Customer Reviews

Canon Pixma MX420 Wireless Office All-in-One Printer (4789B018)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Over the years I've installed many network printers. This is one of Canon's newest models and it was the easiest yet to install. The PIXMA MX420 also functions as a network sheet-feed or flat-platen scanner, color or black and white photocopy machine and a fax machine all in one low-cost package. I tested its capabilities and they all worked quite well. This device will work just fine when it's connected to a single computer with a USB cable (not supplied) but what is really handy is being able to share its many functions with everybody on the network.

Although this device will also work with a CAT-5 network connection, my installation was a good test for this device's Wi-Fi sensitivity. I located this multi-function machine on the second floor and at the opposite end of my home from my wireless router, which is in my cellar. During the set-up process the printer quickly found my Wi-Fi signal. After entering my WEP encryption code into the printer it was ready to be "found" on the network by the installation software. Installing the software and registering the printer on-line went without a hitch.

Unlike Canon's higher-end models, such as the PIXMA MX882 which uses five separate ink cartridges (three for color and two for black and white), this model uses only two ink cartridges; one for black and white and the other for color. Using Canon brand glossy photo paper this printer delivered excellent, lab-quality photo prints. Prints on other brands of glossy photo paper were disappointing. On plain photocopy paper, text and graphics look very good.

Color prints can also be made directly from compatible cameras and memory cards, simply by plugging them into the appropriate place on the front of the PIXMA MX420 and then using the small LCD color screen to choose what you want to print and how. The scanner works directly with TWAIN compatible applications such as Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Photo-Paint or via the Canon utilities included with this device on the installation disk.

If you ever have a problem, Canon has support people who are in the USA, actually answer the phone and can communicate clearly in the English language. My first-hand experience with Canon's support people has been very positive. In summary, this device packs multiple capabilities into a single low-cost package that can be accessed by any computer on the network where it's installed. A step-up to Canon's PIXMA MX882 for an additional cost of $50 to $60 will add a second software-selectable paper source and separate ink tanks for better photo reproduction and lower ink cost on all brands of glossy photo paper.

This is my second Canon printer. I previously owned the MP520 which is still going strong at a friend's house.

This new printer is faster & has the wireless feature which we really like. We have this new printer out of the way in a closet since there are no wires to connect to the computer. Setup was simple and the print quality is excellent. Make sure you follow instructions for setup and that you have the correct settings checked on your computer for top quality prints when printing photos.

This printer has 2 ink cartridges vs. my old version that had 5 cartridges. There is good & bad with this setup. The good is that you only need 2 cartridges. The bad is that you will need to replace the whole color cartridge when ink is low; with the 5 cartridge system you can replace just the ink color that was low.

The "XL" cartridges have more ink in them for less money per ml.
PG-210XL (black) & CL-211XL (color)

Canon PG-210XL Cartridge (Black) in Retail Packaging
Canon CL-211 XL Cartridge (Color)

UPDATE 2/2012: This printer is still working like new.

Got this today. 2 days from order to my home. Now that's fast. It takes a while to load drivers on all computers but relatively painless.approx. 20 min each. I have 2 desktops hooked up to my router on the ethernet ports running windows XP. One laptop running Vista and one running Windows 7 connected wirelessly. Having never done this before it took a little longer than someone more familiar with networking, but I feel it was still easy enough to do with the accompanying manual.

The test prints came out nice and crisp and clear. So far I am extremely happy as this is replacing older printers that were causing me to rip my hair out. I couldn't print from my laptops even if the old printers worked properly. Now all my computers can print to this beautiful machine. Definately happy.

I researched this printer against higher priced HP printers at Costco. This printer had better ratings so I bought it. The first thing I noticed was the installation compared to my old wireless HP 6980 (which it replaced) was awesome. 3 Laptops wirelessly connected and a desktop usb connection all within 30 minutes. Just connect it to your wireless SSID with the password, put in the disk load the software and it works for XP, Vista and Win 7 (comes with a MAC disk but I am too poor to afford one of those) the disk software will find the printer for you and connect it laptop or whatever. Do try to do it in windows by adding a printer and browsing the network or by going to your router to add it, none of that is needed, in fact it probably won't work if you try to do it that way which I did by habit. I printed out test pages from each and the print quality was great. I don't plan on using this for photos, that's what costco online is for at 9cents a 6x9 who would be foolish enough to do prints on a Inkjet anyway? This mainly going to used for letters, printing from the internet, scanning and copying.
Also the ink cartridges cost considerably less than my HP ones that are $72 bucks for a combo pack. HP is going to goodwill. Also you can load the entire installation CD on a thumbdrive or hard drive and keep it there so you don't have to hunt around for a CD or you can load multiple systems at the same time. I would give it 5 stars but it is a bit loud, no reason not to buy. I would recommend the printer to a friend.

