Canon I550 Bubble Jet Printer (Canon-7819A001)
| Print quality, text/graphics | Good/Good |
| Print quality, photos | Good |
| Speed | Good |
| Rated speeds | 18 ppm monochrome, 11 ppm color |
| Tested speeds | 7.3 ppm text, 1.3 ppm graphics |
| Ease of use | Very good |
| Cost of consumables | Very good |
| Number of ink cartridges | One black cartridge and three individual color cartridges |
| Cost per set of color cartridges/average pages per set | $36/490 |
| Features | Very good |
| True resolution | 1200 by 1200 dpi monochrome, 2400 by 1200 dpi color |
| Maximum resolution | 1200 by 1200 dpi monochrome, 2400 by 1200 dpi color |
| Maximum paper size | Banner |
| Input capacity | 150 pages, one tray |
| Paper feed options | Straight-through paper path, no manual feed slot |
| Interfaces | USB 1.1, parallel |
| Supplies included in the box | Black cartridge, color cartridge |
| Size (width by depth by height); weight | 16.5 by 10.8 by 6.3 inches; 7.3 pounds |
| Other features | N/A |

Bottom Line
Home-office bargain-hunters looking for a printer that can pinch-hit on digital photography should consider the I850.
Canon I550 Color Bubble Jet Printer
I550 Bubble Jet Printer (Canon-7819A001) Review, by Dan Littman December 3, 2002

WHAT'S HOT: The I550 is the sibling of Canon's I320, but at $149, it's almost twice as expensive. That extra cost is worth it if you're looking for a speed boost: The I550 is almost twice as fast on graphics as the I320 is, at 1.3 pages per minute. The unit spits out text at 7.3 ppm--it's the fastest of the general-purpose printers we tested for our January 2003 roundup, and it's 35 percent faster than the I320. The I550 prints clear black text, renders narrow lines adequately, and delivers glossy photos with sharp detail and smooth textures.
The I550 has the lowest ink cartridge costs of any printer on the general-purpose chart: A black cartridge is only $14, and color cartridges are $12 each (the printer uses three). Canon reports that black cartridges yield about 740 pages of text each and color cartridges average 490 pages. Based on those figures, a color print should run about 9.2 cents, while black-only prints will cost around 1.9 cents.
WHAT'S NOT: The I550 lacks a bypass feed for envelopes and letterhead. In addition, it renders poor gray-scale images, with a grainy texture and heavy banding that obscures detail.
WHAT ELSE: Like the I320, the I550's quiet mode may come in handy when you need to print without disturbing anyone nearby.
Canon's documentation includes an excellent set-up poster, a useful printed user's manual, and an extensive on-screen manual that covers details such as hand duplexing and improving print quality. Canon provides a useful printed manual and an extensive on-screen help file.
UPSHOT: Zippy performance, good text quality, and low operating costs make the I550 a good family or home-office printer.
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Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: johndwz
Strengths: EASY SETUP EASY SINGLE REPLACEMENT OF THE INK THAT IS OUT RATHER THAN REPLACING THE WHOLE INK CARTRIDGE
Weaknesses: NONE
Overall: GREAT VAULE ONE OF THE BEST PRINTERS I HAVE USED OVER THE YEARS IT I HAVE A NEED FOR A NOTHER A WOULD BUY ONE I WOULD ALSO TELL MY FRIENDS TO BUY ONE IT IS WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD.
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Reviewed by: mrfixitx
Strengths: Easy setup, very fast clear printing. Multiple print cartriges, user replacable print head, good quality photo prints.
Weaknesses: paper thickness indicator is in an annoying location. No automatic paper type dector.
Overall: Overall a great printer, prints B&W prints very fast. Color 4x6 photo in under a minute, and a 8x10 in only about 3 minutes which is much much faster than the competition. Dont bother with spending the extra money for a USB 2.0 cable if you have a parrell port cable laying around. The buffer on the i550 is to small for the higher bandwith to make any differnce. Use decent paper, watch out for paper incompatblites is the only thing that can make this printer seem to be poor quality. Not all printers work with all paper this is the reality of inkjet printing with the variety of different inks and papers out there. If one paper causes problems try a different brand. This can happen with any brand of printer.
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Reviewed by: efc103
Strengths: Low cost, easy set up on WIN ME with USB2 , fast clean printing.
Weaknesses: None
Overall: Originally purchased because of small footprint and low cost. (Daughters HP died at college in December 02.) She is only now getting a low black ink message after 6 months of use. This printer is fast, quiet and clean clear printing in B&W and color. Cartridge replacement costs are much lower than HP.Highly recommended. I cant wait for my printer to die to pick one up for myself at home.
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Reviewed by: Grillhead
Strengths: Very efficient. Terrific quality in all aspects of printing. Think Tank system is cost effective. Is quiet in operation. Bundled software is great! Excellent value!!!
Weaknesses: None so far.
Overall: My mother and I both owned Lexmark Z32 printers for a year each, and they ended up being more of a hastle than good. She bought a Canon i550 after she and I researched for a long while on which printer to purchase. I in turn purchased a Canon i550 a month after she bought hers. The print quality on both of ours is fantastic! The draft quality is sufficent if a quick print is needed, but the standard and high quality resolutions are outstanding, especially if the bundled software is used. The Easy-Print software is exactly that...easy to use, and is also made to utilize the Exif-Print format. The photo quality is as close to a professional that I have seen come from an inkjet printer. I timed mine, and it printed a 4x6 color photo on glossy paper (borderless) on high quality, and it came in at 50 seconds (2 seconds more than the manufacturer states), which is still good. I have read reviews that state that only Canon paper can be used. I have used others, and they all worked just fine. The installation for this printer is a snap, and the catridge replacement could not be any easier. It is so nice to be able to replace an individual color instead of an entire cartridge and waste ink. It even has a nice modern look to it. Also a plus is the fact that the power cord is just a cord, and the power supply is built in, so there is not a "power brick" to contend with. Overall, this is the best printer out there for the money!!!!!
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Reviewed by: jjcooper2
Strengths: Very good print quality, quiet, very fast, 4 ink tanks save money, Uses very little ink
Weaknesses: None
Overall: Bought the i550 to replace a HP that broke after 3 months. The i550 is an excelent printer for the price. Paid $120.00 after rebate. Got a lot of printer for the price. Pictures printed very nice on Kodak premium picture paper, 100 sheets are about $20.00 at Sam's Club. Have printed a lot and very little ink was used. I would highly recomend this printer to any one looking to buy a new printer.
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