Customer Reviews

Canon Pixma MX850 Office All-In-One Inkjet Printer (2436B002)

5 star:		(137)
4 star:		(64)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

My brief observations seem to indicate that the MX850 really doesn't improve upon the MP830 in some important areas.

I've owned the Canon MP830 for almost a year and and I just bought the Canon MX850 for a friend, so this is a direct user comparison. The 830 has been 100% reliable, producing excellent scans, prints, copies, and faxes. The MX850 is shorter in height, but otherwise just as bulky and heavy as the 830. Canon seems to be using a less robust scanner in the 850 than in the older MP830. Scans on the 830 are consistently over 4 times as fast: a 300 dpi 8.5x11" import scan into Photoshop CS3 took about 7 seconds with the 830 and about 33 seconds with the 850. The 830 wins in the noise category as well: it's roughly 60% quieter than the 850 when scanning. The 850 produces an annoying high pitched tone while the 830 has more of a low "murmer" sound. The 850, to be fair, will not be considered to be overly loud for most environments. With scanning, the color reproduction seems fairly close between the two machines, though I'm getting more color accuracy from the 830. Copies on the 830 produced more accurate colors, too: a copy of a TIME magazine cover on a matt photo paper (with settings set to "Matt Photo Paper" and "High") yielded extremely accurate reproductions of the original, while the the 850 veered too far toward the yellow end of the spectrum. Both produced excellent detail, though. Scans of dot-screen images were well rendered with the 830, while the 850 exhibited substantial moire effects.

Not sure about energy consumption comparisons though the 850's scanner seems to be using a more compact, (newer technology?) low lumens light-producing element than the very bright 830, so it probably uses less power.

Both machines will not disappoint, but with the advantage of my brief side-by-side comparison I'd recommend that you save $40 bucks and get the MP830. They both use the same ink cartridges. One last observation: the 850's LCD screen has a much higher pixel count, but that's only one small improvement amid the 830's superior traits.

3/18/2008 - Update: I've learned that the MX850 is using "contact image sensor" technology (CIS) where as the MP830 is using the more common "charged-coupled devices" (CCD) technology. For those with an interest in the tech aspects I've included some info I found online:

"Most of large format scanners in use today use CCD (charge-coupled devices) as the primary data capture element in their construction. Recently this position has started to be challenged by the lower cost CIS (contact image sensor) technologies, which have come mainly from the small flatbed scanner market. The traditional CCD or camera scanner is able to produce a very high number of colours from the scanned original and copes with folded documents reasonably well. These scanners tend to be preferred where the image to be scanned is either photographic or has extensive use of tones and shading. CIS scanners have the advantage in providing all the optics in a space of 20 mm or so, which in the CCD scanner equivalent would occupy more like 600 mm. The secondary advantage is that CIS scanners have no need for magnification, lenses or a rigid frame - a major saving in construction costs and weight. However, CIS scanners do not do so well when scanning very pale colours or photographs."

This printer is an upgrade to my Canon Pixma iP6000. The iP6000 is excellent for printing photos as well as all daily stuff. I was concerned that a multi-function printer would not print photo's as well. I was wrong!!!

This multi-function printer is as good, maybe even a little better at photos than the iP6000 was. I have only had it a couple of days, so I have not tried everything out yet. Regular print quality is excellent. Copying is great. Scanning should come out just as good as copying, but I've yet to try it. Photo printing is excellent.

If your looking at this just remember to consider its size. I don't think it's really any bigger than most other all-in-ones but it is bigger than my last printer.

I went with the MX850 for 2 reasons. (1) Networking capability and (2) Canon technology. I am very pleased with my decision!!
The set-up went without any problems at all. The first computer I hooked it up to is a desktop running XP home via USB. Installed perfectly.
Next was a laptop running Vista via network. NOTE: As instructed by the instructions you must attach the USB cable to the FIRST computer that is being installed on the network before you connect it via the network. After it is completely installed you no longer need that USB connection. It will connect via the network. Yes, my laptop is connected wirelessly. It works great!!! For any additional computers on the network all you have to do is install the software and connect it via the network. NO USB required for all additional network computers. The installation software is very easy to understand. There are only 3 install options. (1) Install to computer via dedicated USB connection. (2) Install FIRST computer on a network (must use USB this ONE time only). (3) Install additional computers on network. Thats it...

