Multifunction Printers: Reviews

Updated March 2009

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Office multifunction printer with fax

*Est. $180 Compare Prices

Professional and user reviews identify the Canon Pixma MX850 as the best multifunction printer overall, particularly for small offices. Text and graphics quality is first rate, with particularly nice photos. Regardless of… the type of output, the MX850 is fast. It includes an Ethernet connector for network use. The automatic document feeder holds just 35 sheets, and the dual input trays hold 150 sheets each. Duplex printing (printing on both sides of the paper) is a little slow. This is also a bulky all-in-one printer, measuring about 20 inches by 19 inches by 10 inches and weighing a hefty 43 pounds.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

PCMag.com: PC Magazine thoroughly tests most major printers and gives the Canon Pixma MX850 an Editors' Choice award, despite a tendency to ...

Macworld: Macworld publishes results of its various tests and assigns an overall score that makes comparisons relatively simple. Reviewer ...

PrinterInfo.com: PrinterInfo.com does extremely thorough, credible reviews that are lacking only in their failure to rate printers against each ...

IT Reviews.com: While not a go-to source for printer reviews, IT Reviews is highly credible and tests what it reviews. It likes just about ...

Amazon.com: More than 160 owner reviews combine to give a very high rating to the Canon Pixma MX850. There are some varied complaints about ...

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Compact MFP with fax

Epson Workforce 600

*Est. $200 Compare Prices

If you want a full-featured multifunction printer but don't want something that takes over your desk, reviews point to the compact Epson Workforce all-in-one printer. Compared with the Canon Pixma 850, the Epson MFP is… about 2 inches smaller all around, and it weighs almost half as much. Photos and text printing, along with scans and copies from both printers, are great. And both have a preview screen for photos. One reason it's so compact is that the Epson MFP has one 100-sheet paper tray, smaller than some all-in-one printers. Lastly, the Epson includes both wired and wireless networking (the Canon Pixma 850 is wired only). Some owners did find setup tricky.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: The Epson Workforce 600 is among the approximately 40 multifunction printers tested and ranked by editors at Consumer Reports, ...

Macworld: Macworld shows testing results and assigns an overall score (four out of five for the Epson Workforce 600). The gist is that the ...

HardwareCentral.com: This is a thorough review based on hands-on testing, including print speed. Writer Eric Grevstad says the Epson Workforce 600, ...

About.com: Testing methods aren't described, but hands-on use is obvious. Peter Piazza, About.com's guide to printers and scanners, gives ...

TestFreaks.com: This is a decent run-through of how the Epson Workforce 600 works, but we wouldn't call it "testing" or even much a review, as ...

Amazon.com: The Epson Workforce 600 gets a good overall score from about 100 owner reviews, about half giving it the maximum five stars and ...

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Best budget MFP, no fax

Canon Pixma MP480

*Est. $70 Compare Prices

Reviews say that its combination of print quality, features and price make the Canon Pixma MP480 an almost-unbeatable bargain in an all-in-one printer. Critics say it is easy to use, has robust copying features and… includes a small 1.8-inch LCD screen for previewing prints. You can print directly from most memory cards and cameras. Experts say the Canon Pixma MP480 is a good budget choice if you don't need to fax, with good looking photos and very good text quality, but copy and scan quality are better on more expensive MFPs. Still, the Canon MP480 outperforms sub-$100 models from HP, Brother and Lexmark in both regards.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Macworld: Macworld publishes results of its numerous lab tests as well as assigning an overall score (the Canon Pixma MP480 gets four out ...

PC World (Australia): The Australian version of PC World does its own review and gives the Canon Pixma MP480 3.5 out of five stars. James Hutchinson ...

About.com: Peter Piazza, About.com's guide to printers and scanners, gives the Canon Pixma MP480 3.5 out five stars, saying it's good for ...

ConsumerReports.org: The older Canon Pixma MP470, rather than the Canon Pixma MP480, is among the approximately 40 multifunction printers that ...

Amazon.com: About two dozen owner reviews weigh in on the Canon Pixma MP480, all but one giving it four or the maximum five stars at this ...

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Best photo quality, no fax

Canon Pixma MP980

*Est. $240 Compare Prices

Canon's Pixma MP980 rates highly in reviews that focus on photo printing. The printer's features include the ability to scan and print from 35mm film and slides, and a large 3.5-inch LCD screen for photo previewing and… editing. Its six ink cartridges include light gray, which all critics agree results in especially superb printing of monochrome photos. Its two input trays include one with a straight paper path designed for thicker photo media. Business features include wireless or wired network connectivity and duplexing. Some reviewers aren't crazy about text printing, but photos are beautiful.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

PCMag.com: PC Magazine says the Canon Pixma MP980 earns an Editors' Choice rating due to its exceptional photo prints and its ability to ...

Imaging-Resource.com: In this review geared to photographers, Mike Pasini gives the Canon Pixma MP980 "outright prolonged applause" overall, praising ...

TrustedReviews.com: Trusted Reviews tests speed and print costs, assigning numerical scores in various categories. Overall, the Canon Pixma MP980 ...

PC World: While PC World had not yet published a full review at the time of our visit, the posted lab-test results are helpful. There's ...

