The entry-level inkjet printer with affordable prices and good technical specifications for this class of devices is the Canon IP1800. It is about him that will be discussed later: the features of his software, characteristics and reviews of the owners will be examined in detail.
Market segment
As noted earlier, Canon IP1800 belongs to the budget class products. CISS in this case is missing in the initial configuration. The list of interfaces is minimal, and the performance is really modest. As a result, the scope of use of such a printer is limited only to small offices with the number of personal computers of 5-7 pieces or home conditions. For something more, the hero of this review is not designed by default.
Equipment
Certain comments on the configuration of this model of printer. It includes the following:
This list certainly lacks one important component, without which it will not be possible to use this printing device for its intended purpose. This is an interface cord. It will have to be purchased separately by the new owner of this printer.
Technological nuances
Inkjet thermal printing is at the heart of the Canon IP1800. This printer model is refilled with four different colors of ink. In this case, the main color is black, based on pigment technology, and it is used mainly when outputting a document or picture in monochrome mode. The other three colors are magenta, yellow, and blue. In this case, the ink is made using various dyes. It is by combining the four previously given colors that the image is formed during the printing process.
Cartridges
For the installation of only two cartridges designed Canon IP1800. Cartridges of the PG-37 or PG-40 models can be installed in the slot for supplying black ink. In the basic configuration is the first of them with a reduced print resource. The second is recommended to be purchased as a replacement and it has an increased capacity. The situation is the same with color cartridges. Their models are CL-38 and CL-41. The first is initially included in the package, and the second has a larger volume and longer resource.
Communication list
The Canon IP1800 is equipped with a very, very modest communication kit. It includes only one single wired USB 2.0 revision interface. In practice, such a printer can be quite successfully connected to all other specifications of this data transfer method. That is, to the versions of "YUSB" with numbers 1.0, 1.1, 3.0 and even 3.1. In all these cases, the IP1800 should work quite well.
Resolution Specifications
A rather interesting situation in this case is the resolution of printed documents. The manufacturer himself indicates that both images and pictures, and ordinary documents are displayed in the same format - 4800 x 1200. But if in the case of a color image, photograph or picture such detail is justified, then in the case of monochrome printing this is completely wrong. In the latter case, it will be a more practical solution to reduce the resolution of the document to 1200 x 1200. This will also reduce ink consumption and increase the speed of the printing device. Moreover, at the software level, such an opportunity exists.
Page sizes
The output of documentation or images on A4 sheets was “sharpened” primarily by the Canon Pixma IP1800. The cartridge, the printer itself and its software allow printing on such a sheet without borders. Also in the list of supported formats there are photographs with sizes of 15 x 10, 18 x 10, 18 x 13 and even 25 x 20. As in the previous case, printing on such formats is also performed without borders. This device can also output on paper with the size of a credit card.
Printer speed
In black and white printing, this entry-level printer can produce 22 pages per minute. A slightly more modest performance in case of printing in color. In this case, you can count on 16 pages in the same minute. When printing photos in the highest possible quality, it takes about 70 seconds to get one paper copy in this case. Her dimensions will be 15 x 10.
Software nuances
The Canon IP1800 is designed to be used in conjunction with two software platforms. One of them is Windows, developed by Microsoft. In this case, there are drivers for 2000 Server, XP and Vista. An alternative version of system software is MacOS. Its version should not be lower than 10.2.8, but not higher than 10.4. All other operating systems will not be able to fully work with this printer model due to the lack of necessary drivers.
CISS
As noted earlier, the initial configuration of this peripheral device does not provide for an NPS system. But the problem of its absence can be solved quite simply by installing an external such component. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account one important nuance that concerns the operation of the Canon IP1800: in this case, cartridges are better to use already with increased capacity. They have an increased resource, and this allows you to count on a longer service life. The cost of one print is also significantly reduced when equipped with a similar Canon IP1800 system. CISS, installing and configuring it is not such a complicated operation, and every user can handle it.
Owners of a similar print subsystem
For the successful and economically viable operation of this budget printer, it is imperative to equip it with an NPS system. Everything else already has this printer initially. This speed and acceptable print quality, and support for the most common and popular paper sizes. The only negative is the expensive supplies and cartridges. But it is the installation of the NPS system that solves this problem in its entirety. This is exactly what the owners' reviews about this printing device all over the Internet indicate. Conditionally, a modest list of supported system software can also be attributed to shortcomings, but this is no longer the problem of this particular device, but rather the majority of manufacturers of such products, which simply ignore alternative software, which is becoming more widespread every day.
Summary
That turned out to be the almost perfect Canon IP1800 solution for both small offices and home. The only important point in this case is the retrofitting of its NPS system. It is its use that can significantly reduce the cost of one print and make it economically viable to use such a peripheral device at a budget level.