Customer Reviews

Canon PIXMA MP640 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer (3748B002)

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Disclaimer: I do not own this printer but have worked with and installed tons of them at my school and I use them all the time. Anyway we have about 4 of these units and all work perfectly fine.

Quality: The image quality of this printer is stunning the detail level and color reproduction is great! When compared to the Canon iP6600 the color and detail reproduction seem to be slightly better.

Speed: It is fairly fast for photo printing its not a speed demon or anything but it is faster then most printers I have used.

Features : This printer has a ton of features too many to discuss but it can scan images it has a card reader and can be hooked up to the network via ethernet or via wifi.

Ink Consumption : This printer is also very easy on the ink and the wallet. Ink seems to last a fairly long time even when doing a lot of photo prints.

Setup: Setup was painless I installed all 4 of these units in about 40 mins just run the disc connect the printer install the print head and then the ink cartridges. ( I do however wish they used less packaging )

All in all I woud definitely recommend this to a friend. I have yet to have a single problem with any of the 4 and they are being used by tons of people each day for photo printing.

Edit; I forgot to mention that I have only tried this on Windows XP can't comment on the problem the other user spoke of with Macintosh Snow leopard 10.6.

This is the first time I've bought anything other than an HP printer and I'm thrilled with the choice I made. It took about an hour from box to test print, on 2 computers in a home network. The basic functions are easy enough to accomplish, but this printer isn't an average all-in-one printer. It really has corporate scale functionality and the online manual is cumbersome, so learning all this printer has to offer may take time if it's only used in a limited capacity.

Over the years, I have owned many printers. Most of them have been HP with the exception of two. My last printer was an Epson, which I thought was very nice and this Cannon which I just purchased this past weekend.

Out of the box, the printer was easy to setup. I opted for wireless printing, because I can't stand cables. I have 2 Mac laptops running OS X 10.6 and Apple's Time Capsule. Connecting the printer to Time Capsule couldn't be any easier. I opted to install the Canon software which took some time. After the software installation, I could see the printer and send a test page. Overall, it took me about 20 minutes.

I did run into a problem with wireless scanning. Every time I attempted to scan, I received an error message that the scanner couldn't be found. I admit that I was puzzled. Thirty minutes later, after reading a post, I realized that my firewall was blocking the incoming traffic. Duh! I adjusted my firewall setting to allow the scanner traffic in, and wireless scanning was working just fine.

I find the printer prints much faster than the Epson printer. The images from wireless scanning are very clear and sharp compared to the images that I did with the Epson via cable. I'm very satisfied with Canon and would consider purchasing another one over Epson and HP.

At last - I cut the cord with HP!!! The PIXMA MP640 is 100% better than the comparable HP I used to have. Having said that I must add that I've had my new printer for only a week so I can't review ink usage or other aspects of using it over an extended period of time.
1). Canon's interfaces are simple, uncluttered, intuitive and functional - much better and user-friendly than HPs. I should have expected this because that's exactly how the canon Camera interfaces are. And unlike HP, I don't get these ridiculous popup messages that tell me whether my printer is on or off, etc.
2). I am pretty sure that my laptop boots up faster ever since I uninstalled all the HP software and installed Canon's.
3). The PIXMA MP640 is surprisingly fast to boot up and to print. After reading some of the reviews I was expecting delays but instead I got excellent performance.
4). This printer was surprisingly easy to set up. I just followed the instructions and voila! Now I can print wirelessly from anywhere in my home (I work from home so this functionality is extremely important to me and it's flawless).
5). Canon's documentation and setup manual are easy to understand, they were actually written by someone who knew how to write technical documentation. But when I installed the software I chose to not install MP Navigator because I didn't think I needed it. Oops - I had to go back and install it because I couldn't use the scanner wirelessly without it.
6). Perfect print quality, it's exactly what I wanted. B&W documents are sharp, black letters are intense almost as if this is a laser printer. And the color renderings of photos are very good too. Thus far I've only used the default settings and they are perfect.
7). Loading the ink cartridges was very easy because there's lots of room available to do it in. Likewise, getting to any of this printer's connections or functions is easy, everything is accessible. Somebody designed this printer to be used by humans!
8). This is a well-built, quiet product - it starts up quickly, much quicker than my similar HP printer. And it's surprisingly quiet.
9). The PIXMA MP640 is more expensive than your run-of-the-mill inkjet printer. But as far as I'm concerned this is money well spent, the printer is worth every penny I paid for it.

