Customer Reviews

Canon PIXMA iP8500 Photo Printer

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this printer as a replacement to a Canon i950, which I had always been very happy with. Boy, am I glad I did. Right out of the box it produced prints of an amazing quality. I printed shots on both the i950 and the Pixma ip8500, and the comparisons were enough to make me glad I spent the money for the new one. There is marked improvement in color and quality of the Pixma ip8500 prints, which in part can be attributed to the addition of the red and green ink tanks. Detail is amazing. I took some shots of caverns while hiking last weekend, and the prints are so detailed they look three dimensional. Print time is very fast, with 4 x 6's taking a matter of seconds. Set-up in XP is a breeze as well, truly plug and play. Another nice addition is the paper cassette, so you can have plain and photo paper loaded at the same time. And the print quality for text is more than acceptable, so this truly can be an all around printer, which cannot be said of most photo printers. I am thrilled with this new printer, and can't wait to go out and take some more shots. Definitely recommend.

I had previously only owned EPSON printers but decided to switch to Canon because I now use a Canon Digital Rebel digital camera, which is really great by the way. I went with this printer because I wanted to get a "really good" photo printer for once, instead of just a printer that could also print photos. This printer is really great, let me tell you. A few really cool things:
* USB AND USB2 connections, so if you have USB2 you can print blazing fast
* Dual paper input sources! Keep photo paper in one and regular paper in the other
* 8 Ink Tanks. Believe it or not, this is a good thing. Colors you've never seen!
* Borderless printing. It's true, it can print all the way to the edge of the paper.
* Fast. I printed a full color 8x10 photo in less than a minute!

I have 2 minor issues: 1. I use Mac OS X, and the installer CD that ships with the printer is very buggy. The Easy Photo Print software won't install at all. 2. What's worse, Canon doesn't offer a download of an updated, fixed version of the software.
This is not a huge issue for me, since I use iPhoto and PhotoShop for most of my printing needs, but it's still a shame.

In comparing the other PIXMA printers, I went with this one due to 8 ink tanks, which believe it or not can save on ink cost, AND print speeds. The dual paper source is really handy as well.

If you are looking for a PHOTO printer, this one rocks. If you are looking for a mid-range printer for mostly letters, receipts, emails, etc...don't waste your money on this one. This one is all about PHOTOS.

I've been searching for a good photo printer for ages. I tried an Epson and was so fed up with clogged heads (and ink consumption!) that I took it back as a defective product. The Epson PictureMate didn't last a day. (*miserable* beast of a printer!) So. I did my research. I read reviews until I needed new glasses. I took my own memory card to test printers, and I found the new love of my life! The Canon Pixma ip8500 is a *jewel* of a printer. It's the same ink/ink set/printer head as the $500 ip9900, but for $150 less.

PROS:
1) Set up was fast and easy (but come on - this no cable nonsense is getting old. Spring for the blasted cable, Canon!)
2) Right out of the box the colors were *better* than the digital processing done on Kodak paper by professional equipment.
3) 8 separate ink tanks means no more wasted ink. Cyan and magenta will be the first to go.
4) 100 pictures later - ink is still very full
5) I'm finicky, and after I've done my Photoshop work, I want the picture to print exactly as I see it - with the exception of *minimal* cropping (after some tweaks) this printer *delivers*. Gorgeous color, properly rendered. ZERO ink jet detailing in skies.
6) Prints up to 11x14, and has a tray for additional paper. Feeder holds plenty of heavyweight photo paper or card stock.
7) quiet as the grave! I often turn to look at it to see if it's working, because you can't hear it!

CONS:
1) Does not read memory cards. Must read from camera, or be hooked to computer. (but it does use USB 2.0 so is very fast)
2) Like most consumer level printers, this one doesn't do straight b&w photos well. Some images were "light b&w" and the printer interpreted this distinctly on the purple/blue side. The very darkest pictures fared better, but were still noticeably inferior to professional processing.

I can't speak highly enough about this printer. It's performance is almost without flaw (and hey, even the b&w pictures aren't *bad* they just aren't the *best*) Buy this baby and you will NOT be doing the trek to your neighborhood developer!

I bought my iP8500 to replace an older HP office type inkjet so that we could really make prints of our digital photo collection. With previous printers that I have used, there were always complications in getting a good print from the computer: Choosing the right paper, getting all the printer settings right, making sure the print heads were full and clean, etc. More often than not, the results were dissapointing and nowhere near comparable with a real photo print from the store. With the iP8500 now it seems that it would be difficult to get a bad printout,.

