The Pixma iP6000D like all of the 2004 PIXMA photo printers feature Canon’s exclusive FINE high-performance print heads. FINE technology (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) delivers sub-micron level precision during the manufacturing process. FINE print heads are the only consumer-oriented print heads to achieve an actual 1,200 dpi nozzle pitch. Canon’s FINE print heads allow for high-speed printing over wide areas in a single pass.

The PIXMA iP6000D has a second front-feeding paper cassette in addition to the standard auto sheet feeder located on top of the printer. The dual-paper path allows the printer to be loaded with both plain paper and photo paper or different sized papers simultaneously, so both documents and photos can be printed without the need for stopping and changing paper. You can switch easily between the two sources by using the paper feed selector switch on the front of the printer or via the printer driver.

The iP6000D features Canon's 6-color ink system. In addition to the normal Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inks Canon has added special photo-grade Cyan and Magenta inks for brilliant color photo printing. As with all Canon PIXMA printers, each of the iP6000D's ink tanks are individually replaceable which avoids the necessity of throwing out an expensive multi-color cartridge when only one of the colors is exhausted.

This highly versatile photo printer provides consumers with several PC-free printing options, including the ability to print JPEG images from a cell phone with infrared capabilities. Users can also print directly from any PictBridge compatible camera or digital video camcorder, or from a memory card with its built-in slots. Using the large 2.5" color LCD display and control panel, users can visualize the print process and fine-tune images for amazing results. A new image search function provides the ability to look for specific images based on the date they were photographed. A color balance function allows for easy adjustment of the color balance of the photo.

Compatible with Windows (Windows 98, XP, 2000, Me) and Mac platforms (Mac OS 9.x and Mac OS X v 10.2.1 to 10.3.x.), the iP6000D photo printer comes bundled with the Easy-PhotoPrint (Windows/Mac), Easy-WebPrint (Windows only) and PhotoRecord (Windows only) imaging and printing software.

Pixma iP6000D Features:

• 6-color photo ink system, individually replaceable tanks for economy

• Dual paper paths with top and bottom trays, auto paper switching

• Two-sided printing with built-in duplexer

• 2-picoliter MicroFine ink drops with 4800 x 1200 dpi resolution

• Borderless printing in 4 x 6", 5 x 7" and letter sizes

• Computer-free printing from most digital camera flash cards

• 2.5-inch color LCD for preview and editing

• Direct print from CompactFlash (including Microdrive), SmartMedia, SD, MMC, Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO memory cards

• PictBridge Direct USB printing from most modern digicams

• Infrared wireless JPEG printing from compatible cellphones

Mechanics & Performance

The iP6000D is a stylish looking gray and silver colored printer that will turn your workspace into a high-performance print shop. This is a mid-sized (approx. 17 x 12 x 8 inch) printer that can even be placed up tight to the wall thanks to the front-loading and front-exiting paper path.

Setup is straight forward and can be accomplished by following the steps outlined on the included big page of directions. You first install the removable print head assembly, unwrap and install the ink tanks, install the driver software, connect the input cable and turn on the printer. Installation on my Windows XP machine went without a hitch even connected through a USB hub. It took a total of about fifteen minutes to unpack, setup and be ready to make the first print.

The iP6000D has two paper sources; a top-mounted auto sheet loader and an internal cassette in the bottom. Both the upper and lower paper trays can support up to 150 sheets of letter-size plain paper as well as 4x6" photo paper, 5x7" photo paper, letter-size photo paper and #10 envelopes. The lower tray is ideal for photo paper as it kept safe inside of the printer and protected against dust and dirt.

You can load different media in the top and bottom trays and then select it with either the printer driver or the control panel pushbutton. Both top and bottom trays can be loaded with plain paper, the printer will automatically switch between them when one runs out of paper.

The iP6000D features a built-in duplexer and can easily print on both sides of plain paper or 2-sided photo papers (not recommended for paper sizes smaller than 5x7".) This will cut your paper waste in half when printing out web pages, emails or documents and allows you to create your own "ready to be stapled" photo albums, newsletters or product catalogs.

Computer-free Printing

Located on the front are the printer's two built-in flash card slots. The iP6000D can read directly from CompactFlash (Type I and II including Microdrives), SmartMedia, Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO.  Note: xD-Picture Card, Mini SD and Memory Stick DUO can be used with the (optional) adapters.

The card slots are used for direct printing of JPEG or TIFF images and can also be used like a card reader to transfer photos to your hard drive. The included Canon Card Memory software (Windows) allows you to set the card slots to either Read-Only (default) or Read-Write (if you need to copy files to a card.)

The large 2.5-inch color LCD can be tilted to any angle so it's easy to see whether you're standing up or sitting down. After you insert a memory card you can browse through your images in much the same manner as you do on your digital camera. You can preview, edit and select images easily with the LCD and control panel.

Using the 4-way selector you can go forward or backward through the pictures until you find the one that you want to print. Press the Print button to make a quick print or press Settings button for printing options. The upper right button selects the desired paper tray. The Trimming button lets you crop an image, zoom in or out using the + and - magnifying glass buttons. The Search button lets you find a group of images by the date they were taken. The Menu button accesses the main menu.

The two buttons on the bottom: The top button launches Easy-PhotoPrint for browsing the pictures on your memory card. The bottom button automatically saves all the images from the memory card to a folder on your hard drive.

Settings Menus:

• Basic - lets you select the paper size, media type, printing type, date stamping and print quality.

• Optimizer - lets you enable Photo Optimizer PRO to auto optimize brightness and tone. Enable Vivid Photo to enhance blue and green colors. Enable Noise Reduction to eliminate noise in blue and black areas. Enable Face Brightener to lighten a face when taking in heavily backlit lighting.

• Color Adjust - Adjust brightness (+2, +1, standard, -1, -2), adjust contrast (+2, +1, standard, -1, -2), adjust color hue (red +2, red +1, original, yellow +1, yellow +2)

• Effects - Apply color effect (sepia, simulate illustration, no effect).

Located on the front is the PictBridge USB port for direct printing from most modern (year 2004 and newer) digital cameras and video camcorders. Users with a PictBridge-enabled digital camera connect to the printer using their standard USB download cable.

Below the PictBridge port is an infrared port which allows the iP6000D to print JPEG images wirelessly from compatible cellphones.

IrDA version 1.2. JPEG files 3MB or smaller only. Requires mobile phone with IrDA port and support for IrMC version 1.1 protocol, with phone positioned no more than 7.9 inches from printer.

When the camera and printer are connected, the camera's color LCD is used to select the image(s) you want and what options to print them with. Usually it's as simple as select the photo and press the camera's OK button. (Shown here are the PictBridge menu screens on a Canon Digital Rebel SLR).