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In Living Color: 8 New Inkjet Printers Put to the Test
By ,
1. Introduction

The period from the end of summer until Christmas features the arrival of new products of all types, and inkjet printers are certainly no exception. The world market is more or less split between four major manufacturers - Canon, Epson, HP, and Lexmark - and each has introduced a new line this year. Lexmark started things off in June this year with some new models, including the Z816 (which we tested for you here) and a new one set to debut in October, which we weren't able to get in time for this review. Lexmark is not in the best position in terms of market, and thus has everything to gain by trying to beat the competition to the punch. In contrast, the other three players have staggered the introduction of their new models from late August to late October.

The result is a fair bit of confusion, with close to twenty new products announced in a short span of time. We had to make some difficult choices in selecting from this plethora of announcements, so we could compare inkjet models that are similar to one another, yet feature their own individual capabilities and characteristics.

We ruled out very high-end products like the Photosmart 8450 from HP, the Canon Pixma iP6000, and Epson's Stylus Photo R800. These three models - which we'll cover in another comparative test later - are all priced well over $300. Some of them have special features (such as up to eight different inks for the Photosmart and the Pixma) that would have made it hard to compare them with printers costing $99. At the other end of the scale, we also ruled out entry-level models like Canon's Pixma iP1500 and Epson's Stylus C46.

So, this article concentrates on the mid-range models, though even that covers a fairly wide price spectrum, with the least expensive model reviewed costing $59 and the most expensive $199. As we'll see, however, the price of an inkjet printer is of little importance in the final cost analysis. Cost of use is what you have to look at above all, and we've devoted an entire section of this article to understanding that aspect of the printer purchase equation.

We should also mention that we haven't included models that are very office-oriented, like HP's Deskjet line, in this comparison. Even though the difference between the "office" and "photo" models is fairly slim, especially in terms of quality, their different market positionings would have led to confusion.

While we're on the subject, you should know that manufacturers have more or less agreed on the definition of a "photo" inkjet printer. The GFK Institute, which studies the market share of manufacturers, needed clarification in this area. So, manufacturers got together and declared that a printer could be called "photo" if it uses more than four different inks, and/or has slots for memory cards. We have slightly broadened that definition to also include the Stylus C66 Photo Edition from Epson, and the Canon Pixma iP2000. This allows us to include a model in the $99 price range from each manufacturer in this comparison (with the exception of the Epson C66 Photo Edition, whose price is $59!)

2. The Contenders

We ended up with 8 models: three from Canon, two Epsons, two from HP, and the Z816 from Lexmark. Here's a summary of the main characteristics of each model.

Canon Pixma IP2000

Despite a limited number of functions and only a single color ink tank, the Pixma iP2000 has quite a lot going for it. First is its speed, which is one of the best of the models costing under $99. Its quality is also good, which comes from Canon's experience and its bubble-jet technology, which lets it use color ink droplets as small as two picoliters.

Canon Pixma IP4000

We had originally decided to test the Pixma iP4000R version, which offers both Wi-Fi and Ethernet interfaces. However, these interfaces have a significant effect on cost, which then surpasses the $200 mark. We decided on the Pixma iP4000 instead, which is another product that's fairly stripped down in terms of functions, but with remarkable performance and excellent output quality.

Canon Pixma IP5000

We might have stopped with the two printers mentioned above, but it would have been a shame to pass over the iP5000. While keeping its price reasonable, Canon made the iP5000 the first printer capable of using onepicoliter droplets. It's an opportunity to see if the new technology makes a real difference in terms of quality or economy of use.

Epson Stylus C66 Photo Edition

As we mentioned previously, the Stylus C66 Photo Edition is not officially a "photo" printer, using only four inks and having no memory slots. Yet there are valid arguments for putting it in this class: it's the only one to use solid inks (Durabrite technology), which gives its output greater resistance to humidity and fading over time. It also operates with separate color cartridges.

3. The Contenders, Continued

Epson Stylus Photo R300

Unlike the Stylus C66 Photo Edition, the Stylus Photo R300 uses traditional color inks. Its design focus is more on color rendering than on fading and humidity resistance, benefiting from six ink colors. It also puts an emphasis on output speed, particularly in photo mode, and has interesting functions like the ability to print directly on CDs and DVDs.

