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CNET editors' rating:
3.5
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 12 reviews
- See all user reviews
Product summary
The
good: Fast and quiet; prints high-quality text and graphics; well-rounded software bundle; very compact; great instructions.
The
bad: Unimpressive photo printouts; USB cable not included; battery and cradle costs make it expensive; high ink cost.
The
bottom
line: Canon's i70 provides the best, and most expensive, marriage of speed, design, and print quality that we've seen in a portable printer.
Specifications: Printer Type: Photo printer - Ink-jet - Color ; Max media size: Legal (8.5 in x 14 in) , A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in) ; Connectivity technology: Wired , Wireless ; See full specs
Price range: $225.00
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 03/12/2003
- Updated on: 03/20/2003
- Released on: 02/27/2003
 Lilliputian inkjet. |
 Vital add-ons cost a bundle. |
To accommodate those who print a lot while on the go, the i70 lets you buy and attach a few useful accessories. The Portable Kit (add around $90), which consists of a lithium-ion battery and a battery holder that attaches easily to the back of the printer, unchains the printer from wall outlets. Even with this kit, the i70 is still compact and light enough to easily slip into most any briefcase or tote bag. Alternatively, you can purchase the Cradle Kit for another $140, which includes the Portable Kit and a charging cradle that adds convenience to the charging. With the extra expense, however, the i70 is among the most costly portable inkjets that CNET has reviewed.
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 IR port for wireless connections. |
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The printer connects to your PC or Mac via a USB port and works with Windows 98/Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later. Unfortunately, you won't find the much needed USB cable in the box, so you'll have to purchase that yourself. A bonus for Windows users: If your PC supports infrared, you can also connect to the i70 wirelessly through its built-in IrDA port.
In spite of its size, the printer ships with high-end features once found only in Canon's flagship inkjets, such as the i850. First off, the i70 can print high-resolution photos up to 4,800x1,200dpi, presently the highest setting for consumer printers. This printer also has the ability to produce true borderless photo prints in various sizes, including 4x6 inches, 5x7 inches, and 8.5x11 inches.
Travelers will particularly appreciate the i70's camera port for Bubble Jet Direct printing, which enables you to print directly from a number of Canon digital cameras without a computer go-between. Since the i70 has no LCD panel, however, you must rely on your camera's setting options to decide how you want your picture to come out. If you use SmartMedia to expand your camera's storage capacity, however, you may be out of luck; the i70 doesn't have a SmartMedia port for printing from those cards.
Camera port for PC-free printing. |
 Itty-bitty ink cartridges. |
The i70 uses advanced MicroFine Droplet Technology, which combines microscopic ink droplets and a precision nozzle to enhance the printout quality and optimize ink consumption. In our tests, this technology seemed to produce the intended effect, as far as text and graphics were concerned.
The printer also ships with a generous packet of print-related and photo-processing software, including ZoomBrowser Ex and PhotoRecord (Windows) for managing your photos. Easy-WebPrint and Easy-PhotoPrint (Windows) simplify and enhance the process of printing either photos or Web pages. PhotoStitch for both Windows and Mac links photos to create panoramic shots. ImageBrowser (Mac) is basically the Mac version of ZoomBrowser.
Quite frankly, the i70's performance floored the CNET Labs testers. The printer pumped out 7.5 pages of text per minute--only 0.09 second slower than the all-time speed champion, Lexmark J110-usb, a business-class inkjet from 2001, but nearly 6 seconds faster than its direct competitor, the HP Deskjet 450cbi. Furthermore, the i70 printed an 8.5x11-inch photo in 2.79 minutes, definitely above the average speed.
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Inkjet printer text speed Pages per minute (longer bars indicate better performance) | ||||
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Inkjet printer color photo speed Minutes to print a color photograph (shorter bars indicate better performance) | ||||
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But the i70 isn't just fast, it also excels in text and graphics print quality. On plain paper, text looked sharp with just a little fuzziness here and there with small fonts. Plain-paper graphics appeared bright and detailed, with only a bit of random fading on some of the images. When we switched to Canon's recommended high-resolution inkjet paper, both text and graphics improved in quality. Neither was perfect, naturally; we could still pick out some hairy letters.
Inkjet printer quality
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On the other hand, the photo prints were not as impressive in our tests. Excellent color matching was overshadowed by the soft focus and the grainy texture. But, considering the size of the printer and the fact that the i70 isn't marketed as a photo printer, the picture quality is acceptable.
The i70 comes with Canon's one-year limited warranty and the company's InstantExchange policy, which entitles you to receive a replacement by the next business day. Once the new printer arrives, you'll have 10 days to return the defective unit in the replacement's shipping materials. Under the warranty, you can contact Canon's free, phone tech support Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. We tried the 800 number and, after less than three minutes, reached a technician who was helpful and knowledgeable. At Canon's Web site, you can download updated drivers, user guides, read FAQs, and search for troubleshooting solution in a well-organized knowledge base.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 12 reviews
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Where to buy
i70 Color Bubble Jet Printer:
$225.00
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$225.00 | Yes |
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