Customer Reviews

Canon Pixma MP530 Office All-In-One Inkjet Photo Printer

5 star:		(195)
4 star:		(105)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(28)
1 star:		(43)

 

 

You should be aware that this printer has a serious "ink low" behavior. When any ink cartridge is getting low (which still means a lot of ink left by the way), it changes the Fax reception model. Instead of printing your faxes as they arrive, it dumps them into memory. So, even though yellow (say) is low, it will not print your B&W fax!
It takes more than 5 steps to print the fax and delete it (menu, scroll to memory item, ok, scroll to print, OK document, scroll to print all pages, ok, menu to go up, scroll to delete, ok to delete, ok to delete, menu to get out).
Worse, after a couple of these, the memory is mixed up. So, when you want to send a Fax, it will say "memory full" even though the memory is empty. You then have to power cycle the printer (hold down on/off for 1 second, wait 10 seconds, power on, wait for it to get ready (another 10-20 seconds).
This means you either have to waste ink by throwing out cartridges before they are empty, or you have to deal with this mess. Canon says there is no workaround or fix for this.
There are 3 other problems with copying you should know before you buy (I wish I did):
1. You cannot use the Auto Document Feeder (sheet feeder) when copying or scanning with any setting in auto (exposure, size, etc). It does not make any of that clear, so if you find it refuses the auto doc feeder, reset everything to manual :-(
2. Black duplex printing uses color cartridges for one of the sides, so uses the more expensive ink. That is, it does not use the blank ink for both sides.
3. Copying speeds are much slower than the blurb implies. If you make 10 copies of one page, it is as fast as they say. If you copy multiple pages, each one takes much much longer, does the scan, and then does the print. Also, if any setting is in auto mode, it does a two pass scan (one to check the page), and that takes a really long time.

I've had this Canon All-In-One for about a week now. It was very easy to set-up with my Windows XP machine due to the clear, easy to follow instructions. It's desktop footprint is surprisingly small and it takes up less space on my desk than the printer and photocopy machines it replaces.

Print quality overall is very good, while the printer is quiet and fast. Text is clear and crisp and color photos are printed with surprising quality on photo paper. Maybe not quite as good as a dedicated photo printer but, never the less, good enough for this professional photographer as quick proofs.

The scanner is not of the highest quality, but seems to scan well at medium resolution and with fair color fidelity. Not quite a dedicated professional photographers scanner but perfect for normal home and home business uses. The software is easy to use and in advanced mode, quite flexible, enabling the user to dial in manual settings to make the best scan possible. The auto settings seem quite satisfactory for basic home users and should make scanned images look colorful and sharp.

I have not had a chance to see if all the Fax functions work as advertised and I have not yet explored all the ways in which this flexible machine works. The 2 paper trays is a great idea - I store normal paper in one and glossy photo paper in the other - one push of a button on the front control panel and the paper source can be chosen, eliminating the need to swap out paper types.

I will also have to see how economical the MP530 is with ink cartridges, but having spent the 1st 2 days printing everything I could as tests, the software reports that the ink cartridges are pretty much full.

The MP530 looks great, performs very well and is a good price. So far I am very pleased.



Update on 9-26-06 : I have had some time to use more of the many functions of this printer.

The Fax function has now been tested and works fine with my telephone/answering machine. It sits in line with the phone and only cuts in to pick up the fax if there is an incoming fax, otherwise the answer phone does it's job unhindered. Perfect!

I have had also a chance to print some photo business cards, quite a few high resolution 8x10 photos and the normal daily B&W text printing. Print quality overall has been very good and the Duplex print (as well as the duplex copy) functions have been very much appreciated and used continuously, as has the web print software. According to the ink cartridge software, the cartridges seem to be still fairly full. The ADF (auto document feeder) works ok if what you feed into it is uncreased, unfolded and of the standard letter size.

The overall build quality is great and I have had nothing but compliments from people who have seen this printer and its output.

I also had a difficult time finding one of these units to actually see and touch and reviews on this machine are few and far between. I finally found one at Fry's electronics in Fountain Valley.

We have been using an HP officejet 6110 and it finally stopped recognizing print cartridges so I decided to look for a new machine. I was not happy with the cost of replacement cartridges for the hp and it goes through them fairly quickly. The Canon uses induvidual ink cartridges and reviews of similar Canon's show one of the lowest printing costs available in an inkjet.

