Jan 25, 2005 08:13 PM
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(Updated Jan 25, 2005 08:14 PM)
My 7 year old trustworthy HP 200C wasn't compatible with my Windows XP machine. Though I tried to work with a make-shift default driver from within Win XP, the print quality was terrible. It was time to go printer-hunting.
Thankfully, my choice turned out to be a good one for the very tight budget I was under [BTW, I am always under a tight budget, you won't find any of my reviews-past and future- ever talking about an expensive product, sorry ;)]. I opted for Canon i255. It comes at around Rs. 2400, one of the cheapest in the market. Its print quality is superb - at times reaching laser-printer quality!
Another point worth praising is the absolutely beautiful paper handling. Till date, I have experienced NO messy paper jams. With my old HP, I had to deal with a minimum of 1 paper jam per 7 printouts!
So why just three stars, you might ask. Well, for starters, the black ink cartridge's volume is, very illogically, only 10 ml. At acceptable print quality, the output per ink-cartridge is ~40 pages, which is not even close to home needs. At ~Rs.300 per 10 ml it is costlier than most of the atrociously priced Eau-De-Colognes I know of! The double-pack/twin-pack with two black cartridges is marginally cheaper at ~Rs.575. This coupled with the frequent need results in a very high price per page.
40 pages (with ~10% coverage each) seemed like a bit low for 10 ml, so I investigated and found that the printer has a ''cleaning'' process for the print-head which wastes ~40% of the ink. I would definitely call this design pretty crafty on the part of Canon. Since they sell their ink-jets cheap, they make money out of consumables like ink cartridges.
However, the good part is my grudges are limited to the colossal ink-consumption/wastage in the printer. :)
A month after I bought the printer, I heard some extra-noise from the printer roller. The customer service center immediately sent over a service representative, who tried his best to correct the fault and discovered the cause - a loose roller within. He offered to take away the printer and have it replaced. However, I had tons of printing to do at that time and declined. A week later the printer stopped working. It seems the paper-feeder motor wire had become loose and the paper feeder wasn't working because of it. The service center replaced the printer promptly with a swap machine. I expressed my surprise at their immediate decision and was informed that Canon has a no-repair-only-swap policy with regards to printers in their warranty period.
I am pleased with their efficient and courteous service, but at the back of my mind a doubt nags. What happens after my honeymoon first year with the printer is over? That is a doubt which won't go away.
That said, I would definitely recommend it to a home user with very small printing needs. The printer does a good job albeit a costly one and the service is great.
NB: The printer doesn't come with a USB cord. You need to buy one. Comes to around Rs. 55 for 3 meters of cord.