As I said it's only been a couple of days so I have yet to try everything out, but so far NO disappointments. It seems to be a very well built simple to use machine. Software seems to be running fine on XP and Vista. Not sure where the pricing will go on this unit but, Amazon dropped their price $45 only a couple days after I ordered it. I was happy at full retail, but at $235 you can't go wrong !!!

The one thing I do recommend is to use Canon photo paper when printing photos. I found that I got the best results this way. That was on the iP6000, but I'm sure the MX850 will be the same way.

Good luck with your purchase. Hope this helps a little.

EDIT:
It has been a few more days since original install.

During set-up on another computer on the network it would not install. I called tech support for help. The problem was my computer NOT the printer. Tech support was great!!!!!! They walked me through step by step checking everything till we found the problem. Canon has their support in the US and they have a dedicated department for networking. It was actually a pleasure calling them for help. Usually I hate to call for support. You never know where the call is being routed. Very nice to know you can get quick easy help if needed.
Also since I got a chance to play a little more with the printer I discovered how quick it is. I was happy with the iP6000 print speed, but the MX850 makes me realize how slow it was. I didn't time it, but it printed a 4x6 photo very quickly!! Another nice feature is the door where the paper comes out will open automatically when you print.

So far no regrets!!! Don't be afraid to call tech support if needed. They are great!

We ordered this printer last Saturday nite and amazon had it delivered on Tuesday afternoon with free super-saver delivery. Thank you amazon.

We are upgrading to this multi-function from a LexMark X6170, which served us quite well for 4 years. The Canon PIXMA MX850 is much heavier than the LexMark. If you've back problems, it might be worth asking the delivery guy to put it near to where you want it.

Although the packaging for the printer is quite simple, there are way too many plastic tapes to be removed. This is probably because there are many moving parts and sub-parts for this printer. Luckily Canon has included a simple instruction sheet for assmebling the printer and it does help if you follow it right.

NOTE: The packaging does not include a USB cable. We used the one from our old printer. The reason Canon does not include a USB cable is because this is a fully networked printer; that means all its functionalities can work over Ethernet. However, you do need the USB cable for initial setup.

Network setup is a 2 step process. For the first PC, you need to have a USB cable connection and then you can connect via Ethernet. Subsequent PC's don't need USB for network configuration. My printer and first PC are connected to a Netgear Wireless Ethernet bridge, which also connects to my WiFi LAN. My second PC is a laptop is which connected to my WiFi LAN. Canon has included a separate Users guide for network setup which really helps.

Print quality is quite good though not the same as a laser printer. Given that this printer supports dual side printing, using a good quality inkjet printing paper such as a 24lb, 115brightness will be worth it. There are 2 sources of paper feeds, a rear tray and a cassette. Both trays support all the same paper sizes, except for business cards which are available only on the rear tray. You can use either trays by pressing the "switch feed" button on the printer control panel or from their print software running on the PC. The print speed for one-sided printing is very fast, for both black and white as well as color printing. However, two-sided printing is quite slow. There is a noticeable pause between printing the two sides, and one would almost be tempted to pull the printout out of the output tray after printing one side.

As a photo printer, I think the quality is acceptable. I'vent used it for any scenic/outdoor photo's. But it is ok for identity-card/passport photo's, which you need in a jiffy and don't consume too much ink. For other photo's, you are better off using Costco or Walgreens anyways.

The MX850 supports dual sided scanning over the network. The Automatic Document Feeder(ADF) is supposed to hold 30-35 sheets, though it looks quite slim. The scan quality is good though not exceptional. Again dual sided scanning is much slower than single sided scanning, but with ADF you can move on to other tasks, while the MX850 goes about scanning. For multiple photo's on the flatbed, it will create separate jpeg files. However, if you scan two set of documents with a time lag in between, they will be scanned to the same pdf. However, their print software does allow you to delete individual pages from the pdf, which is useful if not all pages in your original document set are two-sided. You can also re-arrange the pages if they are not in the order you want them to be in, using the Canon software.

