Canon Pixma MP530 Office All-In-One Inkjet Photo Printer
by Canon
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List Price: Our Price: $160.00 You Save: $137.92 (46%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon Pixma MP530 Office All-In-One Inkjet Photo Printer
Customer Review: Great All in One!
Summary: 5 Stars
For the past 15 years or so I've pretty much used HP or Epson printers. Over the years the print quality and features kept improving and the prices kept coming down, but the quality of the printers has also suffered.
When my HP died a few weeks ago (only 2 years old w/light useage) I went down to our local mega store to look at new models. The salesman showed me the most highly rated HP all in one. The features were good, but I just couldn't believe how cheap and plasticky the HP machines felt! I could literally pick it up with one hand, and the lid hinges were so cheap that I couldn't see how they'd last more than a few months. Disgusted, I asked about other models, and that's when he showed me the Canon line.
I must admit that Canon printers were prety much totally off my radar screen. But in looking at them closer, I was REALLY impressed with the build quality of the MP530. I also liked the individual ink cartridges (which are transparent so you can SEE if they're empty or not) and the low cost-per-page print costs compared to HP, epson, etc. Double-sided copies and high quality photo printing were just icing on the cake!
I just got the MP530 a few days ago, and so far I'm REALLY impressed--this may be the best printer I've ever had! Printed text files are razor sharp--you really have a hard time telling that it's not from a laser printer. The copy machine feature works great (two-sided copies are a little slow but one-sided are really, really fast!) I also like the document feed tray on top that auto-feeds the copier (or FAX) saving me time. I also really like that you can have two differant types of paper loaded at the same time (i.e. photo paper and plain white copier paper) and you can select the tray/paper with the click of a button.
The FAX machine works great--easy to set up and easy to use. Same thing for the scanner. While the resolution is high, I still wouldn't try to realistically scan negatives, slides, or photos and expect top-quality results, but hey, this unit sells for less than $200!!! Scaniing text and even photos into a PDF file is simple and fast.
Maybe one of the best features (that many other copier/printer companies DO NOT have) you can actually remove and replace the print head! The print heads on some inkjet printers will clog if they're not used regularly (Epson's are notorious for this) but if the heads can't be unplugged by the self-diagnostic program you basically have to throw the printer out because sending it in for a factory print head replacement will cost more than buying a new printer!
All in all I'm totally impressed with this Canon all-in-one and I HIGHLY recommend it to others!!
UPDATE!!! 1/09: Despite my initial enthusiasm with this printer, I can now say that I would NOT recommend this printer to anyone!!! Why? Because Canon puts profits before customer satisfaction by
programming their printers to COMPLETELY STOP WORKING IF JUST ONE
INK CARTRIDGE IS LOW!!! I discovered this when one of my color ink cartridges ran low, thus shutting down the entire printer--not even allowing me to print in black and white even though both black ink cartridges were brand new! I was on a very important deadline and I desperately needed to FAX a document, but because Canon cripples their printers in order to get you go and buy their new ink cartridges right away, I was unable to print what I needed. I even called Canon's customer service, and they admitted that yes, even if all the other cartridges are full if one is low the printer will not function at all!!!
Additionally, because Canon wants to make sure that you ONLY buy their over-priced ink cartridges, each cartridge comes with a little computer chip on it whose sole purpose is to ensure that you don't buy and can't use aftermarket ink cartridges that cost far less. While this system may work well to protect Canon's profits, several of the factory Canon cartridges that I bought new would not work because the printer refused to identify and use them because there are known problems with the ink cartridge chips not being read correctly by the printer!
As a consumer, I'm sick and tired of all the proprietary nonsense that the printer manufacturers force upon us just to protect their outrageous markups on the ink cartridges. I refuse to do business with Canon until they stop crippling their customer's printers just to increase their
ink sales. Shame on you Canon!!!!
Customer Review: All that and more....
Summary: 5 Stars
I researched multifunction printers for over 2 weeks before finally deciding on buying this one. I used to just buy the typical HP stuff that you would normally see at Costco, but after having 3 HPs all fail the same way, I decided to look for a better manufacturer. (They all stopped feeding paper after so many reams of paper.) A friend of mine turned me on to Canon. I must say this is virtually an all plastic printer, however you can really feel the "sturdiness" when comparing it to other manufacturers. I don't know if it's the thickness of the plastic or the formula of the plastic, but it just feels well built. The footprint is somewhat large compared to other 2007 HP models, (This printer is over a year old now). The MP830 is even larger, so check them out in person at a regular store before you decide to buy online.The shapes of these things are somewhat awkward, so they can appear larger than they actually are or vice versa. I was going to get the MP830 because it's canon's flagship multifunction printer, however it was just too big and the perks didn't justify the difference in cost from the MP530.
I bought my MP530 at a local brick and mortar store new for $159. This is $20 cheaper than Amazon. If you're not in a hurry, waiting a few more weeks or months may yield another drop in price. However the problem is that even at this price, these things are selling out quick. Since this printer is about a year old, I would suggest you check locally for a store unloading their inventory for the new fall gadgets. Now more specifics about the MP530 itself.
