Printers Buying Guide

Combine your digital camera with a quality printer and before you know it you'll be producing perfect photos.

Thanks to the latest digital printing advances and the range of photo paper on the market it's never been easier to get fantastic prints in a matter of seconds.

There are an array of printers and features to choose from. Many now allow you to select and print images directly from your camera or memory card. This means that you can enjoy all the benefits of digital photo printing without the need for a computer.

Look out for a printer with settings for different photo paper finishes, and those that have built-in screens to preview your prints.

Print Resolution
Meaured in DPI (dots per inch), one of the factors which determines the quality of prints. The higher the resolution, the more detailed the print.

Scanner Resolution
The higher the resolution, the greater the original detail will be captured when scanning a document or photo.

Wi Fi
A wireless connection between a computer and other devices, such as a printer. Ideal for laptop computers which are often used in a different room to a printer.

Printer speed
Measured in ppm (pages per minute), printer speed determines how fast your photos will be produced. Full colour photo prints, for example, will take longer than a printed mono document. The speed can also depend on the resolution of your printer, with higher dpi (dots per inch) taking longer.

LCD Screen
Printers with a screen enable images to be viewed and edited before printing. The larger the screen, the easier it is to view.

CD/DVD Printing
Prints text or images directly onto print-able CDs or DVDs. Great for personalising and organising images and other files kept on disc.

Built-in card reader
Enables photos to be printed straight from a memory card, without having to save them on a computer beforehand.

Consumables
A wide variety of consmables are available for your printer including ink and paper. Its a good idea to consider the types of ink cartridges you may need as costs can vary. Some Inkjet printers can have up to 8 ink cartridges for crisper colour reproduction.

What to look out for on Canon PIXMA printers

Direct Disc Printing
Prints directly onto compatible DVD, CD and Blu-Ray media, it also assists with data storage labelling and can personalise CDs for family and friends.

Quick Operation
Allows for less steps to reach frequently used modes and features, for example it now only takes two steps to print a photo from a memory card.

Quick start
Enables the PIXMA All-In-One to start operating shortly after power-on.

Memory cards and USB
Print and scan to or from USB and all popular memory cards through the built-in card slots. Photos can be printed or scanned directly form the PIXMA so you don't need a PC.

Intelligent web printing
Easy-WebPrint EX is an intelligent tool for printing from the web. It makes it simple to select and 'clip' key sections form multiple web pages before combining into a single page, so you only print what you need.

Auto Photo Fix II
Automatically removes common flaws form images by using sophisticated Face Detection and Scene Analysis technology to produce great looking photos every time.

Versatile paper handling
Enables media handling flexibility by provising an increased paper capacity or the option to have plain paper or photo paper loaded at once.

Double sided printing
Auto duplex prnting enhances versatility and convenience whilst saving paper making double sided printing easy.

Superb photolab-quality
FINE is Canon's unique printing technology at the heart of each PIXMA printer. It enables fast photo printing with superb photolab-quality thanks to microscopic ink droplets and accurate ink placements.

Single ink tanks
Single ink tanks minimise wastage as you only need to replace the specific colours that is empty.

Scanning simplicity
With Auto Scan Mode, scanning becomes a simple one-touch operation. PIXMA printers automatically recognise the type of original document being scanned and will set correct resolution accordingly.

Easy navigation of menus
The Easy-Scroll Wheel and colour display screen makes it easy for you to navigate through the feature menus. Explore advanced functions and unlock the full potential of the PIXMA All-In-One printers.

Solutions MENU EX
Provides easy access to advanced features straight form your desktop. You can even adapt the menu and customise shortcuts to suit your own needs.

Self opening tray
Great for avoiding paper jams and saving you time, PIXMA models automatically open the paper tray for paper collection.