I have read the reviews for the mp500 and the mp830. Most people seem to be happy with these machines. I was about to purchase an mp500 when I saw the mp530 on the Canon website. I preferred the 530 because of the fax capability. I believe the 530 uses the same print technology as the 500, and the copy/scanning mechanism is also the same. I use an mp500 at work and the print quality is very good and the scan quality I would rate as good so I ordered the 530.

I have been very happy with the quality of the print. As good as the hp6110 or better. The copy quality is good but the colors tend to be a little washed out which is similar to the mp500. I am sure an adjustment in the printer settings would help with the colors. Quality is a little less than that of the hp but it uses a different scanning mechanism and the quality is acceptable for our uses. I have yet to use the fax function so I am not able to comment on that feature.

I am also very pleased with the looks of the machine. All of the doors and covers close giving the 530 a very sleek look unlike the HP. The output door opens automatically when printing or copying. The print speed is also faster than the 6110.

So far I have not had any compatability issues with the Canon. I have this printer connected to an imac G5 and it works very well. Overall I have given a rating of 4 stars. I think it is an excellent value for the price. After my experience with the hp6110 I don't think I will go back to hp. From what I have read Canon's products are generally reliable and that will hopefully be the case with this machine as well.

Hope this review helps.

I purchased the Canon MP530 and have had very good results so far. All the bad reviews about the ink cartridges are by people who gave up on the printer without a simple Google search to fix the problems. You can disable the Print Monitor all together so that the printer will work no matter how low the ink levels are. This is helpful when you refill the ink cartridges yourself, as I have done. Canon would love you buy their tanks every time they go low, but you can refill them yourself; but you must turn off the print monitor because the printer thinks it's tanks are empty even though you've refilled them.

Do it this way: 1) go to "maintenance" tab on print properties 2) select "View Printer Status" from the bottom 3) Click "Option" and deselect "Enable Status Monitor" -- That Simple!

A minor annoyance that doesn't warrant a one-star rating from other users. I really like this printer!

I've had this machine for about ten days now, long enough to test all its features and find that I'm 100% satisfied with every one of them.
- Installation was a no-brainer on both my XP and iBook
- Photos print fabulously with the sample canon glossy paper included
- Scanning is extraordinarily good! And the software which allows you to manipulate your scanned images is super useful and very easy to use.
- I scanned in my tax returns and saved them to PDF files in 10 minutes!
- I scanned in a 2x3 photo from 1964, enlarged it to 4x5 and printed it in 5 minutes, and the new image is as good as the original!
- Copying and FAXing are easy and faster than on my old HP Laserjet 3200
- The back sheet feeder and lower cartridge work well, provide convenience, and fold up to protect from dust when not in use, as does the automatic document feeder up top.
- The paper catcher even unfolds automatically if you are printing a document or photo and forgot to open it!
- The machine is very quiet.
- UI on the printer panel is intuitive, and the accompanying software is really good, with no conflicts with XP, which is often a problem.

Highly highly recommend this product. Totally worth its price tag.

The Canon Pixma MP530 is, indeed, hard to find in stores. Having seen it on Canon's website, I was intrigued but could never find one anywhere for a hands-on look. I had decided to go with Canon's more expensive MP850, until I stumbled upon a 530 over the weekend. I've used it now for a few days and am very pleased.

The 530 is quite compact for a multifunction (with FAX) machine, with a more sleek design than the larger 850. One nice feature is that paper can be loaded from a closed tray at the bottom and the print "finished" door pops open when a document is printing, so you can keep the entire machine closed when not in use - no slides and trays poking up and out all the time. It fits nicely and looks great in my small home office.

The front panel is nicely arranged and the buttons are mostly self-explanatory. I had no difficulty figuring out the basic functions without looking at the manual. The LCD panel is a bit small, and not full color, and thus is useful only for programming the machine and receiving basic feedback.

Print and scan quality is very good - as good as I've seen from an inkjet - and print speed is fine for a medium-volume home office setting. In addition to the bottom tray, paper can be loaded via a slide at the top. And the machine features two-sided printing.

The 530 offers several alternative FAX configerations. I have a fairly complicated home phone system but was able to configure the FAX machine so as not to interfere with my phone calls and answering machine.

