Canon i-SENSYS LBP5050 Colour Laser Review

Utterly useless for a modern Mac unless you already have a copy of Windows running via emulation software! The PC interface is ok. Can only get this lovely printer (it is!) to print on a mac is by using Parallels and using a virtual machine. I don't think they should be allowed to advertise this as being Mac OS 10.x compatible as it simply is not (am using 10.5.6). Great shame, but ok printer. Am waiting for a better driver! Please hurry up Canon.

The cartridges for this printer will print approx 500 colour pages at 50% coverage and then need replacing! The running costs are astronomical. I run a home based business, printing about 1000 colour pages a week at 50% coverage and I'd be bankrupt if I kept this printer. I'm getting rid of this ink guzzler right now, and will revert to HP because their cartridges last a reasonable amount of time.

bought this printer in mar 09
printed only about 400 pages in black and white and shocked to find that black toner has run out
prior to this i had hP2550- bought this in 2005- lasted for 4 year!! never changed the toner
printed at least 4 copies of my thesis and routine letters
i agree with catherine hogan..canon is an ink guzzler..not sure simon how you managed 2500 pages black and white!!

regarding "Sailes" & "Catherine Hogan's" comments on the short life of their toner cartridges, I wonder if they are commenting on the cartridges that ship with a new printer? These actually have written on the coloured paper strip that they are temporary. This is a common practice with printer manufacturers, and only have about a third of the toner that replacements have inside. I've just spent £180 on a complete set on full ones for when my temps run out, and I suppose Canon like others, do this on purpose for just this reason. All of a sudden a £130 printer turns into a £310 one! The low toner warning has come up for several weeks now, but I have just clicked on the "dismiss" box, and they are still going strong, I suppose an unnecessarily early warning to change toners is also financailly lucrative for the manufacturer, or am I being over cynical? As far as the printer is concernced I am very pleased with it, its my first colour laser and for everything except hi def photo's is great for home use. I bought the network version, and now all the family can print to it from all over the house, rather than having an inkjet in every room, and constantly getting nagged that they need new ink! It's too early for me to say whether £180 of toner will last longer than £180 of ink, but assuming there's not too much disparity, the speed & convenience of having one machine and one type of consumable to stock will make it worth it for me.