I've owned this printer for about a year. The print quality is very nice. Pictures look great. The original set up took a while to get it to work wirelessly, but once I upgraded to a new computer with Windows 7, it took me months to figure out how to fix it. Every time I tried to fix it, the printer would work once and then quit. I think Cannon has finally put out driver updates to work with Windows 7. It also takes a while to respond. I read the reviews and knew this was a problem- but it really seems like a extra long time.

The wireless set up was smooth and the printer was easy to set up right from the box.

I choose the Canon 640 after considering several other inkjet printers. I was looking for an alternate to sending my pictures off to other sites to be printed and a printer to handle the occasional other jobs.

I was pleasantly surprised with the high quality print job the Canon 640 produced using Canon paper. Looking forward to reproducing more of my photographs.

I just bought this printer to replace my HP. This Canon is great. Picture quality is good with HP paper but still experimenting. Picutres exhibit more detail than those printed on my HP but appear a bit darker. The features are excellent although I'm not utilizing the wireless feature. The main difference of the MP640 over the MP560 is a larger 3" LCD, Ethernet connection and print speed. If these aren't important to you then the MP560 is probably just as good for less money but I got my MP640 for the same price (about $100) as the MP560 so I'm very happy.

These All-in-ones are all designed to give you versatility but each line has it's primary function so if you want photos over text choose the MP series. If you want more of a small office AIO then go with the MX series. Usually I don't review products after owning it for a few days because how can you really know how good it is without using it for months but with new/replacement products on the way this will be yesterdays news soon. Also, I've noticed that Canon printers are consistently the most highly rated.

Bought this printer yesterday at Staples for $149 ($199 with a $50 instant rebate.) Brought it home and set it up with our home wireless network in less than 2 hours. Setup on the printer took the longest because I was following the directions in the manual (included), and was unfamiliar with the Canon wireless setup. The easiest method for me was to let it find my wireless network and key in the WEP pin number. Had a bit of trouble using the rotary keypad on the front of the printer, but was only a minor setback...got it figured out with the help of my 10 year-old daughter. Believe it or not, That was the most difficult part. Once the printer was configured, I installed the drivers (and 5 other proprietary Canon software applications) using the installation CD. We now have a desktop running Windows Vista Home Premium, a desktop running Windows XP (SP2), and a laptop running Windows 7 home premium all configured for this printer. It took me less than 3 hours total time (actual hands on time was less than 2) to get everything installed and configured. I could do without the extra bloatware that the installation cd installed on my PC's, but will deal with it for the time being until I see what is worthwhile and what I can do without. I have 2 daughters - 8 and 10 - and a beautiful wife operating a home-based business as a virtual assistant from the main Windows Vista PC. Mine is the new HP laptop i5 running Windows 7. (I downloaded the windows 7 drivers for my laptop directly from the Canon USA website - previous reviewers had indicated that these drivers weren't included on the disk and I didn't bother to check...) It is very refreshing that Canon has developed a printer that can easily be configured on a home network with a minimum of muss or fuss. Admittedly, I am a fairly experienced computer user, and, from previous trials and tribulations, learned how to tame most windows-related issues, but this was a very straightforward process... quite impressive, actually. I researched some of the other multi-media wireless printers, and this one seems to be a very good value with very good features. We bought the recommeded extra printer cartridges. We'll see if it is as expensive to operate as other reviewers have said. I guess I won't mind spending a bit extra for the ink. The photo prints are very impressive quality, and it doesn't make as much noise as the previous HP printers that we've owned. All in all, I'm extremely satisfied so far.

