When I moved back to the city to fulfil a short term contract
employment that started with three months and has continually be
extended I didn't want to take everything with me that sits in my own
office. Purchased in March 2008 my HP 2180 at £29-50 from John Lewis
was my first foray in the world of cheap 3 in 1 printers and the HP
model has been a great all rounder despite some software issues and
paper loading problems due to its compact design.
Despite remaining cost conscious I've always been a big fan of
Canon products but they've seldom been a company who are price
competitive let alone bargain budget marketed. We're all living in hard
times which is probably why Canon have now realised they must compete
with budget brands such as Lexmark and HP and the kind of printer
scanner machine I need is something I'm not going to use every day. I'm
not the type of buyer however who often hooks onto looks but the Canon
Pixma MP270 seems to have a rather lovely look due to its glossy cream
finish (less dusting!) and I was also attracted by its £59-95 price and
many features available if you don't want to go through the usual
rigamole of starting up a computer just to use the machine! Over the HP
printer, the Canon Pixma MP270 has Canon's own PictBridge
photo-printing software built in and along with my Canon compact
camera, has been an absolute boon to use even though you don't
specifically need to own a same brand camera to take full advantage.
The same coloured beige buttons from the main body are well
labelled in greys, greens and orange colours with an option of stickers
in the box to change the names into several European languages
including Arabic and Chinese. An LED panel also shows printing progress
as well as basic indications when the Canon is in use. What I didn't
appreciate though was the lack of a spare USB to Computer cable and had
to buy an extra cord for initial use. Thankfully Canon do equip the
machine with a UK plug/power cord!
When it comes to scanning, the Pimxa MP270 has a suitable yet
efficient fast speed giving the owner options to choose between usual
standard features such as draft, main document or Auto scan. Nothing
different to the HP 2180 in this respect but I do appreciate that it
takes a faster time for the scanner to complete general projects and
the scanner has a reasonable output of 1200dpi which at best serves a
basic level of scanning quality over Canon's own price competitive
scanners alone. Oversized books and bigger than A4 sheets are easily
accommodated in the Pixma MP270 scanner though much better than the HP
2180 largely down to its physical size of its lid and much better
quality floating hinges built in. The Pixma MP270 can only however
accommodate A4 sized paper through its printer feeder.
When it comes to printing, according to Canon the Pixma MP270 has a
fast and efficient procedure managing to print at 4.8 images per minute
for colour and 8.4 images per minute for black ink printing only. It
also only takes 4 seconds for the Fast Copy program if it is selected
over the standard option. Have I timed it exactly to coincide with
Canon's actual testing? No, but on the basis that it takes me 15
minutes to walk to my bus stop I've printed a whole A4 book of 60 pages
in less than 2 minutes before walking out the door! Over the HP this is
incredibly fast (10 to 12 minutes) although I do suggest turning the
printer on once it is connected to your PC/Mac or laptop for the
systems to detect each other. With a maximum resolution of 4800dpi the
printing is identical to the quality on the HP2180 but I was delighted
to find that when printing out photos, all photos are grain free and
have good colour detail compared to the greyness I've experienced with
HP's 2180 model. The options for the photo "shop" software onboard are
simply amazing and I found the PictBridge software ingeniously easy to
access with a very helpful drop down menu and further options to access
help online. I've actually found the Pixma MP270's PictBridge software
a heck of a lot easier to understand and function than the older
software that came with my Canon camera! Thus it isn't surprising to
find that the Pixma MP270 user manual itself is well worded and
consists of 33 pages with multi languages printed along with English.
Canon's software also hooks on a tool bar permanently to web pages,
which instantly allows me to print off a web page simply by clicking on
a single button.