HP Photosmart 7450

You don't change a winning team, and HP is staying with its new Photosmart line, which has been so successful. HP was the first to use memory slots on printers, and they are represented here. The Photosmart 7450 is the basic model of the line-up, and operates in photo mode with a dedicated ink cartridge that takes the place of the black cartridge.

HP Photosmart 8150

This HP model takes the use of the memory cards farther than ever before, including a real control panel that will let novice users print without a PC. It also includes PictBridge and Bluetooth functions for downloading pictures directly from a digital camera, cell phone, or PDA.

Lexmark Z816

Weighing a mere 2.2 kg (5 lb), the Lexmark Z816 is without a doubt the "Tom Thumb" of this group. Lexmark has gone for simplicity above all here, and this $99 model does without any additional functions (PictBridge, memory slots, and so on.) Everything is in the driver, which is very complete, and in the innovative use of both solid and water-based inks. According to the manufacturer, this provides the advantages of each technology without the disadvantages.

4. Ink Issues

Before getting down to brass tacks, we need to talk about the inks that are the cornerstone of these printers. There are two technologies: solid inks and liquid, water-based inks. Solid (pigment) inks, as found in the Durabrite cartridges used by the Epson Stylus C66 Photo Edition, offer greater durability. According to Epson, the life expectancy of photos printed with Durabrite ink is 80 to 100 years due in particular to better resistance to light (we promise to get back to you on that). They're also much less vulnerable to humidity damage. In fact, we noticed that Stylus C66 Photo Edition prints can be held in your hand just after printing without causing the slightest smear. The higher durability of solid inks, however, is achieved at the expense of color quality; the output lacks sharpness and reminds us of film prints on matte paper.

The color inks used by most other models, on the other hand, deliver brighter, more brilliant colors, making them ideal for glossy prints. But they're less resistant to light, with a life expectancy estimated at 20 or 30 years. They are also vulnerable to humidity; it's better to wait for them to dry before handling them. (Canon even incorporates a system of latency time between two prints to allow one photo to dry before printing the next one.)

For its part, Lexmark has chosen to use a mixture of the two technologies. The traditional color cartridge (cyan, magenta, and yellow) uses colored inks, while the photo cartridge (black, light cyan, and light magenta) uses pigment inks. The manufacturer says that this allows the bright colors of the former to be achieved along with the durability of the latter. The mixture doesn't appear to have fully proven itself, though - the output of the Z816 in photo mode clearly lacks vivacity in the bright colors.

The quality of the inks is important, but so is the number of colors, and there are major disparities in this area as well. The Stylus C66 Photo Edition and the Canon Pixma iP2000 use only the four basic colors (black, cyan, magenta, and yellow). The Lexmark Z816, Photosmart 7450, and Photosmart 8150 add a special photo cartridge containing black, light cyan, and light magenta. This increases contrast, particularly in light-colored areas, which are often hard to reproduce correctly. However, the basic black cartridge has to be replaced with the photo cartridge when you want to use the quality output mode, which is a limitation.

The Photosmart 8150 also adds an optional cartridge dedicated to black-and-white and grayscale prints, and its results are very convincing. The Pixma iP4000 and Pixma iP5000 models operate with five cartridges; the four basic ones are backed up by a black cartridge dedicated to improving color shades. Finally, the R300 is the only printer that directly uses six different cartridges simultaneously, including light cyan and light magenta.

5. Test Procedure

The tests focused on three main considerations: quality, speed, and cost of use. However, despite what you might expect, the quality tests are not the most significant deciding factor. This is because the progress made by all the manufacturers has tended to level off quality discrepancies, and in the end little difference is visible from one model to another. For this reason, we won't spend a lot of time on the subject. On the other hand, the disparities in printing speed are particularly noticeable, whether in text, office, or photo mode. The same is true for the cost of use, which takes on such importance that the purchase price of the printer becomes more or less insignificant.