Photo quality is acceptable, comparable to the Canon S900 photo printer I used previously. I had planned to keep my S900 but, after seeing the 530 prints, I may just use the 530 for everything. The 530 does not have a card reader, but has a USB port on the front for a camera connection.

Finally, I've had no trouble sharing the printer among multiple computers via a mixed Apple Airport and 2Wire WIFI network. Just make sure you have the latest drivers and firmware for each device.

Overall, the MP530 has impressed me as a very capable and stylish mid-range multifunction machine.

Recently, the HP T45 Multifunction machine that I had relied on for many (7) years, began to make the death rattles and errors associated with imminent demise. Also, since it hasn't been made for many years, the ink cartridges were becoming a bit of a hassle to find - and, though findable on Ebay, etc, they tended to be old ones in their original packaging and not especially reliable. Therefore, it was time to find a new all-in-one for my home and small office use. I searched out professional reviews, compared features and prices and, of course, consulted with my fellow consumer reviewers. All said and done, I decided on this Canon Pixma MP530 and am pleased to report that, as of the first week or two, I am quite pleased with each of it's functions, printing, copying, scanning and FAXing and have found some fault in only four areas. They are 1) it is VERY noisy and shakes a bit as it operated; 2) the setup is more complex than I am used to and though I am not a novice, it took me almost an hour to get it fully set up and programmed, 3) the ink jet cartridges ARE expensive - though the quality of the printing - especially of photos - may make the additional expense well worth while and 4) the machine is large, weighing over 28 lbs. and measuring, with paper trays retracted, 18.4 (W) X 18.4(D)X10.4 inches (H.)

I can offer some initial impressions based on my experiences with each of it's features as well as the overall operation of the device that you may find of some help in making a good decision for yourself.

The Cost(s)
The machine, itself, is priced quite reasonably. At well under $200., it offers a nice range of features, is an attractive design (though admittedly rather large in both weight and dimension compared to HP machines with similar features). It comes with everything you need to set it up in the box except for the necessary USB2 cable - a deliberate omission I found particularly irritating as it is obviously intended to artificially lower the cost of the unit. Canon's responses to my questions about this were entirely `rote' and unsatisfactory. This is, I realize, an increasingly common practice - to not provide new cables with new printers. A marketing and public relations error, in my view, for most of the major manufacturers of printers and multifunction machines. So, nearly an hour into the set up, I found myself running out to a local store to buy the cable it requires to connect it to my computer. I got over it when I started to use the machine.
Frequently criticized for the expense of the ink jet cartridges (it holds a total of 5 of them - One large Black, one small one, and three colors ,Yellow, Majenta and Cyan) and will not operate (any of the functions) if any one of the cartridges is empty making back up ink supply a necessity rather than a convenience option. AMAZON offers competitive prices for the ink, as do many online resellers. As with all equipment, I would recommend that users avoid the temptation to save money by buying refilled/refurbished cartridges. Besides their intermittent reliability, they may both foul your machine as well as void the warrantee. The ink IS expensive, but, on the other hand, the quality is excellent and FAR surpasses my various HP experiences.

The Set Up
This is one of the more complicated set ups I have encountered. It requires both patience and time. However, the reasons for the complexities are logical and, ultimately, helpful. Unlike my old HP T45, there are MANY subsets of choices in setting up each of the functions. So, if you take the time to do it carefully, the machine will work exactly as you want it to. All default settings are not necessarily correct or desirable for all users! As I mentioned, it took me nearly an hour, including the time to research, in the included printed manual, what each setting actually controls and then altering ones I had misunderstood and set initially incorrectly. This is real life when setting up ANY reasonably complex piece of hardware and price notwithstanding, this PIXMA is that. Included in the box is a standard and clearly illustrated Quick Set-Up Guide which allows for a relatively quick and efficient set up - especially for users for whom the default settings are most appropriate.

Printing
By far, this is the feature I most often use. The actual speed of the printing, while somewhat faster than that which is posted, is slowed by the duplexing function - in and of itself, a lovely paper-saving feature. Set on the Standard setting, the print is quite clear and saves ink over using the more consuming high definition setting. I reserve the latter for documents being printed for sending out only.
A few common specs for comparison with other machines:
Printing resolution: 9600 X 2400 dpi. Max.
Print speed: Black: 15-29 ppm depending on setting
and needed resolution.
Color: 11-19 ppm
Print width: 8" (8.5" for borderless option)
Paper capacity: Two: One main drawer type holding about 100 pages of paper, and a rear auto-feed that holds another 75 or so.

