Nostalgia Meets Productivity: A Review of the Canon BJC-5100 Bubble Jet Printer
In the rapidly evolving world of technology, where wireless connectivity and ultra-high resolutions dominate the printing landscape, it's easy to overlook the workhorses of a bygone era. The Canon BJC-5100 Bubble Jet Printer is one such device—a classic that, despite its age, represented a significant step forward in home and small office printing when it was released. An updated version of the BJC-5000, the 5100 model brought a blend of affordability, speed, and versatility to the market.
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| Nostalgia Meets Productivity: A Review of the Canon BJC-5100 Bubble Jet Printer |
This review delves into the key aspects of the Canon BJC-5100, examining its design, performance, print quality, and overall value, particularly in the context of its time.
Design and Build: Compact Powerhouse
The BJC-5100 was designed with the space constraints of a small office or home user in mind. With dimensions around $19.6 \times 11.0 \times 8.74$ inches and a weight of approximately $11.6$ pounds, it possessed a small footprint relative to its capabilities. Its physical profile was notably similar to its predecessor, the BJC-5000.
The printer's design is utilitarian and functional, focusing on reliability rather than modern aesthetics. It features a straightforward paper path and a simple control panel, adhering to the standard design language of Canon's Bubble Jet series of that time.
Key Features and Specifications
What truly set the Canon BJC-5100 apart was the inclusion of features often reserved for more expensive models:
1. A3 (11" x 17") Capability
Perhaps the most compelling feature for small businesses and home users requiring larger-than-standard prints was its A3 (or $11" \times 17"$) format printing capability. This versatility allowed users to create large spreadsheets, posters, or design proofs without needing access to a separate, bulky large-format printer. While printing at A3 was slow, the functionality itself was a significant value-add in its price bracket.
2. Respectable Resolution
The printer offered a maximum resolution of $1440 \times 720$ dpi (dots per inch). This was considered a respectable output quality for both text and color graphics at the time, delivering excellent results that were more than satisfactory for general-purpose printing and non-professional photo output.
3. Improved Print Speed
Compared to the BJC-5000, the BJC-5100 boasted improved print speeds:
Black Text: Up to 16 pages per minute (ppm).
Color Graphics: Up to 4 pages per minute (ppm).
While these speeds appear modest by today's laser standards, they were competitive for a Bubble Jet printer in its class, ensuring productivity for daily tasks.
4. Media Versatility and Ink System
The BJC-5100 was flexible, capable of printing on a variety of media without requiring complex manual settings. It used the same ink cartridges as others in its series (such as the BCI-21 cartridges), and the running costs were comparable to other budget-friendly brands. The ink system utilized separate black and color cartridges (or a three-color/photo cartridge depending on the setup), allowing users to replace colors individually to a certain extent.
Performance and Output Quality
Text and Graphics
The $1440 \times 720$ dpi resolution yielded crisp, clear text that was entirely suitable for professional documents and reports. Color output was vibrant and generally accurate, making it great for presentations and color-rich documents. For its cost, the quality was widely regarded as excellent.
Photo Printing
While not a dedicated photo printer, the BJC-5100 provided a nice photo editor and optimizing software free of charge, enhancing its photo printing capabilities. The results were generally good for casual use, though they couldn't compete with the higher-end, dedicated photo printers of the time (or modern photo-centric machines).
Durability and Reliability
Many users found the BJC-5100 to be a durable machine. As with most printers of this vintage, its longevity often depended on consistent use to prevent print head clogging, a common issue with older Bubble Jet technology.
The Modern Perspective: A Legacy Challenge
For anyone considering this printer today, it's crucial to address the significant challenges posed by its age:
Driver Compatibility: Finding official drivers for modern operating systems (Windows 10/11, recent macOS versions, or contemporary Linux distributions) can be difficult, if not impossible. Users may have to rely on generic drivers or community workarounds (like the OpenPrinting project for Linux, though success with this model is often noted as problematic).
Connectivity: The printer typically uses older interfaces, such as Parallel (IEEE 1284) or early USB 1.0/1.1, making connections to modern computers complicated and often requiring adapters.
Consumables: While compatible and remanufactured cartridges (like the BCI-21 or BC-22e) may still be found from third-party suppliers, genuine Canon cartridges are likely discontinued and rare, which can lead to unpredictable ink quality and supply issues.
Conclusion: A Remarkable Printer of its Time
The Canon BJC-5100 Bubble Jet Printer was a best buy in its heyday. It successfully packaged crucial features—namely high-resolution output, respectable speed, and the unique A3 format support—into a compact and affordable package. It was a printer that offered versatility and value not often found in its price range.
For the small business or home user who needed large-format flexibility without a huge investment, the BJC-5100 was an outstanding choice and a genuine workhorse. Today, it remains a nostalgic piece of computing history, a testament to the capabilities of the early Bubble Jet technology that paved the way for modern inkjet printers.
| Feature | Assessment |
| Max Resolution | $1440 \times 720$ dpi (Excellent for the era) |
| Max Speed | 16 ppm (Black), 4 ppm (Color) (Competitive) |
| Special Feature | A3 ($11" \times 17"$) Printing (High Value) |
| Running Cost | Comparable to low-price range brands |
| Modern Viability | Low (Due to driver and connectivity challenges) |