My setup is Mac OS X, using iPhoto for general organizing and quick printing, and PhotoShop CS for RAW work and more advanced editing. My cameras are a Canon S45 for everyday use, and a 20D for photographic hobbyist dabbling.

I had no problems installing the software, and the OS X drivers really do make it easy to select the right paper type and print mode settings. I tried the included Easy-PhotoPrint software and it truly is easy, but doesn't add much functionality over iPhoto.

When printing using any app, one thing that you have to remember to do first is select the printer and paper size from the Page Setup dialog, which includes the borderless paper sizes. And, a handy feature not often mentioned is that the printer will print duplex (both sides of the sheet) if you enable it in the Print dialog--good for regular office printing to save paper.

I went through our backlog of photos and printed a bunch of 4x6s on both the glossy and the semi gloss plus paper using just iPhoto. The process was extremely easy: put a stack of 4x6 photo paper in the top feeder. Select the paper size in the page setup. Select the paper type and source (top). Make sure that you select the correct paper type, as this determines the correct ink amount and print speed for the paper surface. Each print then takes about 20-30 seconds, and really does look like a real photo print.

The printer's paper handling is very solid--always grabbing exactly one photo paper sheet, printing straight, and never jamming. It also seems to do a self-cleaning of the print heads after each print job (the source of the clunking sounds) which reduces the maintanance work required. I've only once had to run a sheet of plain paper through it to clean up a little black streak.

I would definitely recommend this printer as an excellent combo home office + photo printer. As other reviewers point out, if you don't print photos, then this printer is overkill. But, its dual paper source and duplex printing make it great office printer too, saving you from having to have two printers.

I had some minor problems with my previous Canon S800 printer, mostly in handling thicker paper (business card stock) so decided to upgrade. I knew I wanted a Canon printer and my choice came down to the iP5000 or the iP8500. I spent a lot of time searching the internet for reviews and talking to Canon tech reps. I got a lot of information but it still left me in a quantry, still between the same two printers.

I think the information I found will be helpful to everyone who's goal is to find the best photo printer. The iP5000 is being pushed by Canon (rightfully so) as new technology, which focuses mainly on the small droplet size of the ink heads (1 Picoliter). The smaller the droplet size the better is the resolution (definition). Although the iP8500 has a 2 Picoliter droplet size, it has 2 additional ink cartridges-red & Green, which just happen to be primary colors. As Canon noted, this gives you an almost infinite range of colors allowing for "true-to-life" color.

My deciding factor was the droplet size of my current S800 -- it is 4 Picoliter. By buying the 8500, I decrease the droplet size, increasing my photo definition 200% and I added a broad range of colors to produce more accurate colors.

But these are just numbers. What was I really going to see and would I appreciate the difference. The answer is a resounding YES!!!!!

I had a picture of an Egret next to a pond. The 8500 changed the color of the water to the truer color as defined by my 19" flat screen monitor. The rocks along the edge of the pound on the S800 photo seemed blurred as if caused by the depth of field while the 8500 photo showed the rocks clear as crystal showing their rough edges.

Another photo of a brilliant California early morning red sky(actually more orange), which I always thought was a brilliant picture paled in comparison to the bright, vivid colors from the 8500.

A comment on the StevesDigicam website on this subject said: "...the iP8500 prints show a visibly wider color gamut than those printed with 6 or 5 color photo printers. Noticeably more vibrant are the reds and greens and the ability to reproduce varying shades of orange that prove difficult to impossible on the other inkjet printers".

Bottom Line: If you're an avid photographer and want your prints to accurately represent the quality of your photo equipment (I have a digital Rebel), I highly recommend the Canon iP8500.

I hope this information is helpful to your selection.

This is a replacement for a dedicated dye sublimation photo printer (HiTi PhotoShuttle), which I overall liked but had lots of problems with, including jammed and melted film/toner. I also wanted to print letter size docs and pictures eventually (the HiTi, like most home dye-subs, only allows 4x6 formats).

The output of the Canon, even compared to the excellent dye-sub prints, is without a doubt superior, with far more vivid colors. I can't imagine photo printing getting much better than this for a home setup. On Canon Photo Pro paper the end result, finish, gloss, is identical to better than a photo lab or dye sublimation printout, I can't believe this came out of an inkjet! And, it prints about 3 times as fast as my "4-pass" dye-sub, which until the ip8500 I thought was very fast.

The software provided is stable on my Win XP system and includes easy to use utilities (althoough I prefer to use Photoshop for editing), the ink tank monitor is especially useful. I tried the "PicBridge" feature with my Canon G6 camera and it works like a charm. I usually manipulate and crop my photos before printing, but it's nice to know the feature is there for quick printouts without a computer.

