Printers

Canon S530D Direct Connect Photo Printer

At a Glance

Canon S530D Inkjet Printer (Canon-7817A020) $299.99(Lowest Price)

Dan LittmanPhotograph by: Rick RiznerCanon S530D Direct Connect Photo PrinterCanon's S530D Direct Connect Photo Printer S530D resembles the company's higher-end S830D in most ways and costs only $199 (versus the S830D's price of $349): The S530D has a PC Card slot to accommodate a CompactFlash adapter and another PC Card adapter currently on promotion (it's not a standard part of the printer's package and Canon doesn't say when the promotion will end). The unit also has an LCD-equipped control panel and a four-pin FireWire port for connecting a digital camera directly. The S530D differs from the S830D in one key way, however: It uses four inks, omitting the light shades of cyan and magenta found on six-ink photo printers. The S530D delivers superior black text, with clean letters that preserve small details such as serifs. Plus it prints text at the respectable speed of 6.5 ppm, so it can easily pinch-hit as a memo generator. Ink costs run a quite reasonable 2 cents per page for text and 10.9 for light graphics (at 5 percent coverage based on Canon's yield specifications). Color cartridges run $14; black costs $12.The S530D does an acceptable job on photos, but their quality isn't comparable to what we've seen from six-ink units; some details were obscured by subtle dottiness and fogginess. Like the S830D, some of the S530D's control-panel menus seem arcane.The S530D's on-screen manual covers using the printer's features in great detail, discusses paper types thoroughly, and explains how to use the flash-card reader.Though the S530D is equipped for printing photos without a PC, it's more useful as a home-office printer than as a photo printer.199Rated 12 ppm for text/6 ppm for graphics (normal mode), 2400-by-1200-dpi maximum resolution, 100 sheets input, 100 output.consumer.usa.canon.com800/652-2666