Multi-purpose Printers: Canon i450 and i470D

The New Line Of Canon Printers

Just ahead of Epson and HP, Canon has launched a new line of inkjet printers. Hitherto, their catalog consisted of the i250 and i350 at the entry level with the i450 at the mid-range. The i550 and i850 still remain current, but their prices have been reduced. The standalone printer has also been upgraded; the new model is called the i470D.

The i250 and i350 are very similar. Both are derived from the previous i320. The design is the same, the cover is almost the same color, and it uses the same cartridges, the BCI-24s. The printing engine is slightly faster, however, and the heads have been changed. The size of the ink droplets remains at five picoliters, but the i250 and the i350 can now produce a resolution of up to 4800 dpi. Otherwise, the i250 can be distinguished from the i350 by its slightly slower output and its inability to print without margins or without a paper tray.

The i450 and i470D are built using the same mechanism. They also use the same BCI-24 cartridges as Canon's entry-level printers, but they use them with engines and printing heads that are comparable to those of the excellent i850. They thus work very fast and very well. In photo mode the droplets vary in size from two to five picoliters. Both have a USB port that can be used for direct printing from a Canon digital camera. The i470D differs from the i450 in the presence of its integrated card readers.