The Tests
We performed all the usual tests: printing text and composite documents in monochrome and color, in standard and rough resolution, high definition, etc. All the tests are described here in detail.
Calculating The Cost Per Page
We were very surprised when we performed this calculation - and this is the printer's main disadvantage - because, according to our measurements, printing with the i320 costs more per page than it does with the S300, S330, etc., yet it uses the same cartridges and print heads! We couldn't believe it, so we performed the test again, three times, but there was no question about it.
We wasted three sets of cartridges performing the tests three times and getting the same result each time. Weird! Was there something wrong with the model we tested? We only had one i320 available, so we weren't able to try the experiment using another peripheral so as to compare them. In any case, although the difference is significant, amounting to five or six cents in color and one cent in black-and-white per page, it isn't catastrophic. The i320 remains within the average cost per page for all inkjet and bubble jet printers, but this cost is twice that of Canon printers with separate ink tanks.
As a reminder, the cost of black-and-white printing and color printing per page is assessed on the basis of ink coverage of:
- 10% black per page for monochrome;
- 5% per color (5% black, 5% cyan, 5% magenta, 5% yellow) per page for color.
