It is not often that Canon produces a system with this many features at such an affordable price. The i-SENSYS LBP-5050 is a tidy printer which is perfect for home use and comes with a high enough quality that will make it stand out from similar Hewlett-Packards which have come to dominate the low-range, personal use market.
Design
The design of the i-SENSYS is streamlined compared to other models with a sloping face that leads into a control panel with 8 LEDs which cover low toner amounts, paper jams, and other various errors. A 150 paper tray fits into a slide out tray with a decorative baffle and various cosmetic holes covering the surface. The front of the machine has a single page insert for letters and other specialty prints while the USB and power slots are at the rear. The entire face of the LBP-5050 opens up to reveal a slide out cartridge housing.
Advantages
Compared to other laser printers, Canon's i-SENSYS can produce crisp prints in a full range of colours. Canon claims that this printer will produce over 8 colour prints a minute and 12 black prints a minute, which is a slight overestimate. In fact it was closer to 5 prints per minute in full colour and between 8 and 9 prints per minute with all black prints, which is not a bad speed.
Disadvantages
The 150 sheet tray is by far the biggest downside of this machine. In busy working conditions the paper slot may need to be refilled a dozen times a week which can become troublesome. It also cannot hold as many recognised computers on the network as most HP's, which means that a crowded home or office may find themselves scrambling over printer usage.
The Canon i-SENSYS LBP-5050 may not be producing professional quality photographs anytime soon or launching out 20 pages a minute, but it is still a respectable machine. The low end pricing of this printer makes it perfect for a consumer looking for Canon's quality without the Canon price tag.
