Canon PIXMA iX6850 – Print Speeds

Canon rates the PIXMA iX6850 at 14.5ppm in mono and 10.4ppm in colour, both of which are very respectable speeds for an inkjet. Under our tests, though, which include processing time, we didn’t see speeds this high.

The 5-page mono text test gave 10.3ppm and this only increased slightly, to 10.7ppm, in draft mode. This is still a respectable speed for an inkjet and increasing the page count to 20 saw a further speed increase, to 11.0ppm.

The 5-page black text and colour graphics test gave 5.7ppm, which is only around half of the rated speed, but against the machine’s competition, it’s still a reasonable result. Printing A3 text and graphics gave 3.5ppm, which is also good.

There’s no automatic duplex on this printer, which is a shame, but it can print photos from 15 x 10cm up to A3 , making it very versatile. 15 x 10cm photos from a PC and from an Android device took around 43s, which is quick, and an A3 photo took 2:44, also a fair result.

Canon PIXMA iX6850 – Print Quality and Costs

Print quality is as good as from other four-colour Canon machines. Black text is sharp and well-defined, with no sign of jaggies and little of ink spread. Colour graphics are smooth and bright, though in our test print black text on a colour background looked a little thin and indistinct.

Photos came through well, with natural colours, smooth transitions and sharp detail, even in darker colours. Although the printer isn’t designed as a photo printer, Canon can hardly help itself and prints them well.

There are three different yields of black ink cartridge that can be used with the PIXMA iX6850, with the highest capacity offering 1000 pages, which is a very good count for an inkjet. Colour cartridges come in two yields, with the higher being around 700 pages. Using the best prices we could find, gives page costs of 2.4p for black and 8.4p for colour, with the black cost being particularly impressive.

Should I buy a Canon PIXMA iX6850?

The main competitor to Canon in the single-function A3 printer market is Epson, though that company’s machines are mainly aimed at photo enthusiasts and are much higher priced. The https://www.trustedreviews.com/epson-stylus-photo-1500w_Printer_review Epson Stylus Photo 1500W, for example, is nearly £100 more.

HP’s £126 https://www.trustedreviews.com/hp-officejet-7110-wide-format_Printer_review HP Officejet 7110 Wide Format is a more direct comparison and this machine comes out ahead in most areas. It prints faster, except for large photos, costs less to buy and run and its print quality is as good.

Verdict

Canon’s PIXMA iX6850 is a very able A3 printer, which produces excellent photos and good plain paper prints. It handles direct wireless prints well and is quick and inexpensive to run. There’s better value to be had if you shop around though, so it will probably come down to a direct comparison of print samples to make a final decision.

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