Performance Tests

All time measurements are made from the moment the printer's software driver is activated, not when the print job is launched. We don't take the time for preparation of the document into account, since it varies from one PC to another. The performance tests are as follows:

  • Time for printing a 10-page text in draft, standard, and high-quality modes.
  • Time for printing a document combining text, images, and graphs in standard mode, in color and grayscale.
  • Time for printing an A4 color photo in photo mode at maximum resolution.
Quality Tests

Since inkjet printers are multi-use, we conducted quality tests in text and photo modes. All photos were printed on glossy A4 photo paper. The specific tests are:

  • Printing text containing fonts from 2-point to 72-point in standard mode.
  • Printing a document containing five color bands covering the color spectrum and grayscale, in photo mode.
  • Printing a photo of a seascape with very light colors.
  • Printing a photo with heavy contrasts between very bright colors.
Cost-of-Use Tests

The actual cost of operating a printer is impossible to determine exactly, due to the many possible ways that inkjet printers can used. So, we've opted for a relatively simple common procedure that tests each printer under the same conditions, giving a good indication of relative cost of use, and making it possible to compare models. Remember that our results are only an approximate reflection of the real cost of operating each printer.

  • Life span of the black cartridge alone, printing 25% black documents.
  • Life span of the color and photo cartridges, printing an A4 document containing 25% black, 25% cyan, 25% magenta, and 25% yellow

Calculations of cost are then made using the price (suggested retail price) of original manufacturer cartridges, not third-party compatible inks.

6. Performance Tests

It goes without saying, but it's better to say it anyway: don't put faith in manufacturers' claims of print speeds. Figures like 15, 20, and even 30 pages per minute (ppm) don't reflect reality, but are simply indications of the raw capacity of each model's motor. Naturally, a printer that claims 22 ppm will be faster than another rated at 15 ppm, and no doubt proportionally so (about 50% faster), but the actual results obtained will be much lower than the quoted numbers.

Printing A 10-Page Text File

* High-quality mode is not available in the Epson printer drivers, but the results in "Standard" mode were carried over to the "High-quality" category to obtain an equitable speed comparison.

As you can easily see, increases in quality have reduced differences between models. With the notable exception of the Photosmart 8150, which is very slow in high-quality mode, the other seven models are very closely grouped. Note that while the Stylus C66 Photo Edition leads in high-quality mode, that win must be tempered by the fact that on this model, this mode is actually a slightly improved standard mode, with an output quality that's slightly inferior to its competitors'.

Another important point is that HP's draft modes produce output that's almost equal in legibility to the standard modes of the other models. And if you make the comparison in terms of actual quality and not quality as descried by the drivers, the HP is fastest in the basic modes. The reverse is true for Lexmark. The Z816 is definitely fastest in draft and standard modes, and is in second place in high-quality mode, but the quality of this printer's output in text mode is on the mediocre side.

7. Printing Text And Standard-Quality Images

The results of this most demanding test for printers, consisting of printing mixing text and images, were quite consistent. The Canon Pixma iP4000 is well ahead of its competitors, sharing the podium with the other two Canon printers from Canon, except with respect to color, where the Photosmart 8150 just edges into third place. Note that this Photosmart is the only one that doesn't show a great of difference between the grayscale test and the color test.

At the other end of the scale, the Stylus C66 Photo Edition shows its performance limits. The Stylus Photo R300 doesn't really do much better in color mode, offering more in the way of quality than speed.

8. High-Quality Printing, A4 Color Photo

It's no surprise that this is the test that shows the widest disparities between models. The range covers a factor of almost three, between the ultra-fast Canon Pixma 4000, and the Lexmark Z816, which operates at the speed of a turtle with arthritis. The average is quite high, in the neighborhood of 6 minutes. And unlike text mode, the slowest printers are not necessarily the ones that achieve the best-quality prints. We observed that while the Pixma range as a whole is very fast, Epson stays in the race with the Stylus Photo R300, which makes up for its poor results for color printing combining text and images.

Note that in order to magnify the differences between printers, we chose not to print a small 4x6" photo, even though this size will be the one most often used by owners of inkjet printers,.

9. Quality Tests

Measuring printing quality poses two problems. First, a degree of subjectivity comes into play due to the fact that some people prefer matte finish and others glossy, some warm colors and others pastels, and so forth. Second, to display the test photos below, we had to digitize them after printing, which resulted in a loss of quality compared to the original. So, while we also show the file that served as a model, you should compare the printers directly rather than comparing them to the model.

