I actually like it

I got this printer for free after rebate with my Macbook purchase. The sales person at the Apple store recommended it to me as Canon is a good brand and he said the ink cartridges are bigger than other brands, making it cheaper over time.

So far, it works well. It has many capabilities- it can scan, print, copy, and read directly off of a camera's memory card or via PictBridge. The card reader accepts CompactFlash, SmartMedia, SD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick ProDuo, MultiMediaCard, SD Mini, and XD cards. In other words, it's likely to work with whatever media your camera makes. IrDA port makes it possible to print off of compatible cell phones. Mine must not be compatible, though.

Included in the box are starter cartridges (I'm still using these 6 months later, but I try to avoid using it in favor of printing at school), a power cable, CD drivers, and the manuals. It does not include a cable to connect to your computer- you need to buy this.

The printer is quite large (though not heavy) so you need a fair amount of desk real estate. The large size is mainly due to the flatbed scanner (which is a great improvement over a feed type scanner I used to use).

I never needed to open the driver cds. I plugged it in, clicked "find printers" and it was detected and automatically installed. I'm a Mac user though, and we tend to enjoy these luxuries more than Windows users, so I cannot speak for most computer users.

Print quality is high, in my opinion. I mostly use it for text though. It can print borderless pictures, and I have tried this successfully. I have not had an opportunity to try this on photo paper though, nor do I have the special photo cartridge. This is mainly a work printer for me, though I must say I am more than satisfied with the color outcomes and quality.

Print speed is advertised at 22 ppm in black and 17 in color. Honestly, it feels a little slower than this to me. The main hang up in printing is that it takes a long time to "grab" the paper. I'm always afraid it will alarm that it's out of paper, though it always eventually grabs the paper. Printing is quite noisy as well.

I haven't had to buy ink yet, but ink cartridge prices seem on par with other brands from what I have noticed. Currently Office Depot's site shows prices ranging from $16.99 (for their brand) to $34.99 (for the high capacity color cartridge) for compatible cartridges.

Look wise, it's shiny and nice looking. A 1.9 inch LCD facilitates computer-less printing and guides you through the steps of printing, making it quite easy to use. The text size could be bigger to make this easier to read though.

Buttons for scanning, copying, and printing make it easy to use. A "stop" button for canceling printing is also easily accessible. Between the LCD and the plethora of buttons, it's easy to use.

Overall, I like the ease of use and the features, but wish it was quieter and handled paper more smoothly.