With most printer makers adding a raft of multifunction printer (MFP) features to their budget inkjets, we seldom see low-priced single-function printers anymore. Canon is one of the few companies that regularly refreshes its models. The Canon Pixma iP4920 Premium Inkjet Photo Printer ($99.99 direct) is the latest incarnation, a minor upgrade to the Canon Pixma iP4820 Photo Printer($99.99 direct, 4 stars) that shares most of the strengths and weaknesses of its predecessor.

The iP4920, glossy black with a matte-black beveled bezel, measures 8.4 by 20.7 by 15.7 inches (HWD) and weighs 12.3 pounds. It has both a 150-sheet main paper tray and a 150-sheet multipurpose tray for a generous 300-sheet total paper capacity, and a built-in automatic duplexer. It has a front-facing USB port so you can print from a USB thumb drive or PictBridge-enabled camera, though it lacks any memory-card slots. The iP4920 is a distinctly personal printer, as it is limited to direct connection with a computer via USB cable. I tested it using a PC running Windows Vista.

The iP4920 offers the ability to print on printable optical discs, or on CD, DVD, or Blu-ray cases. The printer comes with a disc tray, and a program in Canon’s Easy-Photo Print EX software suite lets you set the text and images, and choose a layout. Another new program consists of software-based photo filters that can introduce a fisheye, toy camera, soft focus, or blurred background effect. Full HD Movie Print has been upgraded, with enhancements including the ability to print a combo image from a series of frames to catch motion.

Print Speed and Output Quality
The Canon Pixma iP4920 Premium Inkjet Photo Printer printed out the latest version of our business applications suite (as timed by QualityLogic's hardware and software) at a speed of 3.0 effective pages per minute (ppm), the same as the Pixma iP4820’s 3.0 ppm, and essentially the same as the Editors’ Choice HP Officejet 6000 Wireless Printer ($119.99 direct, 4 stars), which we timed at 3.1 ppm on the same tests. The iP4920 averaged 56 seconds to print out a 4-by-6 photo, a typical time for an inkjet.

In our tests, the iP4920’s text quality was par for an inkjet, good enough for business, school, or home, unless you have an unusual need for very small fonts. One issue to note is that the text can easily smudge if you handle it too soon after printing.

Photo quality was a touch above average for an inkjet. Though a majority of the test photos were of true photo quality, with no obvious flaws, one photo showed some spurious streaking, and a monochrome image showed a slight tint as well as a hint of posterization (abrupt changes in brightness instead of a steady gradient).

Graphics quality was a touch below average for an inkjet. Like the text, graphics smudged easily when handled soon after printing. Many printers have trouble handling very thin lines, with this printer only traces of them were visible. Other issues included minor dithering (graininess), and muted color on a couple of illustrations.

Canon’s claimed cost per printed page for the iP4920 is high: 5.2 cents per monochrome page and 13.4 cents per color page. The Officejet 6000’s per page cost, based on their highest yield cartridges, is 2.7 cents per monochrome page and 9.0 per color page

The Canon Pixma iP4920 Premium Inkjet Photo Printer is a capable personal printer, especially for home use. It connects directly to a computer via USB, while the Officejet 6000 offers WiFi and Ethernet connectivity as well. The HP offers high-quality and photo printing, and a low running cost. Although the iP4920 has copious paper capacity for a printer of its price, it also has a high running cost, which makes it best for light-duty use. Its photo printing quality helps it in a dual role of home and home-office MFP.

The iP4920 is little changed over its predecessor. Unless you need the ability to print on optical disks or their cases, or are anxious to try the fisheye or other filters, you could save a bit of money by going with the iP4820, which is being phased out but can still be had at numerous retailers for about $80 as of this writing. The venerable HP Officejet 6000 offers high-quality photo printing, plus better graphics quality and a lower running cost than the iP4920.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

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