Few printers capture the imagination in the PC Pro office like a large format inkjet. The possibilities - spectacular A3+ photos or big, bold business documents - are much greater than with a standard A4 printer. The iX7000 is for offices, claims Canon, and its chief office credential is its price.

Few printers capture the imagination in the PC Pro office like a large format inkjet. The possibilities - spectacular A3+ photos or big, bold business documents - are much greater than with a standard A4 printer.

The Canon Pixma iX7000 Inkjet Business Printer ($399.99 direct) is the third inkjet printer I've seen in the past several months that can print on tabloid (11- by 17-inch) or larger-size paper and is aimed tightly at small offices-particularly micro and home offices.

Can't load both letter- and tabloid-size at once to switch between them easily

This large-format inkjet is excellent for cost-sensitive small businesses and home offices. Top-notch results with plain paper, plus auto-duplex printing, make it one of the most versatile single-function inkjets you can buy.

Excellent-quality text on plain paper; Paper sizes up to 13x19 inches; Auto-duplex printing; Three paper paths

Inconsistent print speeds; Too large for most desks

Last month we reviewed HP's Officejet 7000 , an A3+ inkjet printer with print quality, performance and running costs to rival a laser printer. A3 colour prints are useful in office environments, but while an A3 colour laser costs upwards of ￡1,000, the Officejet 7000 costs just ￡185.

Easy to configure the driver and software on our print server; Works well for my Design department to use as their AutoCAD plotter; Thanks Newegg for another sweet deal

The printer is rather bulky; and does take up a good amount of desktop real estate

An appealing low-cost alternative to an A3 colour laser printer for office use, but HP's Officejet 7000 is faster and better value.

Most inkjet printers designed to handle paper up to A3+ are aimed primarily at the photo enthusiast or graphics professional. However, Canon's Pixma iX7000 is directed at the small office market, where plain paper prints are more prevalent and larger page sizes are needed more for posters,...

The Canon PIXMA iX7000 is a behemoth. At 410mm high and 710mm deep with trays fully extended, this A3+ inkjet printer takes up a substantial amount of desk space.

Canon has managed to create a number of exceptional large-format or wide-format printers in recent years. Most of these printers have focused on providing working photographers with a way to create lab-quality prints as large as 13x19 inches without needing to rely on a traditional photo lab.

Exceptional image quality; High-capacity paper cassette; Reasonable cost and easy on ink

Big and heavy; No built-in Wi-Fi; Slower than the competition