Canon i550 Color Bubble Jet Printer

by Canon

Product Details

Product Manual [2.24mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 10.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 8 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00006CBDW
• Item model number: i550
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 23, 2002

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

127 of 129 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one is a "No-Brainer"! An inexpensive MUST BUY!!, October 28, 2002

By 

Douglas A. Raggio (Wenonah, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon i550 Color Bubble Jet Printer (Office Product)

I bought this printer for basic home use because it was highly rated by PC Magazine. A lot of internet research was performed as well (about 2 weeks worth). I debated between the Canon i850 and the i550...The only discernable difference between the two was print speed. This was confirmed on Canon's website. I am very impressed with its photo printing. Since we went all digital photography at our house, my wife kept complaining about not being able to get a good quality print. PROBLEM SOLVED!! It prints a beautiful, 4x6 borderless photo in no time at all! It would take a magnifying glass to distinguish it from a professionally developed photo. 4x6 glossy photo paper is only 15-20 cents a sheet. The individual tanks, and ink cost was the deciding factor as well. The cost of the Canon ink replacements vs. the other leading brands is a no-brainer. I had my last Canon for 4 years before I decided to upgrade to the newer technology. Bottom line - great printer, great photos, great price.

PS-The text printed by the i550 is laser quality, just in case you need to actually use it as a "regular" printer:)

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only choice, October 29, 2002

By 

Athair (Platte City, MO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Canon i550 Color Bubble Jet Printer (Office Product)

HP has let quality seriously slip, and Epson thinks the printer future is with cameras and not computers. So the perennial also-ran, Canon, has stepped in with this worthy successor to the S750.

The i550 is no great breakthrough product. Inkjet printers have become settled commodity items. And they are becoming very cheap. So the question is whether quality has suffered. For the i550, the answer is no. The ink comes in individual tanks for economy and has been reformulated so as not to fade. Speed is comparable to older Canon models and is faster in every mode than most Epsons and HPs. It is interesting that draft mode shows little degradation from standard mode for text and graphics but is noticably faster still and will be the setting of choice for all internal documents. But neither will you be ashamed to send anyhting you print in standard mode out into the world. The type seems crisp and black and the colors are true, at least to my eye.

This is not a photo printer, but to I think it produces pictures as good as any printer(assuming the right paper -- I used the samples from Canon), though real purists may want to invest more for a real photo printer if that is your main use. This is an office printer, and though it has camera-type software, it has no slots for memory sticks. Overall, it's a good all-around unit at [money] and I don't miss my old Epson a bit.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great printer for a great price, October 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Canon i550 Color Bubble Jet Printer (Office Product)

This is my second printer I've bought in ten years. My first was a Canon BJC-600. It was a great printer, even up until the day I replaced it. But it was showing its age and it was way too slow. So I set out to get another Canon product. I had my eye on the S520, but was upset to find out that it had been pulled! Why? To make room for the i550, of course.

So, two printerless weeks go by and finally the i550 hits the shelves. I run out and buy one ASAP for two reasons. First, my previous experience with Canon products, and second, I saw the S520 in action. I was very impressed with the photo quality, speed, and price. The i550 promised to be better and faster at about the same price as the S520.

To make a long story short, if you're looking for an inexpensive printer...look no further. For someone like me who doesn't really use the borderless photo printing (as amazing as it may be), this is the best one I've found for the price. Best of all, it has individual ink tanks for all the colors! I like HP printers, but I hate the wasteful and expensive 3-in-1 color cartridges that go in them.

For those who do a lot of photo printing, be advised that you'll probably want to use Canon paper. Although you can use other paper (i.e. Kodak) the ink and paper are all designed as a system. Therefore best results will be achieved with Canon paper.

PROS: Speed, individual ink-wells, high quality, easy-to-use bundled software, low cost.

CONS: Vibrates a lot when it picks up speed.