Roundup: 13 Multifunction Printers : Canon Pixma MP240
3. Canon Pixma MP240
Using the LCD indicator, you can choose to make between one and nine copies at once. A color page takes around a minute, compared to 23 seconds for a black and white text document. These aren't excellent speeds--the color in particular is sluggish--but for occasional use they are perfectly acceptable.
The scanner is quite quick, taking just seven seconds to prepare an initial preview of a 4 x 6-inch print and then another nine to scan it at 300 dpi. Scanned images are a touch too bright, but that's typical of almost all scanners.
Canon recently refreshed its entry-level all-in-one printer and modified the cartridges. The new cartridges still have three different ink tanks in a single color cartridge, along with a second cartridge devoted to black.
We thought we'd never stop repeating the mantra that a"cheap" printer will come back to bite you with pricey cartridges, but Canon's new cartridges have proved us wrong.
On the condition that you use the special high capacity version cartridges, which are only marginally more expensive than the regular cartridges, you'll find they last forever and bring down the total cost of ownership of this printer.
The models you need to look out for to get the most of the MP240 are the PG-512 (black) and the CL-513 (color) cartridges which make this new all-in-one more efficient than the much pricier MP620 (which ships with separate cartridges for each ink color, usually thought to be more economical).
Simple Interface, High Speeds
LCD screens are reserved for classier models, and using this printer without one is a little tricky. It's much easier to see what the printer is up to when there are a few lines of text to guide you, and a screen also helps when connecting directly to the printer to print photos rather than reading any messages on the computer screen.
Even though it is an entry-level printer, the MP240 is relatively speedy, reaching up to thirteen pages per minute (ppm) on our test document in draft mode, and six and eight ppm of color and black and white printing respectively in normal mode.
These speeds are certainly not the fastest on the market but they are more than acceptable for home users.
The problem with bringing this printer into your home is that it is very noisy. As soon as you print a document, the mechanism that picks up the sheet of paper is incredibly loud, and things don't get any quieter during printing, either.
You can root around in the software to activate a silent mode, but then the printer ends up a lot slower. Speed or silence: it's up to you to decide which you value more. Worth mentioning: you can program the printer to default to silent mode at certain times of day.
Quality Printing
However much you pay for your all-in-one, its print quality is one of the most important questions. Here, you certainly won't be disappointed. Office documents arrive with sharp, dark characters and clear color graphics.
Photos, meanwhile, are very nicely handled, even if the coloring is a little exaggerated sometimes. The high saturation won't escape the attention of amateur photographers looking for good color fidelity, but the colors are generally reasonable.
Canon has two different sets of cartridges for the MP240. There's the PG-510 and the CL-511, which are shipped with the printer, but you can replace these with the PG-512 and the CL-513. The second set is a little more expensive than the first, but offers exceptional performance. The exact cost per page depends on how much each type of cartridge costs, and it's often possible to find reductions and special offers making the bigger cartridges even better value for money.
Cartridge Tests
| Cartridge | Lifespan (A4 pages) |
| PG-510 (black) | 220 |
| PG-512 (black--high capacity) | 401 |
| CL-511 (color) | 244 |
| CL-513 (color--high capacity) | 349 |
| Cartridge | Lifespan (prints) |
| PG-510 (black) | 2760 |
| PG-512 (black--high capacity) | 5205 |
| CL-511 (color) | 97 |
| CL-513 (color--high capacity) | 144 |
| Canon Pixma MP240 | |
|---|---|
| Pluses | Minuses |
|
|
The MP240 is an all-in-one that offers an excellent compromise between quality, speed and ink costs. It is too loud in normal mode (and too slow in silent mode) to be an unqualified success, though, and the lack of an LCD screen limits the amount of things that it can do without the PC interface.
Compare prices on Canon Pixma MP240
I've used Epson photo quality printers at home for years and have been very happy with the print quality and costs. My only issue, is that after a few years 3-5 they clog up and print unevenly. The good news is by then, the newer printers have much better quality and cost less.
if you guys at toms still have these machines i would love to find out if they still work after you leave them sitting for a month and a bit.
my biggest issue with all ink jets is they dry up on me.
i have been through both cheap and pricy ones and all die.
i have given up and turned to mono laser and for the rare occasion i need colour i go to the local copy shop.
the only think I can say is I'll NEVER buy an Epson printer. Good quality colors, yes, but SHIT ink design.
I am still using my HP officejet 1170c which must be well over 10 years old now and not a problem yet (touch wood) would never touch a lexmark again last one lasted about a year and went in the bin
here's a tip for dainsane1 - leave the printer on 24/7 to fix drying/clogging print heads
I just bought a MP620 and so far so good, great quality printing, photos are fantastic, but must use Canon paper for this and so much easier to set-up than and Brother MFC machine (what a nightmare!) had Epson before this and it crapped out after 2.5 years. Its so good to have a WIFI machine !!! At least in Auckland its so damp the jets will never dry out!
This is a really poor article,
1/ some list cartrige span, some don't/
2/ prices? where are they?
3/ Is this easy to use as its simply easy on the front panel? or has the reviewer actually used it?
4/ I could go on and on, I can't make much sense out of whihc to go for, no conclusion, limited info, few facts, duplex?
terrible article, read elsewhere....
Stinkyink now offer ink cartridges for the Kodak ESP5 ink. Oh and it's free delivery too!
Stinkyink now offer ink cartridges for the Kodak ESP7 ink. Oh and it's free delivery too!