Thread: Canon Pixma ix5000

Another entry level printer from Canon, but this time around it is an entry level A3 photo printer. This is the only A3 photo printer we received for our test, but we followed the same procedures and testing as with the rest of the printers,
using A4-size paper only.

This printer will need some desk space especially with a width of 23.6- inches. It looks pretty simple before the covers have been opened, but the rugged looks begin to show when you lift the paper loading and receiving trays. It has a very angular design, with no smooth edges. The buttons are located, facing the front. Canon has stuck with the no display and two button approach with the iX5000 as well; one button for power and the other to clear paper jams. The USB PictBridge port is located below the buttons and allows you to print straight from a compatible digital
camera without the need to connect it to a computer.

Paper is loaded through the rear tray and this Pixma can hold up to 150 sheets of plain A4 paper. The rear portion can be extended and unfolded to quite a height as it has to give support for A3 paper, the same is the case with the paper out tray which can be extended to hold A3 paper. The process of using this extension is not too smooth and the tray feels wobbly.

The Pixma iX5000 uses four print cartridges, each for the CMYK colours, and installing them is quite easy with a simple clip mechanism.

The printer also reproduced our test images with a warmer tone, similar to the iP1980 and iP2680 but not as strongly. In the first test image, there was some loss of detail, but there was no banding. The image did not show clusters of pixels as was seen with the others. Also the darker shades of black were merged.

The second test image was clear, but wasn't able to reproduce some dark shades correctly, The third image was also on the warmer side, and did not reproduce black correctly. The purple pebbles present in one scene, though differentiated, were printed out with a darker shade. There was some detail loss but not as much as with Canon's iP1980, iP2680 and iP4680.