Canon PIXMA MX330 Printer Review
Make/Model: Canon PIXMA MX330
Type: Home or Small Office All-in-one Inkjet
Web site: www.canon.co.uk
Typical online price: £101 (£89)
Canon’s PIXMA MX330 shows why all-in-one printers are vastly outselling single-function equivalents. It prints as well as many single-function machines, it will fax, copy and scan, and it includes an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) as standard, all for just over £100.
Canon has introduced a new, slim-line version of the integral ADF, which neatly fits into the raised top surface of the machine. The sloping edge of the ADF surround includes the control panel, as well as a small colour LCD, presenting all the usual status information.
Controls are logical and the machine is simple to use. Unusually, there are no memory card slots, but there is a PictBridge socket that also functions as an interface for USB drives. Paper feeds straight through the PIXMA MX330, from a paper tray at the back to a fold-down output tray at the front, which cleverly opens automatically, if you forget to click it open.
Under the lid sits a standard A4 flatbed scanner. Scan quality is good; the 1200 x 2400ppi scan head returns detailed, accurate images. The scanner section lifts up to give access to the black and tri-colour ink cartridges.
Print speeds are reasonable for a machine at this price; our 20-page black text test completed at a speed of 6.3ppm and our 5-page text and colour graphics test produced a speed of 2.2ppm. For once, these are close to the quoted values from the manufacturer and are partly a result of the new ISO standard for speed testing, which Canon is the first manufacturer we’ve seen to use.
Canon uses pigmented black ink and gives good quality black print; text is densely black and cleanly formed. Colour prints are clean and bright and photo prints meet Canon’s usual high standard, with very impressive levels of detail, even in shadowy areas. As is often the case, full colour copies come out a bit paler than the originals, but are otherwise reproduced well.
The colour cost is around a penny per page higher than from competitive machines and could make it expensive to run if used for large print volumes. Given the market it’s in, though, aimed at home use, it’s likely print volumes will be low and running costs won’t be a key issue.
Verdict
Canon’s PIXMA MX330 is a stylish and well-designed machine. It offers excellent print quality at reasonable speeds, all for around £100. Running costs are perhaps a little high, but for many home or small-office users, this machine would be a good choice.
Running Costs: 6/10
Speed: 6.3ppm black, 2.2ppm colour, measured 8/10
Print quality
Text print: 9/10
Text/Graphics: 9/10
Photo 9/10
Features: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