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports tests, ranks and reviews the older Canon Pixma MP970 but not the Canon Pixma MP980 among the approximately 40 ...

Amazon.com: Just a handful of the approximately 40 owner reviews rate the Canon Pixma MP980 lower than four out of five stars. Most of the ...

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Tabloid-sized MFP with fax

Brother MFC-6490cw

*Est. $295 Compare Prices

The Brother MFC-6490cw is expensive compared with some of the other MFPs in this chart, but it has a trick up its sleeve -- it can't print on tabloid-sized (11 inches by 17 inches) paper -- the size preferred for folded… flyers, menus and newsletters. Most other MFPs in this price range can print only up to legal size (8.5 inches by 14 inches). Otherwise, the Brother is a full-featured inkjet MFP, with a 50-page ADF, wired and wireless networking, two paper drawers holding a total of 400 sheets, direct printing from cameras and memory cards, and an LCD preview screen. The big downside is that this printer is slow, so it wouldn't be the best choice for busy offices.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

PCMag.com: PC Magazine's review gives the Brother MFC-6490cw an Editors' Choice award, primarily because it's inexpensive given its ...

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports thoroughly tests and ranks about 40 multifunction printers, including the Brother MFC-6490cw. There is a ratings ...

TrustedReviews.com: Trusted Reviews produces solid testing, including speed and cost per print, and assigns each printer an overall score and scores ...

PC Pro: PC Pro publishes short reviews, but hands-on testing is evident. The Brother MFC-6490cw "excels at no particular printing, ...

IT Reviews.com: IT Reviews is certainly credible, but its reviews are short and usually don't compare one printer against others. This review ...

Amazon.com: The Brother MFC-6490cw gets a high average score based on about 30 owner reviews, almost everyone rating it four or the maximum ...

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Laser multifunction printer, with fax

Brother MFC-7840W

*Est. $285 Compare Prices

Laser printers can't hold a candle to inkjet printers when it comes to photo quality, and even the gap in text quality for all but the smallest character sizes is largely gone. However, when it comes to big print jobs and… speedy output, lasers still hold most of the cards compared with inkjet all-in-ones. Toner costs are also lower, especially for black and white printers such as the Brother MFC-7840W. It's rated to produce 10,000 printed pages per month -- more than twice as much as inkjet MFPs.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

PCMag.com: PC Magazine diligently tests the Brother MFC-7840W and gives it an Editors' Choice award. Writer M. David Stone says it offers ...

Macworld: Macworld bases its reviews on thorough testing and assigns a score that makes for easy comparison. Reviewer Brian Chen calls the ...

TrustedReviews.com: Trusted Reviews not only rates printers -- the Brother MFC-7840 gets a score of nine out of ten -- it also publishes results of ...

PC Pro: PC Pro rates printers after hands-on testing. Mike Jennings likes the Brother MFC-7840W well enough as a versatile and ...

About.com: About.com's printer guide, Peter Piazza, gives his maximum rating to the Brother MFC-7840, saying it's a good choice if you don't ...

Amazon.com: About 50 owner reviews combine to give the Brother MFC-7840W a very high rating, with about 60 percent giving it the highest ...

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Clary Business Machines

Epson Artisan 800 *Est. $275

4 picks including: About.com, Amazon.com…

HP Officejet Pro L7680 *Est. $250

3 picks including: Amazon.com, CNet.com…

HP Officejet L7780 *Est. $350

2 picks including: Amazon.com, Business Week…

Brother MFC-9440CN *Est. $560

2 picks including: Amazon.com, CNet.com…

Canon Pixma MP970 Discontinued

2 picks including: Amazon.com, CNet.com…

Canon Pixma MX7600 *Est. $350

2 picks including: Amazon.com, CNet.com…

Canon Pixma MP470 Discontinued

2 picks including: Amazon.com, CNet.com…

Canon Pixma MP620 *Est. $140

2 picks including: Amazon.com, Laptop Magazine…

HP Officejet J4680 *Est. $130

2 picks including: Amazon.com, HardwareCentral.com…


	Epson Artisan 800 Wireless Photo All-in-One Printer (Black)(C11CA29201) from Amazon.com New: Too low to display In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	HP Officejet Pro L7780 Color All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier (C8192A#ABA) from Amazon.com New: Too low to display In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	Brother MFC-9440CN Color Laser All-in-One Printer with Built-in Ethernet Network Interface from Amazon.com New: $539.79 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	Canon Pixma MP970 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer (2181B002) from Amazon.com New: $229.95 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	Canon PIXMA MX7600 Office All-in-One Printer from Amazon.com New: Too low to display In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	Canon Pixma MP470 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer (2177B002) from Amazon.com New: Too low to display In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	Canon MP620 Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer, 2921B002 from Amazon.com New: Too low to display In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	HP OfficeJet J4680 All-in-One Wireless Printer from Amazon.com New: Too low to display In Stock. Average Customer Review:

Multifunction Printers: Reviews

Office multifunction printer with fax

Compact MFP with fax

Best budget MFP, no fax

Best photo quality, no fax

Tabloid-sized MFP with fax

Laser multifunction printer, with fax

Multifunction Printers by Price Range