The Canon PIXMA iP6700D is a versatile six-color photo printer that can print from a variety of sources. It also manages to be easy to operate without skimping on features.

A USB port on the back of the iP6700D connects to a computer for printing, while another USB port on the front panel enables direct printing from PictBridge-compatible digital cameras. In addition, the built-in IrDA interface lets you print from some camera phones and infrared-capable PDAs. Located behind a small front-panel door, two memory card slots accept common memory card formats, although an adapter is required for printing from xD, miniSD and Memory Stick Duo cards. With an optional Bluetooth adapter, you can print directly from Bluetooth-enabled wireless devices. That's a lot of source options.

Despite a large collection of buttons spanning the top-front of the printer, the iP6700D is simple to use. Printing photos from a camera or memory card takes just a few quick steps, and editing photos before printing is almost as easy. A 3-1/2-inch LCD screen lets you preview and edit photos, performing functions such as cropping, rotating, adjusting color balance and removing red eye. You can also print a contact sheet of your photos to help you decide which ones to print at full size.

The iP6700D supports printing resolutions of up to 9,600X2,400 dpi for both monochrome and color. Photo output quality is impressive, although we noticed slightly off-kilter skin tones in some photos. Contrast and color fidelity are also good, with generally sharp detail in highlights and shadows.

The iP6700D's built-in duplex printing feature is unusual in a dedicated photo printer. It is also puzzling, given that the iP6700D does not have a separate black ink tank. Output quality of text is adequate, but it is not good enough for routine printing of text-based documents. Although the iP6700D can print any type of document, it's best at photos.

The software bundle includes Easy-PhotoPrint (Windows/Mac) for rotating, cropping and editing images; PhotoRecord (Windows) for creating photo albums; and Easy-WebPrint (Windows) that optimizes the printing of web pages.

The six-color Canon PIXMA iP6700D produces very good photo prints from almost any digital source, and its host of useful features makes it an attractive photo printer purchase.

Pros: Large LCD display, very good to excellent output of photos, prints directly from PictBridge-enabled digital cameras and many memory cards
Cons: Some of the bundled software is Windows-only, output quality of text is only average, requires an adapter for some memory cards

Warranty
1 year limited, with InstantExchange program