Copying - Put the paper on the glass, choose copy, hit either black or color and BAM, the front opens up a hidden door and your copy spits out.
Fax - You have to set it to manual. There are a myriad number of choices and selections to add here. You can customize the headers of every page you send, print activity reports, transmission reports, etc. This function is almost like having a $2000 copy/fax machine like you would see in a typical corporate workplace. Lots of user flexibility here. To use the fax you just put the document on the auto-feeder, hit black or color ink and bam - you're done!
Printing- Photos IMO come out just like you had film developed. I cannot tell the difference between printed vs. exposed film paper. YES, it's that good. To be fair to the printer, get on Canon's website and download a typical 7 MP photo then print it off. I have not tried anything beyond a 4X6 print, so it may get more grainy as size goes up but I have not tried this yet. Normal day in day out printing is smooth and fast. You have a number of ways to choose speed vs quality so you can spare your ink somewhat.
Scanner - Choose Scan, click black or color ink, BAM you're done.
Yes, it's that easy and smooth. To summarize, I would say this printer does it all. I am completely happy with this purchase, even if it does consume a lot of ink like others have mentioned. You really get what you pay for and more.
Pros:
-Works as advertised
-Several functions and settings to choose from
-Easy to use
Cons:
- ink consumption has been mentioned by others, but I haven't had it long enough to assess this
- Must use Canon inks. This is probably the biggest con about this printer. Canon is using a proprietary electronic eprom on it's printer cartridges. You cannot use third party cartridges without getting an error. I don't care about this because I will just buy canon ink. Check the prices of inkjet refills. The canon inks are mostly cheaper than other manufacturers and give you better prints to boot. You do however have 5 ink tanks to change, so overall I am sure it's more expensive than the competition with a 3 or 4 cartridge setup.
Aside from that, I would highly recommend this multifunction printer. GET YOURS TODAY BEFORE THEY ARE GONE!!
Customer Review: economical
Summary: 5 Stars
Summary:
If your goal is to print pictures you can get faster/better printers. If your goal is true multifunction and cheap initial cost and low 'cost per page' -- this one is great and does pictures 'OK' too.
Pros:
* Cost per page back ink is on par with laser printer (at the time I purchased)
* Cost for the printer at Amazon was $50 off the price of anywhere else (at the time I purchased)
* Cost per page for color ink is cheaper than cost per page in black and white ink (got this info from a computer review magazine comparing multiple printers -- I can't find it online or I would put a link here -- sorry)
* Duplexing uses the cheaper color ink even if in black and white mode (I think this is because the color ink is designed to dry faster so it won't smear on the inner rollers when duplexing)
* I *think* draft mode also uses the cheaper color ink. (I think the more expensive black ink is reserved for the higher DPI needed for sharp text)
* paper tray keeps the dust off of your paper when not printing
* was able to get faxing working over VOIP (vonage - not officially supported but I did get it to work)
Cons:
* Couldn't get copy enlargement to work -- probably is my misunderstanding of how to use it.
* There are better printers out there for color photo printing (Info from same magazine article I mentioned above)
* This is a much larger unit than my last Canon printer which was just a printer and not a multifunction.
* Other reviewers have reported this printer will not attempt to print faxes or do other functions when you are low or out of ink -- be sure to keep spare ink cartridges handy.
Note: The little ink refill shops sell a refillable 'chipped' Cannon cartridge so if you really want to use refills you can. But as I mentioned above - cost per page rivals a laser printer so unless you are a publishing shop you will probably be happy with new Canon cartridges and won't have the worry of gumming up the works with inferior quality ink.
Details:
Someone who's opinion I respect suggested my getting a laser printer for cheap ink costs, but laser printers also eat energy with the heating drum and cost a lot more to begin with. This this inkjet printer has such affordable ink (even buying cartages new from Canon) that is is cheaper to use than most laser printers for black and white printing -- on top of that - color printing is cheaper than black and white printing? nice. When I refer to 'ink costs' I am referring to 'cost per page'. The second thing to note is the ink cartridges are individual so you don't have to buy some huge expensive cartridge when only one color has run low (The HP units I tried had the colors all in one cartridge)
I use VOIP (vonage) for my phone line over Verison FOIS -- I called vonage and had them break up the packets for my account as small as possible, then turned up the quality of line settings and then set the fax to lowest speed on the MP530 -- now I can send/receive faxes with this unit over VOIP.
I bought this one about 6 months ago through a great deal on amazon and have been using it with windows (Compaq laptop) and apple machines (Intel Mac Pro) The only issue I have right now when i place an item and choose 'copy' and then 'enlarge/reduce' and select 'fit to page' and 'OK' it does not change to 'auto' in the LCD window as the manual states it should.
I have had both HP and canon (and old matrix Epsons..) printers and the Canons never disappoint in quality and cost of ink.
Enjoy!