The copying is the same as scanning followed by printing; so there is not much to write about it. I'vent tried FAXing yet.

On the whole, I'm very satisfied with the printer although it has just been a few days of usage. The printer has good features and their software is feature rich too. My only peeves about the MX850 are that it does not support Linux. Also, it has these ghostly/spooky movements and noises that it will do, probably because the print-head is being reset, even if it is sitting idle for some time. It also seems to vibrate noticeably while printing; though not so much as to topple a cup of coffee. A stable printer stand/table would be much recommended. Since the printer seems to be from the same family as MP830, I also expect to be quite generous in consuming ink.

All said and done, I would recommend this printer to anyone who is not a heavy user of print functionality. It will get small jobs done to more than your satisfaction.

I was initially going to buy an HP all-in-one (L7580, L7680, or C7280) to replace my HP OfficeJet G85, which would not scan with Vista. I was not comfortable with the HP customer reviews, though, as they confirmed some of my own doubts from seeing the products in stores. I kept looking and came across the new Canon MX850 and decided this was what I had been looking for. This product is worth the full list price, so Amazon's discount and great shipping made it an even better value.

I set up the MX850 on my home network, which includes a Linksys Wireless G router, a Vista laptop, and an XP desktop. The setup worked perfectly the first time, and all functions work flawlessly from both PCs. You use a cable connection from the MX850 to the router, but this is not a problem for my setup. I did not have to call tech support, but it appears from other reviews that it is excellent, and in English.

Print speed is excellent, and the photo quality is also excellent. I printed some photos using the sample 4x6 paper that came with the printer, and they are as good as the same photos printed by the Kodak Gallery web site. I also like the included duplex (two-sided) printing, which is extra on many other products in this price range. The control panel is well designed and intuitive. The unit seems to be solid, durable, and well-constructed.

There a few minor points for improvements. First, the Canon takes a little more overhead time than the HP OfficeJet to clean or check the print heads or ink tanks, so sometimes you wait a short while before it actually starts to print. Second, when you set up your printing specs on your PC, the specs are not communicated to the MX850, so you have to set them up there as well. For example, if you've been printing on regular paper and now you want to print photos, you have to set the paper size, paper type (glossy, etc.), and print quality on your PC and then also set them on the MX850. Third, the standard print quality for text is not quite as dark black as the HP OfficeJet, but you only notice it if they are side by side. Last, the setup process adds a ton of software to your PC, including eight new desktop icons, two system tray icons, and five new Canon folders in the start menu. None of these are real problems, just observations.

Overall, I rate this as an excellent product for price, functionality, and construction. Buy it!

The Canon mx850 has some great features that very few printers have. I use the print and copy feature the most (actually I haven't even used the fax or scanner yet) and I love the fact that I can do double sided copies. The copies have been suitable for me at this point, but I haven't had to have a critical eye to judge them.

At first, I was pretty disappointed with the printing aspect of the mx850. The text looked like it came from a poor inkjet, even at a "high" quality setting. My old printer, the HP Photosmart 1115 (I had it for 5 years) definitely printed better text, which I found odd since it had 5 year old technology. I was finally able to figure out how to get crisp clean text and better quality photos (I've been trying to print my marketing materials such as brochure/rack cards). In the Printer Settings, if you click on Media Type: Photo Paper Pro and then click on Print Quality Custom and then 'Set', set it to "1" being the highest. This made my rack cards look so much better than using any other media setting and quality setting. Actually, I went through each media type to see ifyou can set it at "1" quality, and I think the Photo Paper Pro was the only choice. Which means that Canon wants you to think that Photo Paper Pro is such a good quality paper that your prints look better, but really what's going on is that the printer won't print high quality prints unless you select that media type.