Finally, the printer is sleek. When not in use, it looks somewhat like a high-end home theater component. The cassette paper feed below the unit actually allows you to stack stuff above it without ever feeding paper from the top, if overhead clearance is a concern, or you can use both paths to keep two different size papers loaded at all times, switching between them at the touch of a button or via software. Very clever.

The inks seem cheap compared to my "old" HP multifunction I use at work, and while Canon's best photo paper is very expensive, it is worth every penny for the results it yields. The ip8500 is on the expensive side for a home user, but you can get it for around 300 bucks delivered, by searching online a bit. Can't comment on its reliability yet, this is my first Canon printer, but I have always had luck with other Canon products and expect this machine to be just as reliable as my many Canon digicams I have owned. I am very satisfied.

I ordered this printer after seeing a co-worker's photos from his older model Canon. I currently have an HP Photosmart, and have been relatively happy. But after seeing my co-worker's pictures, I decided to look into these Canon printers. After researching the different models, I decided on the 8500, due to the 8 ink tanks and advanced speeds. My husband was very skeptical since there is nothing wrong with our HP 1315, and felt it was unnecessary to buy a new printer. Nevertheless, there was no talking me out of it! Well, he and I just hooked up the Canon 8500 and printed out a 4 x 6 and we both went into shock. It is AMAZING! My husband said, "Are you kidding me???" when he saw the picture. He said, "Let's go show your dad" and ran downstairs. My dad, who is very selective with his photos said, "Now that is quite impressive!" Honestly, it looks like it was printed at a professional photo lab.

Other than the outstanding picture quality, I think it's very easy to use, and is quieter than the HP. I also printed out a few text only pages and they were great too.

I can't imagine anyone being disappointed in this printer. It's an A+

I have only had my ip8500 for a couple days but I already love it and am convinced it is one of the best printers on the market. I have previously been an HP printer person. But, no more wasting ink when one color was gone and the whole cartridge had to be replaced. Besides, with the 8 different colors the results are nothing short of amazing. When I took some of my photos to work they were amazed that they did not come from a lab, even though they know I am a confirmed at-home printer. I redid pictures that I had previously done on my HP and there was an obvious improvement in the color - much more accurate. I love the dual paper feeds, it is nice to not have to pull regular paper out to put photo paper in. The setup was simple - I have Windows XP - and in no time I was printing beautiful photographs. If you have the extra money, I would highly recommend this printer. But I suspect the lower priced models of the PIXMA group are probably almost as good, just not as many colors or ink jets. You won't go wrong with this Canon product.

I bought this as a replacement for a HP PhotoSmart P1000, purchased 3 years ago. I was generally satisfied with the HP but the ink consumption and lack of top-notch (meaning real photo) output was what prompted me to start looking at the new offerings.
I did check out the HP models first but decided upon the Pixma 8500 based upon the excellent print features (8 ink tanks, high speed printing, 2 paper feeds, etc).

Installed it last night in <15 minutes and had the first photo printed in < 17. Quality is simply outstanding. I compared the results of several digital photos I had sent to the local photo lab for prints and the results from this printer and I preferred the Pixma's results.

Fast, fast printing of a 4x6, <30 seconds was amazing. I was used to > 2 min with the HP. Brought several into work today and my colleagues cannot believe they came from a home printer.

Pros: fast and high quality photos and easily replaceable ink cartridges add up to a great package.

Cons: Price is > $300, those ink cartridges are $12 a piece, a bit heavy and shakes the table when in use

As many other reviews both here on Amazon and elsewhere attest, this is an incredible printer. The photos are amazing and the printer is really fast. Unlike previous printers where you more or less went and did something else while waiting for a print-out, you can just hit print and see the photo shooting out of the printer. It is also amazingly quiet. You literally cant hear the printer at work...

However, I do feel that the printer puts a little too much magenta in its output. A few (and only a small percentage) appeared to be redder than what was on screen or what is natural. I have read that this can corrected by not selecting vivid in the options while printing, but I have not tried it yet. This is perhaps the reason for the four stars (I would have given it a 4.5 if Amazon let me).

Finally, I have tried both the Canon Photo Paper Pro (their best) and the Konica Glossy Photo Paper (professional weight) and the Konica paper is way better. The colors are so much better than the Canon's and I doubt I will ever use the Canon paper again. You should really try the Konica paper with this printer (and perhaps with other brands as well). Best of all, its cheaper and heavier than the Canon paper...