Everything you could want (with a newer PC)
Pros:
Features and Price
Cons:
User's manual not comprehensive. Must install Canon software on all machines.
The Bottom Line:
Good choice if you have a new operating system and plan to use all of the features.
|
|
Overall Rating:
|
 |
|
Author's Review
Canon Pixma MX700 Multiunction printer.
This is a do it all printer, scanner, fax. I got this printer because my 8 year old printer is not working any more. The printer itself is fine. I can only nit pick on some of the finer points...
I am still using Windows 2000 on my 8 year old computer. (I had been planning to convert to Vista when it came out but decided not to after learning of all the problems.) Now I'm waiting for Windows 7, I guess. Anyway, the point is that Windows 2000 is too old to work with this printer if you need to do anything fancy. Sure, it prints fine. But many of the automatic scanning features don't work right off the bat in Windows 2000. I should be able just to press the scan button on the printer and a scanned document should appear on the screen shortly thereafter. But in Windows 2000 a lot of other processes have to be manually started. You need your own application software, for example; and you need to start it by hand. I couldn't get anything to scan to .pdf, which is what I really wanted. There is probably a way to do it, with a lot of research and downloading... but I just don't feel like it. I guess I'll have to wait for Windows 7.
Before I bought this printer, I also checked to make sure it would work with Ubuntu Linux, in case I wanted to go that way. I was disappointed to find that there is not any indication that the printer works with Linux, or how to do it, in any of the documentation that came with the printer.
In addition, the printer supports networking. I was hoping that I could use that to avoid installing Canon application software on any computer that I might have attached to my network, but after getting the printer I see that you must install the software on every PC that wants to use it. Disapointing.
The printer takes up a fair amount of desk space, which is unfortunate today with our smaller form factor PCs and LCD monitors. But with all of the required mechanisms involved, I don't suppose it could be made much smaller. It is about 19 x 19.
Build quality is good for a consumer level model. It wouldn't stand up long to office use. For the price, though, the build quality (and amount of features) is impressive.
By the way, the picture that I see on Epinions is not the MX700. The MX700 has an automatic doument feeder. I have used the ADF only a little, but I've been impressed with how little it jams. I expected more jamming (because of bad experiences with the old equipment in my office).
