Canon mini220 Ink
PIXMA mini220 Ink Cartridges

Canon mini220 Printer Review

The Canon PIXMA mini220 is a great solution for the user who wants a portable inkjet photo printer they can take with them on the go. It has a fairly intuitive control panel and a full-color screen for navigation, previews, and editing. It also uses only a single Canon mini220 printer ink supply, so replacement is quick and easy.

One of the hassles of photo printing is often the need to load images onto a computer, organize files, and then use the proper software to print. The mini220 skips most of these steps by including memory card slots and a PictBridge port, so that users can load images directly from devices or memory. Bluetooth is an optional upgrade, and it even supports IrDA for direct printing from certain mobile devices.

Of course, the lack of a computer provides its own challenges, as users don't have a large screen or the same amount of control. The 2.5-inch screen on the control panel does an adequate job of previewing and navigating images, however, and the scroll wheel controller makes it easy to quickly find the right image. All of this is wrapped up in a device that weighs no more than 4.4 pounds, even with the PIXMA mini220 printer ink installed.

The inkjet system can output a resolution of 4800x1200 dpi, even with only a single Canon mini220 ink cartridge. The results are impressive, though with each PIXMA mini220 ink cartridge yielding only 120 pages, they may need replacing often. The good news is that compatible Canon mini220 ink can be found at much better prices than OEM versions.

The small yield and limited capabilities of the mini220 will keep it from operating as the only printing device a user ever needs. For simple photo output, and especially for printing outside of the home, however, it is an excellent solution.