Photo Quality

Canon Pixma iP2000

Canon Pixma iP4000

Canon Pixma iP5000

Lexmark Z816

HP Photosmart 7450

HP Photosmart 8150

Epson Stylus C66 Photo Edition

Epson Stylus R300

What these tests show most of all is that the models are fairly close to each other, and that nearly all of them deserve to be called "photo quality." The only exception is the Lexmark Z816. The mixture of liquid and pigment inks we mentioned earlier just doesn't really seem to work that well. The colors lack punch - especially the blues, which are pale - and contrast is weaker than on the other models.

The best printer in terms of quality seems to be the Stylus Photo R300. It achieved results that were closest to the original. But the Canon 5-color models (Pixma iP4000 and iP5000) are not far behind. We should also point out that on the second photo we used, which contains more pastel tones, the Pixma iP5000 achieved near perfection, which seems to demonstrate the value of 1picoliter ink droplets. The two HP models do a more than honorable job, provided of course that you replace the original black cartridge with a photo ink cartridge. If not, the colors lose a lot of contrast. Finally, the printers with only 4 colors - the Pixma iP2000 and Stylus C66 Photo Edition - achieved fairly good results, even if they're not up to the level of the more expensive models.

10. Text Quality

We ran tests on text in different font sizes, from 2 to 72 points. What was interesting is that our main observation was that in this area, inkjets are not yet up to the level of laser printers. Certain models, like the Lexmark Z816, produce totally illegible text when printing 2-point fonts. With larger font sizes, you can also see that characters tend to bleed slightly and that the printers have trouble rendering smooth curves. The differences among the models we tested were relatively slight.


iP2000 - 2 points

iP2000 - 10 points

iP2000 - 72 points

iP4000 - 2 points

iP4000 - 10 points

iP4000 - 72 points

iP5000 - 2 points

iP5000 - 10 points

iP5000 - 72 points

C66 - 2 points

C66 - 10 points

C66 - 72 points

R300 - 2 points

R300 - 10 points

R300 - 72 points

7450 - 2 points

7450 - 10 points

7450 - 72 points

8150 - 2 points

8150 - 10 points

8150 - 72 points

Z816 - 2 points

Z816 - 10 points

Z816 - 72 points
11. Cost Per Page

Manufacturers haven't agreed on a universal way of calculating cost per page; each uses its own formulas and arguments, which makes it impossible to compare claims in this area. So, using a lot of patience and many reams of paper, we've made our own estimates. Remember that they are indeed estimates, corresponding to a specific usage pattern; results will vary from one user to another. Using the same test method for all models does provide us with a basis for comparing the printers, however.

Cost Of Printing Text

Our first cost-of-use test involved printing text pages with the following attributes:

  • Black only
  • Standard quality
  • Ink coverage rate of 5%

In this area, it comes as no real surprise that the printers that cost the most to buy are the ones that are most economical to use. The Canon Pixma iP4000 and iP5000 and the Stylus Photo R300 models are particularly economical for two reasons: the black cartridge has a high capacity, and its price is reasonable. At the other extreme, the Photosmart 8150 shows a cost of 9 cents per page of text due to the high cost of the cartridge and its short life span. The worst result was with the Lexmark Z816; its black cartridge lasts a very short time, and comes at a price that can't really be called reasonable.

Cost Of Mixed Text/Image Printing

In our second test, we printed pages containing both text and images, as follows:

  • Color
  • Standard quality
  • Ink coverage rate of 25%

If the differences were significant for the cost of printing text, they're nothing compared to what happens once color enters the picture. Between the most economical, the Pixma iP5000 from Canon, and the costliest, the Lexmark Z816, the ratio is nearly a factor of 4 times.

The Pixma iP5000 seems to get good results from its nozzles and their 1picoliter droplets, which save ink, and thus increase the life of the cartridges. This printer's cyan cartridge ran dry after printing nearly 300 A4 sheets (cyan accounting for 25% of the coverage), which is remarkable. The Pixma iP4000, which uses 2-picoliter droplets, was just behind it. The two HP models are most disappointing in this area, due to the high cost of their cartridges.