Copying
Copy speed: Black & White - fast mode: approx 28cpm
Color - fast mode: approx 19cpm
Copy Capacity: 99 copies
Density adjustment: 9 levels from which to choose
Zoom: 25% to 400%

FAX
Modem speed(s): 2400 - 33600 bps
Transmission speed:B&W: About 3 secs. Per page at 33.6 Kbps
Color: About 1 min, 20 secs per page at
33.6 Kbps
Settings allow for: Automatic redialing
Distinctive Ring Pattern Detection
Remote reception by phone
Non-ring reception
Activity Report (after every 20
transactions.
Non-delivery report
TTI (Transmit Terminal Information)

Scanner
Flatbed, one page at a time OR auto-feed
Compatibility: TWAIN/WIA (Windows XP)
Not compliant with Windows VISTA
Scanning resolution: 1200 dpi X 2400dpi (optical)
19200 X 19200 dpi(enhanc)
Image processing: Halftones: 256 levels of gray
Color: 16,777,216 colors (but whose counting?!)

A PictBridge program is also included allowing for direct photo printing from a USB cable without requiring the use of the computer. I have not tried out this function yet, but am looking forward to it. I HAVE used all the others and they have worked flawlessly. It is nearly identical to the more expensive model MP580, but that it lacks 1) networkability and 2) card reading slots: two features I personally did not need or want.

So, for a large, inexpensive but well functioning all-in-one, it is a really good deal. It DOES shake, rattle and roll a bit - so I have mine set on a table next to the computer and desk rather than on the same table: no big compromise there as it does fit where I had the old HP mounted. From a former HP devotee to a Canon convert in one purchase. Check it out!

Being an illustration major and having never owned a printer, I recently became in desperate need of one and set out looking for the best value and quality. After lots of research, I settled upon the MP530. Following the 'scarcity' comments of the reviewers below, I too had problems tracking one of these down to see in person, but eventually found one.

The build quality of this machine is incredible. Everything pulls and shifts into place with a chunky, satisfying *click*, and all components are very thick (plastic document feeder, front panel, input buttons, etc.). As superficial as it may be, this particular model is also one of the best-looking multifunction devices I happened to see. The pictures do not do justice to how substantial this machine is (it is quite large, though streamlined). It has that 1980's, 'boxy' appeal while being contemporary at the same time.

Aside from superficial observations, I was admittedly naive as to what an ADF (Automatic Docment Feeder) was prior to purchasing this machine. On the MP530, you can actually stack a sheet of documents, such as a term paper, on the ADF tray and the machine will begin an automated process of scanning (or copying, if you choose) the documents without the user having to do anything. Also, you are able to fill the bottom cassette tray with paper, while keeping the auto-sheet feeder full of another type (or additional of the same type) of paper. I've filled the cassette with 4x6" glossy photo plus paper (5 sheets are included with the printer) for printing photos, while keeping regular 8.5x11" paper in the auto-sheet feeder.

I've tested the color quality (monochrome is practically laser quality, though the blacks are never as rich as the toner used in laser printing - very sharp text) on some fairly high quality, medium dpi photographs, and it is as good as lab quality. I will only be getting negatives developed from now on! The scanner is CIS-based, which is obviously inferior to CCD, so I will use my Epson 4490 for serious archiving and scanning jobs.

Also, the printer requires a USB printer cable, which is NOT included. With these things in mind, I couldn't be happier with this machine.

I researched this printer on the web like crazy before purchasing. I almost went with the MP830, but saw too many complaints about how much ink it used, and the MP530 seemed to have better reviews on it's photo printing capabilities. Since the MP830 had extra features like card slots and a viewing monitor that I really didn't need (I edit all my photos on the computer before I print them), I went with the MP530 instead. Boy, am I glad I did. This is a heck of a lot of equipment for the money. I was replacing old Epson equipment that had stood the test of time without fail (2 printers including a photo printer, and a scanner), but my new home business required something with more up to date capabilities. Having worked for Epson myself for over 12 years, I would have liked to have bought an Epson again, but they didn't make anything like this with an ADF.

