I was initially happy with this printer. I paid a few more dollars expecting the payback in the cheaper ink tanks vs the ink cartridges found in a lot of the cheaper printers. It had all of the features I was looking for in a home use printer and I had high hopes that I would get my hard earned moneys worth out of it. It put out pretty decent print quality and the scanner did it's job. The included software was very easy to use and works very well. Now for the not so good part:
Well, to make a log story short, one minor paper jam rendered the print head useless. The printer gives an error of "The wrong print head is installed, please install the correct print head". (This is the original print head that came with the unit). Of course I went through all of the usual steps of removing the ink tanks and pulling out the print head to check for contamination or damage. The print head looks perfect and clean yet still gives an error that it is the wrong print head. The paper jam cleared itself out after cycling power and it could hardly be called a serious jam as only the corner of the page was bent up and there wasn't even a hint of a tear. Oh yes, before any smart comments are made I have never refilled or used after market ink. It has never been run out of ink either. I learned that lesson a couple of printers ago. It has always been genuine Canon ink. Did it's internal timer run out Canon? This printer hasn't seen a lot of use yet the print head is dead already with less than 1000 sheets? I've heard stories about these kind of tactics. I have always thought it was the usual disgruntled customer trying to find a reason to give a bad review and stretching for a reason to dislike or badmouth a company. Now I'm believing that there may be something to this as this is the 2nd Canon printer that has failed with very little use. Both printers have lasted just over 2 years before the print heads failed with very little printing. Is this just a coincidence? It's funny that the print head is priced so high for the MP600 yet it does exactly the same thing that almost all inkjet printer cartridges do in the higher priced inks since the print head is built into those cartridges. Was it worth paying the extra for the printer so I could by cheaper ink tanks and replace them individually? NO!
Now here's the kicker, you can't even use the scanner when this happens. That's right kiddies, this thing is rendered completely useless and I can't even scan a document and send it to another "working" printer. After reading similar complaints it turns out that the MP600 is rendered useless when one of the ink tanks runs out too. Now what does Ink have to do with scanning Canon? Shame on you. Multifunction inkjet manufacturers are literally raping the public with these tactics and Canon isn't the only manufacturer playing these kind of games.
So here I am with a decision to make. Do I spend another $75 + shipping on a print head just so I can use the spare Canon Ink tanks I have sitting in my desk. Do I chuck this thing in the driveway and see what 35" tires will do to it? Or do I just bite the bullet and buy a laser printer so I won't have to deal with these issues any longer. (One toner lasts 2500 sheets and costs $70) Laser printers are built much better and last a very long time although the upfront cost is a bit more. After putting all of the figures together with the original purchase price, ink used, and a new print head this wonderful piece of technology "MP600" would have cost upwards of $650 total invested. I have put less than 1000 sheets through it so this thing has basically cost me almost $.07 for each page I have printed. Most of which have just been black and white text documents. I have only printed maybe 20 pictures total with this printer during it's short life span. I can have photographs printed professionally for about $.07 each at the local wholesale club so what does this say about this money pit of a printer.
To make a long story short, stay away from this printer and if you do your homework you'll find that inkjet printers in general are total money pits that will end up costing a fortune in the long run!
If you do find one with cheap ink chances are that the printer will break down before you ever get your dollars worth from it. There is one manufacturer that claims cheap ink (I'll let you figure out which one but they are known for photo paper) but it turns out that you have to print over 5000 pages before you'll ever see a break even point. Good luck getting an inkjet printer to last that long and if it does it will most likely break down just as soon as you fill it up with new ink or buy spare cartridges.
The days of throwing/giving away your cheap inkjet printer and just buying another one rather than buying ink are over too. The new printers come with barely enough ink to get you by and force you to buy their expensive ink almost immediately. Granted even new laser jet printers will come with a "low yield" toner but you'll definitely be better off in the long run.
Bottom line: Stay away from these printers unless you feel the absolute need to print in color!Get more detail about Canon PIXMA MP600 All-in-One Photo Printer with Easy Scroll Wheel (1451B002).
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