There are so many great things to say about this printer.
1. Wireless set up a snap. It took me 45 minutes to set up two computers with the printer and that included unpacking the printer and loading in the ink. It found my network easily.
2. The feeder not only works with copying but scanning too.
3. It automatically became my default printer and has no Windows Vista or Windows 7 issues.
4. The buttons on the top are big, easy to use and see.
5. It fits nicely on a small printer stand and the document tray is substantial, not flimsy. I actually close it when I am not using it.
6. The user can press black or color and that starts the printing. It does not have a default color mode.
7. It compresses PDF files that are scanned better than my Lexmark.

Two small cons:
1. The feeder holds only 30-50 sheets. A tray for a ream would have been nice.
2.I still have not figured out how to set up two-sided printing. It is not in the printer settings BUT the box had a manual with it-yet to read. Most electronics have the manuals only on a disk, which this had too, or online. The printed manual is an added bonus these days.

All in all if you are looking at this printer or the Epson Workforce 840, buy this. More bang for the buck. The Epson has a tray for a ream of paper but in all other categories it pales in comparison.

The Canon Pixma MX420 is a solid all in one inkjet printer that will satisfy most home users but does not excel in any given area. This is not surprising considering the low price. It does all the basics, such as printing text/color photos/graphics, fax, and copying. The duplex printing capability (ability to print on both sides of a paper) is nice also. It also has built in Wifi capability, which allows you to print wirelessly from anywhere in the home. The 802.11N Wifi capability is a nice speed upgrade compared to my older Brother MFC 7840W printer, which only has 802.11g, but in most cases I don't think you'll notice the difference in terms of how quickly a page gets printed out.

Print quality is good overall, with very readable text and pictures. If you are interested in the best text quality, you may want to consider a laser printer instead. Similarly, if printing photos is your primary goal, you would be better off with a photo-centric model such as any of the Epson inkjet printers. If versatility is most important, this model should be fine for you. Keep in mind that for about $40-50 more, you can get a more capable Canon printer such as the MX882. The MX882 may also save you some ink money in the long term since it uses 5 separate ink cartridges vs 2 for the MX420. This means that if you happen to run out of magenta in the MX420, you have to replace the whole color cartridge even if you have plenty of the other colors left, whereas with the MX882 you can just replace the magenta cartridge. Some folks may actually prefer the simplicity of stocking just 2 cartridges, though, so you should probably purchase based on what is more important to you.

we love our new printer . my husband and I are able to share the printer wirelessly, its great. the printing is excellent, and it is fast. this is the best all in one we have ever had, and we have had five or six different types. I would recomend this unit to anyone .

Negative reviews cling to me whenever I contemplate buying a product, so I did my research and took my time in deciding what multifunction printer I wanted to buy for home/student use.

I went with canon because of the inexpensive ink and because my last color printer was a canon that lasted almost a decade.

I was very pleased with this product. Set up was cake and I was scanning and printing in no time.

The buttons are very intuitive, much more so than my mother's old all-in-one hp inkjet. I set up the wireless connectivity without a hitch and installed the drivers on a vista and windows 7 laptop. I chose the custom install option rather than "easy install," simply because there were some programs I could do without out (like the photo editing package). It as my first time setting up and utilizing a multifunction printer. I thought it would be a frustrating experience, but it proved to be fairly simple process.

I was really quite enamored with its wireless connectivity (it's my first wireless printer). So far it has never lost connection.

I can't comment of the fax feature since I don't utilize it.

The print quality and speed is fairly decent as far I can tell (I haven"t owned many printers). I have not used it for photo-printing yet, but I have used it to print out color maps and such. I use this printer mostly for scanning/printing purposes and have no complaints.

The Canon MX420 all in one printer has preformed as I hoped and expected it to. It's lighter weight than the Canon MP530 printer I replaced. I love the WiFi feature and it works well. The only con I have is that it holds less paper than the MP530.

I can't say enough good things about this printer. It is so easy to use, the quality of printouts is very high, the wireless feature is so convenient, and the ink cartridges are relatively affordable. I'm using it for a home based business with the need for a fairly high capacity of printing, scanning and copying. It has been delivering at a very high level for me, and I recommend it for anyone with these type of needs.