I have a Mac Mini running Leopard (OSX 10.6) and I connected to this printer/scanner wirelessly. I followed the printed instructions carefully and I used the included CD to install software. The software directed me to the Apple web site, but was gave no explicit instructions on what to do once I got there. After fussing with the software for a couple of hours, I had the notion to search the Apple web site for updated Canon printer drivers. I downloaded them and installed them and now the printer works well but the scanning not so much so. It takes inordinately long for the scanner and computer to connect to two important Apple applications, Image Capture and Preview. The included Canon software (MP Navigator) works faster but interfaces with the user in an idiosyncratic way. After expending effort to learn about these idiosyncrasies, I realized what I really wanted. I wanted to have a seamless installation from the CD, and I wanted to push a button on the scanner and have the scanner connect with Preview or iPhoto quickly like my Canon camera does. I think that this is not too much to expect and so I give this device only 4 stars.

After slogging through almost every major brand, reading reviews till my eyes crossed, and watching prices like a hawk, I bought the Canon Pixma MP640. Got it for a song, and most everything I'd studied said "great little printer."

I got it yesterday, so this review is concerned mainly with the initial impressions and what I've seen so far.

Delivered in pristine shape, box intact. Padding is the standard foam forms, and the plastic air bags, which my cat LOVES to walk on. You lift everything out using the bag it's in. Ain't a lightweight piece, but the bag held fine. You start by removing all the "orange" tape pieces. There's a lot. But, each one is folded on itself on one end so you're not pickin' at the tape with your nails. Now. THAT is the job I would NOT want to have, "tape strip folder-overer." But, I'm glad it's done.

I read manuals. I read instructions. Days are gone when you can wing it with highly sophisticated technologies. And this is SOPHISTICATED! So, RTFM, folks. It'll save you some grief.

Quality of manual writing is good, not great. The paper is like news stock, which struck me as an odd economy on their part. The panel on the printer is easy to see, the buttons laid out smart, and is of sufficient size for finger pushing.

The setup went flawlessly! Print head just laid right in, ink snapped into place and a light said good to go. The cleaning and clearing of the print head does take about 20 minutes, which it tells you it will. Dat be true!

First doc I printed looks perfect. But, my REAL reason for wanting this model is the scanner and photo printing. So, scanned first. Piece of cake but I'm gonna have to get used to orientation. Has an auto detect, too, so it only uses what it has to, to build the image. Ain't crazy about the included software. It's sufficient but I prefer my Paint Shop Pro, which I've used since it was a beta, lo those many years ago.

Saved the scan, then opened in PSP. Decided not to tweak it a bit! Let's see what this puppy gets straight from the git-go! Three items. A B&W photo, small muted photo, a proof of a portrait, and one with vivid orange in it...a particularly difficult color to render accurately.

I printed on "regular," not the fine mode. It's a TEST! But, I swear the quality on a matte piece of photo paper is a dead ringer for the originals! Better than "good." Phrase comes to mind from long time ago, "MOST Excellent!"

I love the five cartridge concept. And there's one more thing...the unit itself is a MARVEL of engineering. The design is simply superb. When you close everything, there is only this "box." Nothing is exposed to dust, no tray, no platen, no controls...nothing is revealed.

That's a biggie for me because I have two blue and gold macaws, a cat and a small dog. LOTTA dust and stuff in the air. This printer is damn near impervious to dust or anything to get INTO the innards.

Long way to go to explore all its features. Hope to add or modify my review after some use. Meantime, I am EMINENTLY pleased with delivery, setup and initial use. Oh...for now, I'm using the USB connection, but it will go on my wireless network. I have no doubt.

I've never had a bad Canon product, and I've had more than a few. This one already exceeds my expectations.

Be talkin' to you.................Webrydr