Canon Pixma iP2850 review

The printer can’t produce true 6x4in photos, instead producing images that are just shy of 3x5in on our 6x4in photo paper. This is irritating, but we were surprised to find that the quality of the photo prints, small though they are, is actually surprisingly good. Dark colours are among the best we’ve seen from a three-ink dye-based system, there aren’t any unwanted colour tints, and detail is sharp.

Some areas of subtle shading are less finely gradated than we’d like, and our low-contrast grey and brown test image was a bit dull, but the iP2850 is good if you need to print in a hurry and don’t mind getting handy with a pair of scissors.

The iP2850 is one of the most basic printers around. There’s no screen, network connection, or cloud printing. Even aligning the print heads calls upon you to print out three pages and pick the most solid colours from multiple options. It’s rare to see a printer this simple, but if you only need a cheap-to-buy, basic printer you could be on to a winner with the Canon iP2850. Unfortunately, the iP2850 is expensive to run, which makes its cheap £36 purchase price less good value that it might first appear. Many users will get more out of an MFP such as the Epson Expression Home XP-212, despite its sluggish print speeds and higher price.