Customer Review: Canon MP530: An all-in-one with FANTASTIC photo quality
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had the MP530 for two years, and I absolutely love it! I am a freelance photographer, so I wanted something that could produce excellent photo prints. I am also a musician, and I print my own promotional materials, which again requires excellent print quality. I also needed at least an average-quality scanner and I have limited space. That's why I went with an all-in-one, but my main concern was photo quality:
I can honestly say that the MP530 prints better photos than Wal-Mart! Wal-Mart's photo printers probably cost something like $30,000. The MP530 costs $100-$150, and with high quality photo paper, it does a better job! I only know this because I did a test: I printed six 4x6 photographs on the MP530, and I also ordered prints of the same six shots from Wal-Mart. My personal opinion was that the MP530's shots were better. Then I showed all the prints to my friends and family, and I asked them to pick which ones they thought were better, and also which ones they thought were done by me at home and which were done by Wal-Mart. I referred to each copy as "A" or "B". "A" was the MP530 prints, but I didn't tell anyone that. Non one knew which was which. EVERYONE picked all the "A" copies as the better prints, and EVERYONE thought that the "A" copies were from Wal-Mart! When I told them that they were actually printed at home on the MP530, they were all very surprised. I should mention that I used the Canon Glossy photo paper that came included in the printer box. I should also mention that some of the participants were graphic designers and photographers, and everyone participated separately, not as a group.
As far as the scanner goes, I don't use it often, but when I do, I get great results. I'm sure there are other scanners that are better, but I have scanned 4x6 photographs, cropped and resized them to 8x10, then ordered huge prints at 16x20 and I have been very happy with the results.
The copier works great, too. Fast, sharp copies with the push of one button. What more could you want?
I only used the fax once. The process was easy once I read the manual and set it up properly. I may never need to use the fax again, but it's nice to know it's there if I need it.
The ink lasts as long as other printers, if not longer. The ability to change individual colors is supposed to save you money, and I think it does, but not enough to make a huge difference. The ink is expensive, but that goes for all printers, doesn't it? It's worth it, though. Canon says it won't fade for 100 years and I believe them, because my prints have been exposed to sunlight for two years are there is absolutely no sign of fading. I would never use off-brand ink because the color probably won't be accurate, it will probably fade or smear, and it might damage the printer, so what would be the point?
In the two years I've owned this printer, it has never taken more than one sheet at time (my HP printer always did that), and I've never had a paper jam, except for once, when I tried to feed a sheet of card stock with two severely damaged corners. But if that sheet only had ONE damaged corner, I'm sure the MP530 could've handled it.
If you want a printer that makes absolutely flawless photographs, buy the MP530 and get the scanner, copier and fax as a bonus. I really don't see how any stand-alone photo printer could print any better than this.
Customer Review: Very satisfied and impressed
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used several multifunction machines before (all with fax function). All of them were HP until my last HP died after 2 years of minimum use (printing about 30 pages a week including faxes and scaning 5 pages a month). When I was researching for a new multifunction machine, one of my top criteria was cheaper consumables.
After researching many multifunction machines with fax that range from $150 to $900, I found Canon MP530 and after using it for a month, I am very impressed. I was open to buying a color laser but it seems the technology for color laser all-in-one hasn't matured yet. The reason for considering laser was the problem I had about dried ink cartridges. For my minimum usage, a laser machine wouldn't have the problem of clogged cartridges.
Printing is fast. The draft quality is better than my old HP. Quality in standard is very good and crisp. I rarely print brochure or pictures in-house, so I cannot comment on the highest printing quality on photo paper. For memos and basic color prints, it is excellent and the driver allows many special printing features that I didn't think of and have helped my productivity quite a bit. I saw a review complaining about the duplex printing, I haven't run into any problem with that so far.
The best part I like about this printer is the ink tank. Each color has its own ink tank, so I do not need to throw away the whole color cartridge just because it runs out of 1 color. The print heads are separate from the ink tanks, so I am not paying for the ink head each time I replace a cartridge. This shows on the ink tanks price compare to HP's ink cartridges.
The machine is well built and is not flimpsy like some of the HP's all-in-one in the similar price range. I like the tray opens automatically when it is printing, more a geek gadget and I love it. One complaint I have is the Sleep Mode, everytime a call comes in or when I use the phone that is attached to the machine, it comes out of sleep mode. I understand why it is doing that but I would prefer if the machine doesn't need to completely come out of sleep mode just to monitor the telephone line. At any case, it is better than my old HP which didn't even have sleep mode to conserve energy.
HP manual wasn't great but it was clear to me about how to set up the fax machine to the configuration I want. The Canon manual is better but I was confused about the fax machine different configurations. Tech support was fast and knowledgeable to help me with this issue.
Scanning isn't excellent compare to my dedicated scanner. However, it is not bad. I would say it is good in quality and for an all-in-one, I wasn't expecting it to be a professional grade Epson scanner.
In terms of software, I never like to use the printer's software. However, I do like the scanning software (MPNavigator) although I use Photoshop to scan images. The MPNavigator is easy to use and my office found it faster to use MPNavigator for basic scanning instead of going through Photoshop. In addition, I can't use Photoshop to do batch scanning.
Generally, I think this is the best inkjet all-in-one I have seen and the price is excellent for such a well-built machine. After using this machine, I wonder why I didn't buy Canon earlier and why others would pass this on for a HP or Brother.