July 09, 2009

Canon has announced a bevy of printers coming soon: Two new Pixma all-in-one models, a compact Selphy photo printer, and two ImageClass laser printers.

The $150 Pixma MP560 Wireless Photo All-In-One (AIO) Printer, successor to the Pixma MP620, is compact (the smallest Canon to have both wireless and built-in Auto Duplex Printing) and convenient (the first Pixma printer with the capability to print pictures directly from a USB Flash device). The MP560 features five ink tanks (it uses Canon's ChromaLife100 ink system), and has a 2-inch LCD screen for menus and image viewing. Canon says this model can print out a borderless 4-by-6-inch photo in 39 seconds.

The Pixma MP490 AIO Photo Printer is a step down from the MP560 at the more affordable price point of $100. The MP490 features a 1.8-inch LCD screen and a self-opening output tray (helpful in preventing paper jams). According to Canon, the printer can print a borderless 4-by-6-inch photo in approximately 43 seconds. An interesting addition: It has an enhanced template printing feature, with 11 different templates, including schedules and handwriting paper. Both Pixma printers are "All-In-One" printers -- they have the ability to scan and copy documents, as well as print -- and will be compatible with Windows 7.

The $180 Selphy CP790 Compact Photo Printer succeeds the Selphy CP770 printer (which wasn't the best ), has been upgraded -- it's green, and it features a storage basket for storing accessories, including the paper, ink, and power cord. The CP790 also features new "creative options," which allows users to tweak their photos before printing them. Some of the "creative options" include stamps, layouts, and background colors.

The printer can be used independently from a computer: It also has a memory card slot, as well as an optional $80 battery pack, together. Canon boasts that the new Selphy prints a borderless 4-by-6-inch in 43 seconds, which it says is 10 percent faster than the previous model. Canon also introduced new color laser printers: The Color ImageClass MF8350Cdn and the Color ImageClass MF8050Cn. Both models are due out in September; both meet Energy Star guidelines.