Cost Of Photo Printing

In our final test we printed photos with these characteristics:

  • 4x6" and A4 size
  • High quality
  • Ink coverage rate of 100%

The differences may initially seem less great in photo mode than in other modes, but this is simply because in this area we've also counted the cost of paper, which is far from negligible. We've added 28 cents for a 4x6" print and 90 cents for an A4 print, which is an average price we calculated based on the price of papers from several manufacturers.

The models that come out best in the comparison are the ones that use separate color cartridges: the Canon Pixma iP4000, iP5000, and the Stylus Photo R300 (the same winners as in the mixed text/image test). We did note good results from the Pixma iP2000 despite its single cartridge, due to its very attractive price ($18.50, as opposed to $34.99, for example, for the Photosmart 7450's color cartridge, which also has less longevity). It's also more economical to use than the Stylus C66 Photo Edition, despite the fact that the latter uses separate inks. Three models are well behind the pack: the two Photosmarts and the Lexmark Z816. The first two score poorly because of the price of the cartridges, the third due to its limited life span.

Indication Of Cost Of Use Over Three Years

To calculate the total cost of use over three years (which will correspond more or less to your printer's life expectancy), we've added up the purchase cost and the cost of printing at a somewhat heavy annual rate of use: 500 pages of A4 text, 300 A4 mixed color/text pages, 100 4x6" photos, and 20 A4 photos. Again, the choice we've made is arbitrary, but it allows the printers to be compared to each other.

The results show that an inkjet printer costs a lot of money over time. Manufacturers of inkjet printers make their money almost exclusively from consumables, which means they are in some ways like the makers of gaming consoles (who earn more from game titles than the console itself) or telephony operators (who fill their pockets with subscription fees and not profits from telephones).

In this area, HP comes out well if you consider both their market share and the cost of their printers. At the other extreme, Canon proves to be quite economical, even for its single-cartridge model, the Pixma iP2000. Epson is a mixture of both. You'll have to make a choice between the Stylus Photo R300, which is a good investment over the long term, and the Stylus C66 Photo Edition, which is economical to buy but expensive to run. As for the Lexmark Z816, let's just say that cost of use is not a criterion that will win it purchasers.

12. Additional Functions

We'll end this overview of new printers with a look at the additional functions some of them have. The most significant group of functions is that related to printing without using the PC. HP paved the way a few years ago by including the first slots for memory cards on its Photosmart models. The memory slots are now found also on the Stylus Photo R300, but not on the models from Canon and Lexmark. Canon has chosen instead to use PictBridge technology to link a digital camera directly to its printer. It's a less practical solution than the memory slot, and worse yet, a slower one - the PictBridge link uses the older USB 1.1. Only the Stylus C66 Photo Edition and the Lexmark Z816 lack any method of printing without a PC.

There are also other functions provided by drivers, with each manufacturer having its own innovations. Canon, unfortunately, has done away with the automatic paper-type recognition function found on its previous line, but the function is present on the Lexmark Z816, and works well. HP, for its part, offers a clever function that automatically prints documents of more than one page beginning with the last page, which avoids having to re-order the pages after printing. Lexmark also has this function as an option in its driver. Canon's driver includes numerous very effective maintenance functions, and special effects that can be applied directly to the printer output.

Conclusion

The conclusion is the same as usual. When it comes to inkjet printers, models with separate color cartridges are more attractive in every respect: they're more economical to use, and also offer the best print quality. Epson's Stylus Photo R300 leads the pack in the area of quality, followed very closely by the Canon Pixma iP4000 and iP5000. While the Photosmart 8150 offers very good qualitative results, the cost of its cartridges make it a much less attractive choice.

Of the models costing $79 or $99, Canon still comes out on top. With quality that matches the Stylus C66 Photo Edition, the Lexmark Z816, and the HP Photosmart 7450, it is far more economical and better-performing, even if it is a little less multi-purpose. Finally, Lexmark comes out on the bottom of this comparison. Available to the market before the others, the Z816 already seems to be a generation behind, and its innovation - mixing solid and water-based inks - is not convincing. Let's hope for the manufacturer's sake that its next models will do better.

