The iP5200 photo printer features the Canon Think Tank System™, an intelligent ink-management system that uses individual ink tanks for each color. You replace only the color that runs out rather than an entire, expensive, multi-color cartridge.

This is what you see when you lift the cover on the iP5200 printer. It uses the new, clear smart LED ink tanks (also found on the iP5200R and iP6600 models). The Canon ink status detection system is used to alert customers to low ink levels and to help ensure that the ink tanks are installed and working correctly. If the ink tank is placed in the wrong slot a light on the individual tank will begin to flash. If the tank is not fully seated in its slot, the light will not illuminate. When the ink tank is running low, the light will begin to flash. When the ink runs out completely, it flashes at a higher rate.

The iP5200 uses the Canon ChromaLife100 system which features the ContrastPLUS 5-color ink system that consists of the usual cyan, magenta and yellow inks plus a dye-based photo-grade black for photo printing which delivers improved image contrast and sharpness and a larger volume pigment-based black ink tank to produce crisp, fast, high-quality black text.

The ChromaLife100 system can produce prints on select genuine Canon photo papers that resist fading for up to 100 years when stored in an archival quality photo album. The 100-year lifespan rivals that of many traditional film-based photos, long considered by consumers to be the benchmark for image permanence. Canon has tested the ChromaLife100 system against three types of gases to simulate realistic conditions—ozone, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur oxide. Prints produced on Canon Photo Paper Pro with the other elements of the ChromaLife100 system had an up to ten-year gas fastness when exposed to open air. ChromaLife100 prints, when created on Canon Photo Paper Pro or Photo Paper Plus Glossy, had up to 30-year light fastness when displayed under glass.

The iP5200 features a PIXMA printhead which employs Canon's FINE (Full- photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) technology. It has a total of 3,584 nozzles for exceptional speed and quality. The long printhead shown in the picture above is used with the pigment black ink for printing high-speed black text. The printhead on the right is used for color printing. This printhead uses Canon’s exclusive advanced MicroFine Droplet Technology™, which ejects consistent prescribed-volume ink droplets (as small as 1pl) for smooth gradations, accurate skin tones and rich, vibrant colors. The width of these printheads is the key to the printer's speed, a wider head means a larger area of coverage per pass is possible.

Not only can the user replace the individual ink tanks, you can also replace the entire print head if necessary. (Replacement print heads are available from Canon Service after it is determined that a replacement is necessary.)   Epson printers require a trip to the service center when they encounter a print head problem.

Optical ink sensors automatically monitor all ink color levels and communicate with your computer--giving you a pop-up message indicating exactly what colors are running low. You can also check the status of the ink tanks at any time using the Status Monitor of the driver as shown above.

Canon's optical low ink detection system prevents wasted printouts by notifying you via the Printer Status Monitor before any ink tank becomes empty, so you'll never unexpectedly run out of ink in the middle of a job again.

A light beam shines through a prism located at the bottom of each ink tank. When there is sufficient ink, the light is detected by the sensor. When only about 20% of ink is left in any of the ink tanks, the light beam is refracted, triggering the sensor which tells the printer driver to display a low ink tank notification for that ink tank.