Canon iP3600 Inkjet Photo Printer

5 comments

1. 

   P. Dixon on December 19, 2009 at 2:28 am

   I read all the reviews on this printer and decided it would be a good choice for me. I ordered it new from the Amazon supplier on 6/9. It was shipped 6/11 and just arrived tonight, 6/17. It seems like a long time to me but maybe that’s cuz i was waiting for it.

   BUT, I haven’t even opened it yet and am having doubts. I have a MacBook with Leopard and saw that someone posted that it was a breeze setting it up with OS X. The one i received only has a cd up to OS 9 so i went to the Canon site to see about downloading the OS X version. There are is WARNING about incompatibility with OS X. (Product Advisories: Reports of Smoke from Inkjet Printers Service Notice: ZoomAlbum Software Incompatibility Using Mac OS X ([...])

   UPDATE: 9-17-09
   
   I did contact Canon and got some info which helped me feel okay about the printer. However, i don’t like it anymore than i did, maybe less, and would undoubtedly lower my rating if i could. It is noisy and definitely seems complex to deal with. I might be adversely influenced by the fact that i loved my first Pixma. However, this seems to me to be sensitive and have problems easily, even if i’ve just loaded new paper. I wouldn’t buy it again although i would try a higher quality Pixma i think.

2. 

   Pat McG on December 19, 2009 at 3:37 am

   We were disappointed that the printer wouldn’t paper feed. (This happened on a newer version Canon I had.) I bought this for my 91 year old computer savy mother. Big disappointment! I paid someone to install it for her, but the printer didn’t work. Buying this as a gift makes returns a nightmare. We’re wondering how we get the return label printed out and the box back to Amazon. I like Canon’s so I’m ordering another one to replace this one. BUT, if this was turns out bogus that’s it for me with Canons.

3. 

   G. Ross on December 19, 2009 at 6:14 am

   Another lemon for me. After dumping my Lexmark X7170 and Kodak ESP5 printers for various problems, I decided to try Canon b/c of the great reputation Canon has. Big mistake. First, unpacking is a bear. The instructions are broken up into 1 main manual, and multiple smaller quick-start type of instructions. These quick-start things are everywhere. Just when you think you are done, you find another taped into the most obscure places. Also, Canon puts orange tape strips on them, so that you shred the instructions taking the tape off. The good things are, that b/c this is only a printer, and not a scanner/copier/fax, it’s small and lightweight. It’s also less complicated to use. Once you install the software, it leads you thru the process of printing a picture in clear, concise step by step instructions. Select print, and it brings up your picture folder, than guides you thru selecting picture size, fixing problems, selecting borders, etc. Very intuitive, especially for the novice. I like that it has 2 paper trays, so you don’t have to keep swapping photo and type paper. Other good things are the 5 separate ink tanks. Now, when one ink tank dries up, you only need to replace one, not the entire thing. This makes printing cheaper. There are also 2 black ink tanks, which is good b/c it’s the most commonly used. This goes along w/Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. Unfortunately, the tanks are chipped, which means you can’t use any sort of generic tank, only Canon. The printer ships w/some 4×6 photo paper, and that’s it. You will need a USB cable b/c it’s not included. The cheap price also means no lcd screen, so it’s tougher to set-up, and diagnose etc. There are 2 buttons on the front, a power button, and another button that I have no idea what it does. Nowhere in the manual or anywhere else, is this explained. Pushing it does seemingly nothing. What it does do, is indicate why this printer gets 1 star. It was doa. I got the software loaded, the printer set-up, and everything else done. After doing this, the button started flashing orange. I assumed(correctly) that it was an error button. But, w/no lcd screen to tell me what’s wrong, I had to look up in the manual. The manual tells you to count the flashes, and that’s your error message. This isn’t available w/the included software as far as I could see, so don’t lose the manual! Anyway, I counted 12 flashes. Problem, no listing of 12 flashes in the manual! It jumped from 9 to 13. I had to try and print a picture, so that it would tell me what was wrong. When I did, it gave me the error message of 6a80(google it, it seems to be common for Canon printers). It suggested I turn off, and restart the printer. If that doesn’t work, consult the (useless) manual. After I googled the code, I discovered it was from 12 flashes(again, not in the manual, and it points to a defective print-head. I noticed the print head was not returning to it’s position in the printer. Nothing I tried worked, the head just stayed in the center, and refused to return to the right. There is no quick fix to this from what I could find online. Since I am not about to buy a new printhead for a brand new printer, I will be returning this asap. Now I have to figure out another printer brand I haven’t tried yet.

4. 

   William L. Payte on December 19, 2009 at 7:07 am

   Well worth every cent you pay. By far the most bang for the buck. Easy to use and set up. Will not take up alot of space and it looks good to. It won’t let you down!

5. 

   C. Mills on December 19, 2009 at 7:38 am

   I bought this printer to use for text only and it prints out beautifully.I may use for photos at some point and time but the price point on this is excellent for whatever your needs.I’m very satisfied with my purchase.