13. Features Table
Model Pixma IP2000 Pixma IP4000 Pixma IP5000 Stylus C66 PE
Manufacturer Canon Canon Canon Epson
General Characteristics
Price $79.99 $149.99 $199.99 $59
Indicated color resolution 4800x1200 dpi 4800x1200 dpi 9600x2400 dpi 5760x720 dpi
Interface USB USB USB USB
Paper capacity 150 sheets 150 sheets 150 sheets 120 sheets
Type of loading Top / Front Top / Front Top / Front Top
PictBridge function Yes Yes Yes No
Memory slots No No No No
Dimensions 418 x 260 x 169 mm 418 x 284 x 170 mm 418 x 286 x 170 mm 460 x 242 x 193 mm
Weight 4.4 kg 6.9 kg 6.7 kg 3.5 kg
Software Easy-WebPrint
Easy PhotoPrint
PhotoRecord
CD-LablePrint
Easy-WebPrint
Easy PhotoPrint
PhotoRecord
EasyPrint ToolBoxCD-LablePrint
Easy-WebPrint
Easy PhotoPrint
PhotoRecord
CD-LablePrint
PhotoQuicker 5
Web-to-Page
Evaluation
Quality rating (coeff 5) 4.0 4.5 4.5 4.0
Performance rating (coeff 5) 4.0 5.0 4.5 2.0
Cost-of-use rating (coeff 5) 4.0 5.0 4.5 3.5
Noise-level rating (coeff 2) 3.0 4.5 4.5 2.5
Function and driver rating (coeff 3) 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.5
Weighted total (out of 20) 15.0 18.1 17.1 12.0
Information on cartridges
No of cartridges present simultaneously 2 5 5 4
Separate colors No Yes yes Yes
Photo inks No Black for contrast Black for contrast No
Installation of photo cartridge n.a. Independent Independent n.a.
Price of black cartridge $7.00 $13.95 $13.95 $23.74
Price of CMY cartridge $18.50 n.a. n.a. n.a.
Price of Cyan cartridge n.a. $11.95 $11.95 $12.34
Price of Magenta cartridge n.a. $11.95 $11.95 $12.34
Price of Yellow cartridge n.a. $11.95 $11.95 $12.34
Price of photo cartridge n.a. $11.95 $11.95 n.a.

Model Stylus Photo R300 Photosmart 7450 Photosmart 8150 Z816
Manufacturer Epson HP HP Lexmark
General Characteristics
Price $156 $99.99 $199.99 $99
Indicated color resolution 5760x1440 dpi 4800x1200 dpi 4800x1200 ppp 4800x1200 dpi
Interface USB USB USB USB
Paper capacity 150 sheets 100 sheets 150 sheets 100 sheets
Type of loading Top Front Front Top
PictBridge function Yes No Yes No
Memory slots Yes Yes Yes No
Dimensions 498 x 264 x 225 mm 475 x 220 x 155 mm 480 x 394 x 171 mm 440 x 230 x 152 mm
Weight 6 kg 3.3 kg 7 kg 2.2 kg
Software PhotoQuicker 5
Web-to-Pag
PhotoStarte
CardMonito
Photo
Image Zone Image Zone Precision Photo
Evaluation
Quality rating (coeff 5) 5.0 3.5 4.0 2.5
Performance rating (coeff 5) 3.5 3.0 3.0 2.5
Cost-of-use rating (coeff 5) 4.5 3.0 2.5 2.0
Noise-level rating (coeff 2) 4.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
Function and driver rating (coeff 3) 4.5 4.5 5.0 3.0
Weighted total (out of 20) 17.3 13.2 13.7 10.2
Information on cartridges
No of cartridges present simultaneously 6 2 2 2
Separate colors Yes No No No
Photo inks Light cyan + light magenta Light cyan + light magenta +black Light cyan + light magenta +black or grayscal Light cyan + light magenta +black
Installation of photo cartridge Independent Replaces black Replaces black Replaces black
Price of black cartridge $17.10 $19.99 $19.99 $19.99
Price of CMY cartridge n.a. $34.99 $24.99 $21.99
Price of Cyan cartridge $12.34 n.a. n.a. n.a.
Price of Magenta cartridge $12.34 n.a. n.a. n.a.
Price of Yellow cartridge $12.34 n.a. n.a. n.a.
Price of photo cartridge $12.34 $24.99 $24.99 $24.99