Canon Pixma G2000: Simple, Straightforward, and Effective

The company’s very first ink tank based multi-functional printer, the Canon Pixma G2000, surprises K Madhavan Pillai with its performance.

Admittedly, multi-functional devices have never been in my list of favourites and it has been a very long time since I tested one. The Canon G2000 came as a pleasant surprise. This is a standard 4-colour A4 printer (printing at a respectable 1200 x 4800dpi and capable of borderless printing) integrated with a flatbed scanner (48bit RGB, 600 x 1200dpi optical resolution). Without being attached to a PC, it acts as a quick, independent photocopy unit. The control panel is simplistic, with a power button, scan buttons (separate ones for colour and grayscale), a stop button, and two LED indicators for problems (jammed paper, low ink, and the like). Simple though it may seem, there is a lot more to the G2000 than meets the eye.

The G2000 and it’s higher end sibling, the G3000, are Canon’s first printers to incorporate refillable ink tanks instead of using ink cartridges. A set of four ink bottles are supplied with the printer. On readying the printer, the print heads, separate for K and CMY, need to be first installed into place. The advantages of this system are much larger ink capacities, replenishment of single tank rather than buying entire sets of inks, and an easy, cost-effective way to replace malfunctioning components. All of these reduce operational and printing costs quiet significantly. The closest competition to the G2000 comes from the Epson L220, similar in price, based on ink tanks and featuring an integrated scanner. However, while the ink tanks on the L220 are outside the device, the G2000 has them within, while still being visible from the outside for checking ink levels.

The performance of this device is split by its various components. The photocopy function is quick and mostly accurate, of an acceptable level of quality best used with normal paper.

Canon scanners have a reputation for producing good results. From old family photos to important documents, a scanner is very handy. Both bit depth and dynamic range is excellent, and the resolution is high enough for digital archiving.

What caught me by surprise was the quality the G2000 delivers on photo paper. The levels of tonality and the depth of blacks were, of course, not in the same level as dedicated printers with more than 4 colours. Yet, this printer is capable of delivering prints that would be accepted by most and rivals regular prints made in a photo lab.

The Canon Pixma G2000 is a nofrills MFD that does not offer advanced options or connectivity. Yet, at Rs. 10,900 (including a set of ink bottles) it is affordable and performs well, making it quite an attractive proposition for homes and small photographic businesses.