Canon's $199.99 PIXMA iP6600D Photo Printer is a case in point.

An update of the iP6000D, the iP6600D features a 3.5-inch LCD and control panel to
evaluate and enhance images on memory cards fed into its memory card reader. In-
printer image corrections include automatic red-eye removal, sharpening and
enhanced light values on backlit portraits, but you can also crop and make global
tone and color corrections.
Printing speed has been improved with a 3,072 nozzle print head and one picoliter
ink droplets to print a 4x6 at 9600x2400-dpi resolution in about 46 seconds.
The Canon ChromaLife100 ink delivery system combines the iP6600D's Full-photolitho-
graphy Inkjet Nozzle Engineering print head technology and newly-developed inks
with select Canon photo papers, with results rivaling that of silver halide prints.
And with its new smart ink tanks, an LED lamp flashes when ink is running low and
flashes even faster when nearing empty. The six ink cartridges run $14.25 each.
Connections include a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed port, a PictBridge USB port (compatible with
the Canon Wireless Print Adapter WA-1N), an IrDA v1.2 infrared detector (for cell
phone printing) and a dual slot memory card reader. Paper can be fed from either
the top slot or an expandable cartridge built into the bottom of the printer. And
the printer can also print on both sides of the sheet when duplex printing is
enabled in its driver software.
FEATURES | Back to Contents
Large 3.5" color LCD viewer for easier viewing with built-in red eye reduction and
image enhancement

Maximum 9600x2400 dpi with microscopic droplets as small as 1 picoliter

FINE print head for impressive speed and photo quality
ChromaLife100 system for long lasting, beautiful photos
Borderless 4x6 photo in about 46 seconds
Direct photo printing from select memory cards and PictBridge ready devices
Duplex printing, two paper sources
SPECIFICATIONS | Back to Contents
Print Speed: 4x6 borderless color photo on glossy paper in about 46 seconds;
letter sized in 1.8 minutes. 18 ppm maximum, 6.5 ppm standard.

Number of Nozzles: 512x6 colors for a total of 3,072

Print Resolution: Black or Color at 9600x2400 dpi (9600 horizontal)
OS Compatibility: Windows XP/ME/2000/98; Mac OS X v10.2.1 to 10.4.x
Standard Interface: USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, Direct Print Port (cables not included) and
IrDA v1.2 (mobile phone only). With an $80 optional Bluetooth v1.2 adapter,
Bluetooth is also available.
Ink Compatibility: CLI-8BK Black, CLI-8C Cyan, CLI-8-MB Magenta, CLI-8Y Yellow,
CLI-8PC Photo Cyan and CLI-8PM Photo Magenta
Ink Droplet Size: 1 and 5 picoliters
Buffer/Ram: 42K receive buffer
Paper Sizes: Letter, Legal, Credit Card (2.13x3.39"), 4x6 5x7 U.S. #10 Envelopes
Noise Level: About 35 dB(A) in best quality mode
Physical Dimensions: 16.9"(W) x 7.3"(H) x 12.0"(D)
Weight: 15.9 lbs.
Power: 120V AC, 60Hz
Warranty: Toll-free technical phone support plus one-year limited warranty with
InstantExchange program.
Software Included: Printer Driver, Setup Software and User's Guide, Electronic
Photo Application Guide, Electronic User's Guide, e-registration, Easy-PhotoPrint
3.3 [MW], PhotoRecord [W], Easy-WebPrint [W]
Memory Card: CompactFlash, Microdrive, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO,
Secure Digital Card, MultiMedia Card. xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Duo, Memory
Stick DUO PRO and miniSD Card can be used with addition of a special adapter sold
separately.
IN THE BOX | Back to Contents
Included in the box are:
The iP600D printer with paper cassette

iP600D print head

A power cord
One set of six "CLI-8" inks: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Photo Cyan and Photo
Magenta
A pack of 4x6 Canon Photo Glossy paper
Documentation and Software CD
The observant will notice that there's no USB cable included.
BUBBLE JET TECHNOLOGY | Back to Contents
Getting the ink onto (even "into") the paper is the job of Canon's Bubble Jet
technology (http://www.canon.com/technology/detail/bj/bj_mfdt/index.html ), which
resembles Hewlett-Packards' thermal inkjet technology but differs significantly
from Epson's piezo technology.
According to Canon, in a conventional thermal print head, "the temperature and
viscosity of the ink when it leaves the nozzle can produce slight fluctuations in
the amount and direction of ink discharged. The cause lies in the discharge
process, during which pressure is first applied to the ink inside the nozzle and
when this reaches the nozzle outlet, a droplet is formed by separating it from the
rest of the ink. However, the amount of ink discharged differs with each droplet
due to minute fluctuations in timing and the position of the nozzle at separation."
Canon's MicroFine Droplet Technology "heats and vaporizes the ink inside the nozzle
to form microbubbles, in an ideal position closer to the nozzle outlet. Under the
pressure of these bubbles, ink is ejected out of the outlet in microfine droplets.
The nozzle is designed to limit the amount of ink to the space between the heater
and the outlet so when bubbles form, all the ink under the heater is forced
outwards and not even temperature variations can affect the droplet size. Pressure
only needs to be applied to the discharged ink, a task that is efficiently carried
out by microbubbles. The result is accurate discharge to the printed surface with
almost no air resistance."