work in to find the features they need, they’re not going to be happy. That said, there are other cases where there are faults. As we review the Canon Pixma ip3500, you can attempt to judge for yourself. Then based on today’s prices, you will see why I am turning your attention away from this model but in the mean time will give u a little detail about the iP3500.
The Canon Pixma ip3500 sells for around $250 at today’s prices. Sometimes when a model becomes discontinued they become harder to find and for some reason become more expensive. This is where the problem begins. This can be a major problem for a reviewer as what I say is terrific value one day becomes discontinued and the price can triple in some cases.
Features and Specs
As far as quality goes, the Canon Pixma ip3500 can print borderless photos with a resolution up to 4800 x 1200 color dpi. Color prints will also come out good on standard paper. The print head has 1,600 nozzles of which 320 are black and Color 512 x 2 (C/M), 256 (Y).
For text, you will get good clarity without smudging. You can also print anything from credit card size to legal size. When it comes to speed, the Canon Pixma ip3500 can print a 4 x 6 borderless print in 47 seconds. You can print at the rate of 25ppm for black and color is 17ppm. For convenience, you can also print from many camcorders, digital cameras and camera phones. You do not need a computer.
General Impression
The biggest complaint for this model is that it takes too long to start up. So, if you’re in an environment where everything needs to be running the instant you turn the light on, this is not the best option for you. As it’s mostly designed for home and small business use then this probably isn’t going to be much of a problem.
Waiting two minutes is not going to ruin any business. The good news is that once it’s running it stays running well until you shut it off. There have also been reports of paper jams, but this usually has to do with the individual not having read the manual. The only other negative is that it’s not soundless. It’s not overly loud, but it’s not the quietest printer on the market, either.
Later Editions Greater Bargains
This model is still currently available from Canon and there seems to be a trend where as sometimes an older printer can be a bargain but in many cases not. When you compare the iP3500 with the newer and still available iP3600 the older printer better deal myth is fully exposed.
Now you will see why I am turning your attention away from this quite expensive iP3500 and giving you an example as to why you need to keep on checking and researching reviews and analyzing prices.
On Amazon you can find the Canon iP3600 Inkjet Photo Printer for as little as $70.
It has a new 5-color ink system with four dye-based inks and a pigment-based black. The speed is improved turning out a color borderless 4” x 6” photo in 41 seconds. Documents are about the same speed at 26ppm black and 17ppm color. The best bit is that the print quality is so much improved on from the iP3500 as the iP3600 now has 2,368 nozzles of which 2048 are color.
Not only that the resolution has gone up to 9600 x 2400 dpi. Quite a leap in quality and to think you can for only $70 is incredible. Doesn’t have credit card size ability but print media ranges from 4”x 6” to legal. It has an Auto Sheet Feeder (Plain Paper) that accommodates 150 Pages, and a Front Loader, 150 Pages as well.
The Latest and the Cheapest
It doesn’t end there as looking around for value; I found another absolute bargain you may wish to check out as an alternative to the iP3500. Bang up to date and currently on sale is the Canon PIXMA iP4920 Premium Inkjet Photo Printer.
This again completely outperforms the iP3500 on every level and is the latest addition to the series and amazingly can be found for just a little more at around $80 on Amazon. The color resolution again is as high as 9600 x 2400 dpi with 4608 nozzles which is quite incredible for an $80 inkjet printer. Borderless 4” x 6” photos can be printed as quickly as 20 seconds.
This is knocking spots off the iP3500 which I thought was a decent printer in itself until the price hike. This resolution and speed for $80 cannot be overlooked. Other features include built in CD/DVD printing, HD Movie Print software where you can turn HD movie clips captured with your compatible Canon EOS. It has built in 2 sided printing, Auto Photo Fix II.
You can have fun with the pictures using Fish Eye, Miniature, Toy Camera, Soft Focus and Blur Background before you print. It uses 5 individual inks. This is great for a lover of photography and at this price cannot be overlooked.
Picking through the Pixma iP series often can turn up some terrific bargains when you search such as Amazon. I think here a great deal has been unearthed. Not only that your fully up to date with the latest of the Canon Pixma iP series so benefiting from all the advances.
This find only goes to show how important it is to take a little time and examine every model in the range in this case Pixma iP series. It doesn’t pay to buy the first one you see; you may be overlooking a real treat such as this. Don’t assume older means cheaper as it is all too often not the case.
Watch this post in video format
loading...
About James Wikkee