Anyway, back to this fantastic AIO. This unit was super easy to setup and caused no issues with my Windows XP system at all - I didn't even have to reboot! I thought for sure with the tons of equipment I already have installed that it would screw up something, but it was no problem at all. The controls are easy to understand and you could probably figure out how to do everything with it without even picking up the manual. The scan quality is perfect for a home business like mine and I was quite surprised that it prints photos just as good as my Epson high level photo printer. And it prints quiet and fast. I have not used it to fax yet, but I fax through my computer anyway so I can save everything on disk, so I won't use this feature much. The duplex printing and copying really does work great, but for scanning you have to put the pages in twice for duplex - no biggee for me, but it might matter to someone who scans duplex a whole bunch.

The software that came with it was great too; nice little photo printing package that REALLY fixes red eye, and has some nice print layouts. As an amateur photographer, I really wanted a unit that could print a decent photo, and this unit didn't dissapoint me (and I'm kinda picky about photo quality).

Only a couple words of concern to anyone buying this - anything put in the paper cassette will be printed on the "down" side - something I found out the hard way after printing on the wrong side of photo paper. It would have been nice if they labeled the tray with that info, but it's a small freckle on an otherwise perfect unit.

So far I have been playing with this for a few hours and have tried almost all the functions except faxing. Everything is working great with it. I can't believe I am actually going to be able to replace my office inkjet, my photo printer, and my scanner with this, but I really can. And I got the ADF scanning and color copying capabilities I needed for my home business on top of that. And all for less than I paid for either of my old printers or scanner individually. Thank you Canon! You just made my desktop a whole lot more spacious.

I bought this unit several months ago on sale for $150. It replaces two similar units including a HP 5505 and a Brother MFC3420c. This is more expensive than the other two, but it is well worth the difference. It is an excellent unit for home or a small office. ZDNET rates it a very respectable 7.7 out of 10. (Nothing they rate gets over an 8!) The main shortcomings are that it is not network-ready and it lacks media card slots. It does have a front port for connecting a digital camera. I have not connected the fax machine, but use it for a copier, scanner and printer, which I will discuss below:

SCANNING

I have just scanned in four volumes of legal reference materials with about 2000 pages. Using PaperPort 11 and scanning to PDF, and using the automatic sheet feed, I was able to scan nearly four pages per minute. This is similar to the Brother and significantly faster than the HP. Scanning quality in black and white is very good. ZDNET's testing indicates it scanned color documents at 5.22ppm, and copied at a rate of 3.83ppm. Colors scan a bit on the light side, but not bad. The driver contains corrections which I have not played with.

Canon says the sheet feeder on the scanner holds 30 pages. I was able to get it to handle more. The Brother had a tendency to crunch paper on input side. The HP's input tray holds only about 10 pages and output tray for the scanner was too shallow and it tended to crush paper as it fed out of the scanner. This has neither problem.

The Canon comes with Presto PageManager, which is used to scan, store, organize and drop and drag imaged to other programs. I didn't play with it much, and quickly went back to the similar PaperPort 11, because PaperPort appears to work better with PDF files.

COPYING:

Black and white is excellent. Color copies are very good. Dark colors come out a bit on the light side, and the copies are a bit grainy, but not bad. When copying, you can reduce or enlarge the copy.

PRINTING:

Here, the unit shines. One of the nicest features is the duplex printing. I work for attorneys and sometimes have to print two sided forms, so this comes in handy. It also has a front loading paper cassette and a rear loading paper sheet feed which is good for feeding envelopes, photo and other specialty paper. Both hold about 75 sheets.

ZDNET says "It printed text documents at a snappy 6.77 pages per minute, scanned black-and-white images at 5.64ppm." Even when printing "pleading paper," which has vertical lines from top to bottom, it has the same high printing speed. This is substantially faster than the HP or the Brother. In my opinion, black and white print quality is very good, with straight vertical lines being fairly straight with little wavyness. The letters do not bleed on regular copy paper. It isn't laser printer quality, but it is presentable. Color prints are a bit grainy, but look very good on glossy photo paper.

The printer uses five print cartridges including three color and two black. One black is for color prints, the other for text. The text cartridge is larger.

COST OF PRINTING:

Ink cartridges cost about $15. Canon estimates the cost of ink at about 2 to 3 cents a page. This seems about right.

CONCLUSION:

This unit is better in every department than the other inexpensive multifunction printers I have owned. As a final thought, it looks really nice. It makes a nice addition to my home office.