Canon Pixma MP520 Photo All-On-One Inkjet Printer (2178B002) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It has both front and rear paper feeders. I can load two types of papers and/or envelops and select the source either with a button or through computer. This is the very best part. What I hate about HP printers: they all have only front feeder. Because front-fed papers must go a 180 degree sharp turn around, they are never able to do trouble-free envelop and double-side printing. Prints always miss top or bottom, because paper is fed either too fast or too slow, absolutely no consistency. If you print large international mailing labels/forms, you know what I mean. Paper jam is your routine with HP. Canon has no such problems at all, at least with its rear feeder.
It uses 4 separated ink cartridges for all 4 colors. With those 3-in-one cartridges, I was always scared to print graphics, because one color always went faster and the entire cartridge must be thrown away. Now I can just replace a single color and I can physically see ink level!!! Even better, these cartridges are very easy to refill. I must admit that the color cartridges popped out by themselves and I think I'll call Canon like the other reviewer. With HP, cartridges are built with print headers, making them very expensive, difficult to refill and, if doable, for few times only before the printer head got clogged and must be replaced.
More expensive Canon all-in-one, such as MP530, MP830 and MX700, are all way too huge! This one is still quite big compared to printer-only models, but I still can put it on my desktop fine. Because it is not so tall and has a flat top, I can put my stationary plate on it; so it is big but does not waste the space.
Cheaper Canon AIO, such as MX300 and MP470, all use the stupid cartridges like HP and you'll pay much more on ink! Before you buy a printer, make sure it uses at least 4 individual cartridges. For Canon current models, it means "8" series cartridges (CLI-8C/M/Y).
I can't list all the good points, just these are enough: only $110, lowest cost on ink, rear feeder (& front!) and not huge. It does all the things for me and it does them all well at the lowest cost. For some people, what it does not do: fax and CD/DVD printing (only for special and more expensive blank disks).
The very similar MP610 can print CD/DVD with an optional CD tray that you can buy from eBay or make your own. MP610 uses one more extra ink, a dye black for color printing for better contrast. MP520 uses only one pigmented black ink that's good for water resistance but slightly less ideal than dye ink for photos. Overall, MP610 produces doubled resolutions over MP520, which really does not matter to me as MP520's resolutions are already superb and it's 4 lb lighter, slightly smaller and $100 less than MP610 and one less ink tank to deal with.
MP610 can also do automatic duplexing while this MP520 can do it manually only. Auto duplex is very cool, but it is very slow compared to manual duplex, so you may end up seldom use it and miss nothing with a MP520.
So, if you do lots of top-quality photo and/or CD/DVD printing, then go with the MP610. If you need fax, add a MX300 just for that function for only $58 from Walmart; don't buy the MP530 etc. - they are huge! If you don't print much, MX300 is the one and the only one you need. Otherwise, stay with MP520. In any case, never go HP. Don't go Epson neither because their integrated printer heads (non-removable) tend to clog and no way to replace or fix. If a Cannon printer head (removable) gets clogged, you can easily take it out and clean it with a bottle of compressed air. I know what I'm talking about.

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The versatile Canon PIXMA MP520 Photo All-in-One inkjet printer lets you preview, scan, copy, and print photographs and documents with one easy machine. This all-in-one printer features a compact, streamlined design that can preview images in high resolution on its two-inch TFT display, scan beautiful images with color resolutions up to 2400 by 4800 dpi, or print photos directly from memory cards, cameras, DV camcorders, or camera phones. The printer's Easy Scroll Wheel makes operation a breeze, while the Auto-Image Fix feature ensures that every photo is stunningly clear and vivid--even when scanning difficult items such as thick notebooks or faded images. In its helpful dual-paper tray, you can neatly store plain and photo paper at the same time.
Just press the Power button and get to work, thanks to the printer's helpful Quick Start design,. Copies come out crisper than ever with the system's Dual Color Gamut Processing Technology. Compatible with Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Mac OS X 10.2.8 to 10.4.x7 operating systems, this printer comes backed by a 1-year limited manufacturer's warranty.
What's in the Box Pixma MP520 photo all-in-one printer, cross sell sheet, easy setup instructions, quick start guide, setup software and user's guide CD-ROM, user's guide, PGI-5 black ink tank, CLI-8 (cyan/magenta/yellow) ink tank, power cord, print head, and sample media (8.5-by-11.5-inch sheets).

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