Photo Printers: Canon PIXMA iP4000 vs iP6000

[jeff]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

I am in the market for a new photo printer and have narrowed the choice
down to a pair of Canon PIXMA printers, the iP4000 and the iP6000.
Although the iP6000 has an LCD display and card slots, I probably won't
use them. So the ultimate decision comes down to photo quality. (The
printer will be primarily for photos, although I will use it to print
some text that does not need to be of any great quality.)

The iP4000 has 4 colors, while the iP6000 has 6 colors (additional
Photo-Cyan and Photo-Magenta). So, I was wondering if anyone had
compared the quality of the two printers. Is there any significant
difference in quality between the two? Do the additional colors help?
Do the additional colors increase or decrease the cost of ink?
Thanks for any help,
Jeff

 

[ken]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Jeff" <jeffbachovchin@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> The iP4000 has 4 colors, while the iP6000 has 6 colors (additional
> Photo-Cyan and Photo-Magenta). So, I was wondering if anyone had
> compared the quality of the two printers. Is there any significant
> difference in quality between the two? Do the additional colors help?

I purchase the iP6000D a couple of weeks ago after comparing prints
from both at the store I purchased it from. My comparison was purely
subjective but I felt that the color dynamics were better on the 6000
and noticably less grainy. It is my opinion that the extra colors do help
and the minor price difference between the two models make the 6000
reasonably more attractive than the 4000 model. I am very satisfied with
my purchase.

> Do the additional colors increase or decrease the cost of ink?

For a cost study on a 6 ink Canon printer you might find this i900D review useful -
http/www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/i900d.html

 

[jeff]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Ken, Thanks for the advice. The cost info was very helpful. I was
leaning toward the 6000 and it sounds like it would be a good choice.

Thanks again,
Jeff

Ken wrote:
> "Jeff" <jeffbachovchin@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> > The iP4000 has 4 colors, while the iP6000 has 6 colors (additional
> > Photo-Cyan and Photo-Magenta). So, I was wondering if anyone had
> > compared the quality of the two printers. Is there any significant
> > difference in quality between the two? Do the additional colors
help?
>
> I purchase the iP6000D a couple of weeks ago after comparing prints
> from both at the store I purchased it from. My comparison was purely
> subjective but I felt that the color dynamics were better on the 6000
> and noticably less grainy. It is my opinion that the extra colors do
help
> and the minor price difference between the two models make the 6000
> reasonably more attractive than the 4000 model. I am very satisfied
with
> my purchase.
>
> > Do the additional colors increase or decrease the cost of ink?
>
> For a cost study on a 6 ink Canon printer you might find this i900D
review useful -
> http/www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/i900d.html

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On 29 Dec 2004 12:45:35 -0800, "Jeff" <jeffbachovchin@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>Do the additional colors increase or decrease the cost of ink?

Jeff,

one would first think that the additional colors cannot increase
total ink cost, but they do, a bit. One reason is that the
printer can and does print more than one color into one pixel,
and the extra, light colors make it possible to mix more of
them.

Another is that the printer regularly cleans the print head and
ink transport tubing by squirting some ink from each container
into its waste sink. More ink containers mean more wasted ink.
This effect is more pronounced when you print less.

But altogether these effects are not very big. If you want the
extra photo inks, go for the better printer. They improve
lightly colored areas by having to use less dithering.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Hans-Georg Michna commented courteously ...
>
>>Do the additional colors increase or decrease the cost
of
>>ink?
>
> Jeff,
>
> one would first think that the additional colors cannot
> increase total ink cost, but they do, a bit. One reason
is
> that the printer can and does print more than one color
> into one pixel

[snip]

Definitely, Hans. And, a printer has to convert from RGB
to CMYK, to which there is no exact conversion, hence
differences from one printer to another on the same pic
(diff inks, also).

All printers dither to fool the eye into thinking there
are 16.7 million colors when there are really only 4
(Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, unless the printer
makes its own black).

> But altogether these effects are not very big. If you
want
> the extra photo inks, go for the better printer. They
> improve lightly colored areas by having to use less
> dithering.

When I have a choice in printers, given other factors such
as quality, speed, paper size, etc., I go with the
manufacurer that offers a cartridge for each color. This
often varies with different models from the same
manufacturer, as well.

Over the years, that has proven most economical for me
because, depending on the darkness/lightness and color
balance of the printer, I always seem to "eat" either the
black cartridge or the CMY cartridge prematurely.

But, I wouldn't let the number of ink cartridges get in
the way of my purchasing judgement. The other factors
affecting the purchase of a printer, price included, are a
lot more important unless you are on a very limited ink
budget.

--
ATM, aka Jerry Rivers

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm!" -
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately
explained by stupidity!" - Hanlon's Razor

Delete the reverse SPAM to reply by E-mail

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 10:16:09 -0600, All Things Mopar
<usenetMAPS123@comcast.net> wrote:

>But, I wouldn't let the number of ink cartridges get in
>the way of my purchasing judgement. The other factors
>affecting the purchase of a printer, price included, are a
>lot more important unless you are on a very limited ink
>budget.

ATM,

I agree, with a small qualification. Total price seems to
consist of a lot more ink money than printer money. And the
Canon printers with separate ink tanks seem to be the most
economical ones.

I recently bought a Canon PIXMA iP3000 and am very happy with
it. The thing costs barely more than $120 or so. In other words,
I could throw it away and buy a new one every year or every
other year.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

One other question for anyone who has the 6000... how does the
direct-from-card printing rate compared to printing from the computer?
I've played with an HP that had a direct-from-card function, built-in
LCD and such, and computer prints were a lot cleaner than "internal"
prints of the same images...