Absolutely worth the purchase
By Kathryn
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-03-30
We purchased this printer as an emergency replacement for a used iP8720 that stopped working (needs serviced, likely due to the ink pad reaching its limit. As it was used, we expected this to happen.) B & H knocked it out of the park with their fast shipping and made the express shipping worth the cost. This is something many companies fail to do with late-in-the-week orders, so we were quite happy they were on the ball.
Now, onto the (more) important details.
This printer came with the typical startup cartridges, was highly easy to set up and get working, and the photo suite that comes with it is quite good for the casual home user. In fact, the starter ink cartridges will likely last the average home user quite a long time before needing replaced (I'm looking at you grey, magenta, and photo black, you are the weak links).
It is important to note that you CAN find non-OEM inks and yes, the printer will accept them. However, not all inks are created equal, so you may want to run a test set before committing to a non-OEM brand, as your print quality could change. Thus, what seems far more cost-effective may result in a huge waste of paper without proper precautions being taken.
On to the actual print quality, cost, and ink usage.
The printer comes with a couple of sheets of glossy II Canon photo paper. I cannot stress enough how nice this paper is for basic photo prints. The gloss really does make your colors pop, while not being too overbearing on the eyes (glare). It was a great test paper for checking my preferred settings and I have no complaints for those few test pieces.
Please note, I'm a paper hound. I have an array of papers ranging from Canon photo papers to cheap Walmart posterboard. I have tested a grand total of 17 different papers in this printer already, plus canvas paper from Red River.
I will not be listing every single result but can say that the cheap posterboard is not recommended overall. Perhaps if I could find a truly good color profile to match it I could add it to the list of Yay, but for now it has been moved to my Sigh... yes I'll print a poster of Rocket Raccoon for you. NO, I will NOT use the good paper just so you can thumbtack it on your wall. pile.
Moving on, the printer gave outstanding results on the:
Canon Glossy II
Red River 42lb Pecos Gloss (I buy seconds and have no regrets)
Red River 47lb Premium Matte 5.5x8.5 Greeting Card (scored)
Pen Gear Glossy Photo Paper
Pen Gear Matte Photo Paper
Canon Matte Photo Paper
AstroBrights Metallic (Silver White was the best for portraits)
NOT SUGGESTED include:
Posterboard (Neither waxy/plain side was great)
Canvas (read on for an explanation)
When it comes to canvas, you NEED to understand canvas and how it is made, reacts to ink, and is intended to look overall. If you do not know anything about canvas, do not waste your money on it for printing with the iP8720 until you have done your homework.
I tested Red River Blanco Matte Canvas in both 8.5x11 and 13x19 sizes and bordered as well as borderless (13x19). In addition, with the 8.5x11 I tested both a more colorful print and one that was meant to be much like the old-style shadow portraits from the 80s. Yes, I realize those old portraits make all of us cringe. It's not the portrait, it's the memory of the clothes our parents dressed us in. We forgive you, Moms and Dads.
If you are looking for the ability to print absolute blacks on canvas, you'll need to find both a canvas and a printer that work well together for that. These two are not it. Then again, canvas generally isn't the best option for that unless you are painting it, so ... moving on. Color, however, is great, IF you understand canvas. For those who do, please know that I was absolutely thrilled with the results of both the 8.5x11 and the 13x19 color prints. Red River provides color profiles for their papers, so be sure to grab those, because it DOES make a difference.
The colors were well-matched and exactly as vibrant as expected. In fact, they exceeded expectations using the color profile Red River suggests.
I create art in DazStudio and use PhotoShop for postwork. What I saw on my screen (not calibrated, not altered in any way, straight out of the box ONN monitor) was exactly what I received as a result of my 13x19 borderless canvas. The same can be said for my 8.5x11 bordered print.
I DO suggest giving your canvas ample drying time before analyzing it further than Yep, no major color faux pas. Color canvas prints are definitely an option with this printer for those who understand how to work well with this media.
Ink costs and usage, are the elephant in every printing room. No, OEM ink is not cheap. Yes, there are SIX separate ink tanks. Yes, the printer comes with starter tanks that WILL get you through quite a lot of prints (at least they did for me, and WOW did I push this thing).
First to go was the grey tank, closely followed by photo black, then magenta. I was prepared with an extra set of ink already, so this was not an issue for me.
Next up is cyan, followed by yellow. Wondering about the other black (the big one, aka the pigment black)? I replaced all of the others twice and STILL had a pretty good reading on that. It took me printing 50 coloring pages for my youngest to kill that tank finally.
Yes, it really is the most underused tank in the set. No, I do NOT suggest printing a ton of documents just to use it, as this will just result in adding to your page count needlessly. I only did it to 1. appease my toddler and 2. kill the tank because it was irritating me with its undying status.
I have a cheap HP Envy4500 dinosaur that I generally use for documents and trivial stuff like coloring pages. I literally NEVER buy color ink for it because its color capabilities are akin to a hippo painting the Mona Lisa in a pool.
The ink cost for the 13x19 borderless comes out to about 1.80 in total. Bear in mind, it was a full color, minimum black print on CANVAS. I did not test this size in any other media, as I do not currently have any other media in that size handy.
An equivalent color print on the 42lb. Pecos Glossy came out to approximately .27 and is (in my view) well worth it for the quality that was produced. The cost certainly beats the pants off print-on-demand services, especially once you figure in shipping costs.
Overall, do I feel this is the right printer for a casual household? No. This is a PHOTO printer that truly has a great spot in a home that heavily archives their family or even a photo hobbyist office. In a casual home where it will not be used often, your ink cost will skyrocket due to automatic print head cleaning and you'll be cursing the cost of the ink through no fault of the printer.
However, if you ARE a home that loves to take photos and print them, or a hobbyist starting out or even just moonlighting, this printer is a great choice. Will you eventually want to upgrade? Probably, yes. If you want an economical option that has non-OEM inks available that won't chew off an arm and a leg and don't mind being limited to 13x19 prints at max, this printer is a great choice.
credit card.‡