New York, NY -- Reviewed in February 2010 by PrinterComparison.com, the MX870 from Canon is the latest model in their PIXMA line of printers. It is 4-in-1 device offering its users the ability to print, scan, copy, and fax in one machine. It is slightly larger than average measuring 8.9" x 19.4" x 17.1" (H x W x D), but not overly heavy at a shade over 26 lbs. It will print at a rate of 9.4 ipm for mono jobs and 6.1 ipm for color jobs.
The Pixma MX 870 comes with a 35-sheet ADF and also includes a built-in duplexer. The input tray holds a maximum of 150 sheets at a time and there is also a rear paper tray that can hold an additional 150 sheets . It can handle multiple sizes of media from 4” x 6” photo paper up to legal-sized plain paper. With the main input tray it will automatically open (if it is closed) when a print job is queued.
This Pixma model is both PC and Mac compatible through Windows 7 and Snow Leopard. It comes with a 2.5” color LCD that is flanked by Canon’s patented Easy Scroll Wheel. There are also a variety of memory card slots and a PictBridge port for easy previewing and printing of photos. It is capable of connecting to your computer via USB, Ethernet, or wirelessly. Note that this machine, like many others today, does not ship with a USB cable.
In terms of ink, the Pixma MX870 uses five separate cartridges, which makes replacement more cost effective. The black ink cartridge, the PGI-220 is pigment-based and the four color cartridges, CLI-221s (black, cyan, magenta, and yellow) are dye-based. The cartridges that ship with the printer are all the normal capacity cartridges, as opposed to the starter cartridges some printers will ship with. The print speed was noted as slow by the reviewer, but for your patience, you are rewarded with superb quality output.
Overall, most small to medium-sized businesses could do worse for the money and will likely be pleased with what the Pixma MX870 provides. Depending on needs, a home-based business may find the convenience of 4-machines-in-1 appealing at the price as well.
