Canon Bubblejet i455

The market for inkjet printers is vastly overcrowded so, to stand a chance of being noticed, a new product needs to feature something novel.

In the case of Canon's new Bubblejet i455 inkjet printer, the innovation is Pictbridge, a direct-printing technology allowing compatible digital cameras and camcorders to send stored image data straight to the printer, negating the need for a PC.

In fact, the i455 is not unique in this respect, as numerous Canon and products from other manufacturers feature the technology - but it is part of the first wave of Pictbridge-compatible products around. Indeed, the rationale behind Pictbridge is that any digital camera with the right connector can hook up to any compatible printer. Of course, in order to do this, you need a digital camera with Pictbridge, something lacking in the VNU Labs during the testing of the i455. As a relatively new technology, it's likely to be lacking from your digital camera equipment too.

With that in mind, we'll focus on the i455's more mainstream attractions - namely, its printing-from-computer capabilities. Canon reckons the printer will churn out pages at up to 18 pages per minute (ppm) in monochrome, or 12ppm in colour.

In our tests the i455 did manage to deliver 18 pages in 60 seconds - but only when the sheets were left blank. Adding some text to printed documents saw the rate drop to 5.38ppm: fast enough for a printer at this price level, but wide of Canon's claims. Similarly, the i455's tested colour print speed fell below 1ppm when outputting photos.

Fortunately, in all instances the quality of the print-outs was fine, although we had to run Canon's nozzle-alignment utility on a couple of occasions to straighten up printed text.

Contact: Canon 0800 616 417
www.canon.co.uk

Specifications:

• 100-sheet paper feeder
• Quoted colour/mono print speed: up to 18ppm
• 4,800 x 1,200dpi
• Two cartridges
• USB, Pictbridge direct print port
• 3.7kg
• 393 x 258 x 202mm (w x d x h)

See also:

Canon Bubble Jet i990

Quality printouts in next to no time.  04 May 2004

Dell A940

Four handy devices in one for under £100  03 Feb 2004

Lexmark P3150

Excellent value although output is slow.  29 Jan 2004

Epson C84

Great quality, multipurpose device.  22 Jan 2004

HP PhotoSmart 7260

This inkjet printer could be just what you need to make copies of those embarrassing new year's party pictures.  12 Jan 2004

Lexmark P707

A compact printer from Lexmark.  21 Nov 2003

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