Summary: Get this printer!
Comment: Get this printer if you're in the market for a printer that will handle text documents efficiently as well as print top quality photographs,(...).
I printed out a borderless photo on the supplied sample of 4 x 6 paper and the quality is unbelievable. Just simply stunning.
And even web pages and text documents on plain paper at the "standard" setting look good enough to eat.
I bought this to replace a two year old Epson C80 whose black ink nozzle had become irreparably clogged. The eventual clogging of these Epson inkjets is a widely reported problem. Whether using generic inks (I used Carrot Ink cartridges) contributes to this or not, I don't know, but it's moot anyway, since Epson ink cartridges were so outrageously expensive, I couldn't have used the printer without using cheaper generic inks.
The Canon is one of the most satisfying hardware purchases I've made.
Other advantages:
It handles text quickly and beautifully.
It has a 5 cartridge ink system with separate blacks for text and photo and the Canon cartridges are affordable.
It's unbelievably quiet, especially in--yes--"quiet mode" (which does reduce printing speed a little (not noticeably to me).
The photo paper tray for 4 x 6 sheets works great.
The print head can be replaced.
Additional advantages if you're a Mac user:
It will work wirelessly with an Airport Extreme Base Station and it works beautifully with OS 10.3 (Panther).
Disadvantages:
Yes, there is no USB cable. I guess I can understand this, since most inkjet printers can't be repaired, and have to be disposed of, so I guess Canon figures you'll have a USB cable sitting around.
Yes, you have to install the print head, and I was a little fearful snapping it in but I had no problems.
And yes, you have to align the print head, but you can do an automatic alignment using the printer utility software.
For Mac users, at least, don't waste time installing the printer driver from the CD, as it is out of date. Download the latest driver from the Canon website. And be sure to repair permissions after installing the driver, as many of them were out of whack after the driver installation.
All in all, this is one of the most satisfying hardware purchases I've made.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great printer
Comment: I can only echo what other have written. Photos are beautiful, text comes out fast and looks sharp, and the printer is quiet. A superior upgrade/replacement for my aging Epson 900 color. The i860 is so much better that I haven't been able to resist using it, even though I had planned to continue using the Epson 900 until my supply of its ink cartridges was exhausted.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Major disappointment
Comment: I purchased the Canon i860 based on the superior reviews. It was to replace an Epson 600 that was still functioning well. After years of heavy use, photos were not as good as I would have liked.
I uninstalled the Epson software and disconnected it. Installation of the Canon was easy. It does an adequate job of printing. I have not been able to get it to function as a shared printer. Reinstalling has not helped. The Canon will print a test page from the remote computers then freeze the computer upon subsequent attempts to send a print job to the computer from which the Canon is shared. I am at a loss to understand why the much newer Canon will not work as well as the older Epson. It will not work as a shared printer, so I have lost the print capability on two of my computers. This rating is based on the product being able to do at least what it is replacing.
I now have better photos but lost the printer support to two of my computers. This was not a good tradeoff. I would reconnect the Epson if I had a place to put it. I wish the reviews had addressed the ability of the Canon to be used as a shared printer. I will be shopping for another printer and it will not be a Canon.
Canon tech support has informed me that since the Canon is part of a network configuration, it is not their problem. Canon tech support indicated that I should contact the vendor for the router and PC, both of which have worked well in conjunction with old Epson for years. This is another case of a product vendor passing the buck. I suspect there is a way to get this work but it is obvious Canon has neither the technical expertise nor inclination to figure it out.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Compromise at a Cost
Comment: I was previously using a HP 895sce printer for text and HP 230 Photosmart printer for 4x6 color photo prints and was happy with the results. The photo printer died after one year and required a total replacement (HP said they could not repair it). I decided to ditch HP at that point and was atttracted by the promise of an all in one printer that could do text and 4x6 photos in one machine with the twist of a knob. It does work but the results have been disappointing. The text is slightly brown and not as sharp as the black lettering from my HP. The photo printing is good but the HP dedicated printer gave excellent results. The photo printing interface is cruder and has fewer options than the HP drivers which I miss. Overall the printer is more cheaply built and has interminable wait times as it cycles on and off and realigns while you wait for it to start printing a single page. In all the printer does a fair job, but I would not use it for professional prints. I hope Canon's customer service is not as bad as HP which drove me to switch brands in the first place.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great text printer, too
Comment: I concur with all the other bright reviews of this product. All I can add is that it is a great text printer, too. I had an old laser printer (Okidata 6e) that was easily the oldest computer component that I still used (6+ years!) But its print quality was declining, and it was starting to jam regularly.
I was skeptical of inkjets because I thought they would be slow for text printing, which is mostly what I do, and I was afraid the print quality would be poorer than a laser. But I went ahead and tried this printer, and I am glad I did. It actually is faster than my old laser. Not only does it print pages faster, but it also does not require time to warm up. You tell it to print, and instantly, off it goes. The print quality is on par with the laser, too.
So now I have a great text printer like my old laser, and I can print color to boot. This is a very good deal.