This is the first time I have used City Ink Express after buying numerous cheap CISS systems which have either not worked at all or ruined the print head after a month or so. I decided that the extra cost was worth it for the customer support, warranty and hopefully better quality system and ink. I originally ordered a Canon MG5150 CISS bundle but Shane emailed me very promptly asking if it would be ok to upgrade the order to the next model up (Canon MG5250) at no extra cost which I gratefully accepted. The printer arrived the next day and I had great communication from the courier. Everything was packaged well and all boxes undamaged.
Next step was setting the machine and CISS system up. As with all City Ink Express systems you can find very helpful tutorial videos on their YouTube channel so this is where I headed first and found the video to match the printer. The video was very thorough and easy to follow which made setup a breeze. As with most multi-function printers, CISS systems can be difficult to route due to having a scanner on top. This means that the lid on this model has to stay open slightly but a metal bracket is included for the job. The only criticism I have of the CISS system is the metal bracket may not be substantial enough to support scanning heavier items such as books as it only supports one side of the lid. It may be an idea to include two brackets, one for each side of the printer, to better distribute the weight of the scanner and make it more stable with the CISS system installed. Other than that setup went without a hitch following the video and everything I needed.
This is how the printer looks once setup is complete. Even with the lid open slightly everything functions as normal. I was worried that the slight slant may make scanning more difficult but the scanner is aligned from the back left corner so I found the slant actually helped keep documents in place.
When the printer was turned on for the first time it detected the cartridges and began its priming process which took around 5 minutes. I had to do a single head clean to pump some ink through the CISS system and remove any air from the tubes and after this the printer performed perfectly. All colours print well and look vibrant and text is very clear.
Overall I am extremely pleased with both the Canon MG5250 printer and the CISS system from City Ink Express. Shane replied to any questions I had promptly before purchase and the level of customer service throughout the transaction was superb. I have bought many CISS systems over the years and some have been disastrous. From now on I will be paying a bit extra and buying from City Ink Express. The quality of the system and ink seems far superior to any CISS system I have bought previously and I have somewhere I can go back to for refills which will be of the same high quality as the ink already in the system which is a big plus for me! I will be highly recommending City Ink Express from now on.
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