BeHardware - News - July 22, 2005

The information came from Canon USA. To no great surprise, Canon will update its line of ink jet printers like it does every summer. This time, however, they are also changing all of their cartridges. To make it simple, they are going back to HP’s system for their basic models and to Epson’s for their separate cartridge printers.

The iP1600 ($50) will use monobloc cartridges with integrated print heads. Each time a cartridge is changed, print heads will be new. In theory, this is advantageous, except it’s more expensive. At least this is the case in the US where the price for a black ink cartridge will go from $7 to $20. We can hope for more ink per cartridge but this isn’t sure. And for the clever people who try and sidestep this by looking for compatibles this era might soon be over. Adding print heads and an electronic chip will considerably complicate the manufacturing of these products, which are already unavailable for similar HP and Lexmark printers.

Moving up the line, at $129 the iP4200 replaces the iP4000. It will keep the integrated recto verso system and separated cartridges without print heads. On the other hand, there will now be an electronic chip signaling when the cartridge is empty. This will complicate the lives of compatible manufacturers and also add 20 % to the price for consumers.