Canon iP4920 Ink
PIXMA iP4920 Ink Cartridges

Canon iP4920 Printer Review

The printing industry has evolved into a market dominated by all-in-one units that can perform a variety of office-friendly tasks, which is what makes the single-purpose Canon PIXMA iP4920 so unique. This machine was specifically designed for home users and specializes in printing vivid, long-lasting pictures. In fact, a 4x6-inch borderless photo can be produced in as little as 20 seconds. If printing documents other than pictures, up to 12.5 black-and-white pages and 9.3 color pages can be generated each minute. Though this is not the fastest inkjet printer on the market, the quality the iP4920 can achieve is worth the wait.

Users can connect to a computer using either Mac or Windows operating systems via the USB port located on the back of the machine. A front-loading USB host port can be used to transfer images or documents from a thumb drive or a digital camera. Additionally, the iP4920 is Energy Star compliant, meaning it meets environmental requirements for reduced energy consumption.

There are 512 nozzles used to apply the black Canon iP4920 ink and 4,096 nozzles used to apply the cyan, magenta, and yellow printer ink. Drop-on-demand technology requires these nozzles to eject tiny droplets of PIXMA iP4920 ink, layering on each inch of paper to create true-to-life detail. Though the true resolution is 600x600 dpi, the optimized resolution is 9600x2400 dpi, which is rather impressive, and gives the appearance of much more detailed output.

Five Canon iP4920 ink cartridges are used during operation, whereas most units only use four. Special pigment-based black printer ink is added to the traditional, dye-based black, yellow, cyan, and magenta supplies. The pigment-based black PIXMA iP4920 ink cartridge can yield up to 340 pages and is designed specifically for creating sharp, clear text documents. The color supplies can yield up to 510 pages, while the dye-based black supply can yield about 450 pages. To reduce overall operation costs, compatible Canon iP4920 ink is available from third-party vendors.

Compact and light in weight, the iP4920 will not take up much space in the home office and is known for being quite easy to install. The 150-sheet input tray that flips up from the top supports a variety of media types, including photo paper, glossy paper, and envelopes. There is an additional cassette tray on the bottom of the device that also holds 150 sheets, bringing the paper capacity to 300 sheets. Also, the iP4920 has the ability to print on CDs and DVDs.

One of the finest models in a fading breed of single-purpose inkjet printers, the Canon PIXMA iP4920 is a family's dream. It can produce beautiful pictures with accuracy and affordably, though the speed will be limiting to an office environment.