If you'd like to print wirelessly, you have two options. The first is to use the built-in IrDA port with your IrDA camera phone. The second is to purchase an optional Bluetooth adapter to plug into the PictBridge port. Using the Bluetooth adapter, you can print from a variety of PDAs and cell phones. You can also print from a PictBridge camera using the PictBridge port. We like the wide array of options, but would also like to see the ability to use the PictBridge port as a USB port (or even a secondary USB port) to connect a USB storage device, such as a flash thumbdrive.
Performance
The Canon Pixma MP600 may be smaller in stature than the MP800, but it keeps up in performance. It printed text at 7.88ppm, just behind the MP800's 8.43 pages per minute (ppm). What really impressed us, though, was its lightning-fast photo print speeds--an impressive 2.33ppm for 4x6 prints, the fastest photo printer we've seen in the Labs by far (even faster than more expensive Pixma models). The next fastest was the 1.88ppm posted by the Pixma MP810. It was a bit slower at scanning, but not shamefully so: 4.36ppm for grayscale scans and 4.44ppm for color scans.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Color scan |
The print quality of the MP600 was impressive. Text quality was excellent, especially for an inkjet printer. We saw only very minor jaggedness on the edges of some characters. The color graphics print showed similar high quality: excellent saturation in color blocks, sharp detail, and impressive color reproduction, both in graphics and photo elements. We also liked the 4x6 photo prints, but we would've liked to see richer, warmer colors. Still, the photos are good enough for snapshooters and amateur photo hobbyists.
The grayscale scan didn't fare as well. Both ends of the grayscale were overblown, resulting in loss of details in both highlights and shadows. The color scan exhibited a similar problem, with light areas overblown. Also, details were fuzzy and the scan had an overall unfocused look to it. The scanner also had problems dealing with the vertical lines of a barcode-style pattern. If you're looking for excellent scans, this is not the printer for you. The Canon Pixma MP530 offers excellent scan quality, but as it's an office-oriented all-in-one, it lacks built-in memory card slots and a preview LCD. In order to get all of these features--memory card slots, LCD, and high-quality scans--you'll probably have to pony up a bit more cash for a model such as the Canon Pixma MP800.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Grayscale scan | |
Color scan |
Service and support
Canon provides a one-year limited warranty for its consumer printers, as well as a year of free, toll-free phone support Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST. You can extend the warranty to three years for $95. You also can get tech support via e-mail, and Canon says it will respond within 24 hours. Canon's site has FAQs, a troubleshooting tool, downloadable drivers and software, and PDFs of product and software manuals.
