CANON IMAGEPROGRAF IPF710 BLACK OEM INK CARTRIDGE (ML YIELD)

Canon ImagePROGRAF iPF710 Review

Overview:

When you can’t put your idea up in lights, how about on a big 4-color banner instead? If you need a wide format printer for poster and D-size drawings, the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF710 plotter/printer is designed to support medium to large workgroups. With a 36-inch wide printing area, the 5-color inkjet iPF710 is able to print a D-size line drawing in color in 33 seconds.

Pros:

The iPF710 Can be connected by USB 2.0, Ethernet 10/100 BaseTX, or the optional Firewire IEEE1394 The flexibility of connections, especially Ethernet is welcome for a large-format printer like this one.

Weighing in at 141 pounds, this imagePROGRAF printer can handle media up to 36 inches wide, including E-size drawing sheets.

Paper media can be from 59-foot long rolls, manually fed single sheets, or from the 250 sheet cassette tray. Using roll paper allows for borderless printing from 10 inches to the full 36-inch width of the paper

Not only suited for photographic posters, the 2,400 x 1,200 dpi resolutions enables the iPF710 to produce sharp, fine lines and text for CAD and GIS users who need detail and accuracy. To give you draftsmen out there an idea, the iPF710 prints lines with a thickness of 0.02mm ±0.10%. 

The 256MB memory that comes with the iPF710 is not expandable. But it should be enough for the most jobs.

Print emulators are the HP-GL/2, HP-RTL, and Canon’s proprietary GARO language. AutoDesk users can directly print with the included HDI driver. Canon offers both Windows and Apple (OS 9 and X) users drivers with extras such as expanded color settings, a one-touch borderless printing option, and simplified page nesting.

This printer is much quieter than many laser printers on the market. With the same volume as low conversations, the IP710 running is 52dB, a whisper-quiet 35dB while idle.

Cons:

PosterArtist and Digital Photo Front-Access are software extras from Canon for printing your own posters and signs without buying high-end graphic software. Unfortunately, this software is for computers running Microsoft Windows.  While the majority of people using this professional plotter will also be using professional graphics software, it would have been nice if Canon had cross-platform software.

Speaking of professional graphics software, the iPF710 does not come with a Raster Image Processor (RIP) to increase speed and sharpness. Adobe and QuarkXpress users will have to purchase RIP software from a 3^rd party vendor.