Over the cheap and cheerful HP 2180 the Canon Pixma MP270 has a
very similar feel to it in terms of its instant accessibility but the
quality of the unit is a lot better. This may well have something to do
with the fact that it is a heavy machine at nearly 6kg. You don't need
to go through the rigmarole however of accessing a printing driver or
program just to start up the printer, simply switch it on and if you
need something photocopied open the floating lid, insert the paper in,
fill the paper in at the top like an old fashioned printer and hit a
button to scan and then print. There are further helpful options such
as using the PictBridge software to print images from your camera,
video camera or simply a camera mobile phone too! This procedure is
like the HP 2180 but the Canon's finer details make user practicality
that little bit better. One advantage for its sole reason being
marketed towards students is a self-opening door if you forget to open
it when asking the printer to print something. The door opens weakly
and reveals a secondary paper suspension holder to ensure paper printed
doesn't get crushed when it finally emerges. Whilst I appreciate the
design input, I'm not keen on its function as the door bounces a lot
when the paper is pushed out and over time could render the hinges long
term with possible breakages to the door seals. The HP 2180 however
will refuse to print paper unless you manually open the door as well as
having a few frustrating problems.
For example paper loading in the HP2180 was a bit of trial and
patience, often the feeders that hook onto the paper when loading in
sometimes never takes the paper on and HP are famous for space saving
when putting loading paper in on the same area that the printed /final
product emerges. The Pixma MP270 allows you to put paper at the top and
it comes out at the bottom, mirroring older printers or fax machines;
so much easier here and a lot trustworthier. Even if it takes up a
little more space and in terms of space efficiency the Pixma MP270 is
bulkier than the compact and neat HP. It is very wide and long at 45cm
with a diameter of approximately 34cm and a height of 15cm. Thus you'll
need at least 5" to 8" of height where the Pixma MP270 is placed so you
can access the scanner lid never mind insert paper at the top.
Changing tanks revert to the same procedure as my parents bigger
office Epson RX620, showing at least that Canon are well aware of what
buyers could expect if they have used 3 in 1 machines before and want
similar procedures. Unlike my HP 2180 where the tanks can be replaced
underneath in the same paper loading area and sitting in a rather
feeble holder, the Canon's lid can be lifted up in an instant bringing
the whole assembly upwards and allocation to the printer guns have a
lot more space to move around with. Again quality is something that is
a bit better than the HP2180 and I'm delighted to find how easy it is
to change tanks.
This is where the downsides come up rather immediately. The cost
prices, for the moment are high for the colour tanks and black ink.
Similar to HP's "tri-color," type tanks, Canon's ink cartridges are
similar in the options available but they have something called
"ChromaLife 100 Plus," built in that simply reverts to longer lasting
ink. When I purchased the printer in August I also purchased a colour
ink that cost me £19.95 and a further single ink cartridge at around
£10. I'm still on the original tanks however and the Canon gets used
once or twice a week for large printing and scanning projects. I guess
I'm lucky that I've printed more than 500 pages colour or black ink,
but I've been largely impressed by the longevity of the ink on board.
Compared to my other printer scanner however the MP270 seems to have a
longer lasting ink procedure where if the printer isn't needed in long
term use, the print cartridges won't dry up.
The Canon Pixma MP270 isn't the most perfect 3 in 1 machine around
but it nearly gets 5 stars were it not for the fact that ink tanks are
pricey and you don't get a USB printer cable with it. For students this
is a total must, and if you want an all in one package that gives
sterling performance as well as being instantly accessible the Canon
Pixma MP270 won't let you down. For the price it does a great job for
students and amateurs who just need a basic machine to cope with
coursework or occasional use. The noise it produces isn't quiet but
then it's not too loud to become annoying - certainly for the price it
would be hard to find a quiet printer. However over the HP 2180 the
noise the Canon makes isn't hollow and that again counts in for quality
here. The photo shop software in particular is also well designed and
you also get a sample packet of 10 by 15cm glossy photo sheets to get
you started in the world of photo printing. Dressed around a curvy and
edge free style the Pixma MP270 should also blend in easily without
looking too dusty. The only feature that Canon needs to improve on
however is the price of their ink cartridges and fit a USB cable,
Canon! Thanks for reading!
canon pixma mp270 Specification
Posted at 03:40 pm by newprinter
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