So, I was going to give it 3 stars until I found the ability to do that. I can't judge the faxes and scanning aspects, but I won't use those as much and I don't have a high expectation of them. I just wanted a good printer and copier that can fax and scan.

Hope this helps....

I love this printer/fax/copier/scanner. Everything functions wonderfully and easily... when it functions! You MUST keep a few extra ink cartridges on hand, because NOTHING will work when one cartridge is empty. Crazy because it requires 2 black ink cartridges - and if one runs out, better have another on hand if you want it to keep printing.

Oh - and when I say nothing works, I mean NOTHING. You can't even SCAN a picture to your PC/Laptop. WHO designed that? So the first time I ran out of ink, I learned the hard way when I went to scan in an old pic.

Like I said, I do love it when it is functioning, just make sure you keep plenty of extra ink on hand!

This is my first Canon printer. I have used HP exclusively for years and was very happy until my most recent. The features offered by the Canon at this price made me want to change. I've had the Canon now for almost 2 months.

Pro
Easy set up even on a network (though the details on how to set up the fax are well hidden)
Print Quality
Print speed
Dual trays-dedicate one for envelopes or pics
Easy set up and control over a network

Con
Its big, realize with the back feeder its going to be deep, but its big all the way around
Slow start up-its suppose to be fast, but all my HP's were much faster at start than this is. It appears to go into a much deeper sleep. Hopefully saving more energy.
Scan quality is just ok
Software is somewhat confusing and does not appear well integrates. A lot of the setup is well hidden in the menus.

The basic features are great (as good or better than HP), but menu and software is lacking. Price point for all the features makes this hard to beat. I haven't had it long enough to see how long the ink lasts, but hopefully will save some money with the individual tanks, though harder to find discounts on ink than HP ink. Amazon definitely has the best price on ink.

Good quality printer with all that you want. Easy set up for network. They should have put the network stuff on the start up sheet instead of the USB part. The printer is promoted as networkable. However, the little book for Network Setup is well written. Controls and options are easy to understand. Nice that it has fax Distinctive Ring capabilites. That is really nice. Now I can use that service and not have to worry about missing direct faxes vs. e-Fax. Saves money. Also it manages paper very well. Good dust covers too. Beautiful color or black and white copies.

Within 48 hours of receiving my printer, and having printed less than 50 sheets, I received a B200 Error. There is nothing in the printed documentation that refers to this error and the on-line manual doesn't have a search function. After looking through all the pages, I determined that they don't mention a B200 Error there either. With a multi-line LCD display, one would think that they might go so far as to give an explanation of what B200 Error means.
After calls to several numbers (Tech Support doesn't open until 10:00am and I have a business to run) I was finally connected to Customer Service. The lady had no technical knowledge but was very helpful ... she phoned the engineering department who told her that the print head had failed. She is sending me a new print head overnight.
Now, obviously from reading these reviews, I'm not the only one who has experienced this failure. I would not recommend this printer to anyone until Canon improves their quality control ... sending questionable products out the door to be 'field tested' is a very undesirable trait for a manufacturer.

I'VE ALWAYS HAD AN HP ALL IN ONE, ACTUALLY HP HAS BEEN MY PRODUCT OF CHOICE FOR ALL PURCHASES. BASED ON REVIEWS AND ALOT OF RESEARCHING I PURCHASED THE CANON MX850. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. I'VE HAD IT FOR 2 DAYS PD 235.00 THAT'S A 50.00 SAVINGS FROM AMAZON. PRINTER IS QUIET AND FAST, FAX WORKS GREAT, VERY USER FRIENDLY. IT IS WIRELESS TO 2 OTHER COMPUTERS IN MY HOME. NETWORK WAS EASY TO SET UP BASED ON OTHER REVIEWERS ADVISE TO 1ST LOAD IT W/USB. I ALSO NEEDED THE FLATBED FEATURE FOR COPING BOOKS ETC. THE 5 INK TANKS SAVE $ AND IT'S CHEAPER THEN HP. I GAVE IT A 5 BECAUSE I HAVE USED MOST FEATURES AND I AM IMPRESSED. CANON'S GOT IT!