When scanning, whether you're scanning documents or slides/negatives, you can save the resulting file to a folder on your PC; scan to PDF; scan to a specific program, such as Photoshop; or attach the file to an outbound e-mail. If you're scanning a text document, the included ScanSoft OmniPage SE converts the scan into an editable file using optical character recognition. You can also initiate scans from your PC using any TWAIN-compliant software or Canon's included MP Navigator software. The MP810 offers a nice array of features using the Special Copy menu. Options include two-sided copy (using the built-in duplexer), 2-on-1 and 4-on-1 copy, image repeat, and borderless copy.
Performance
The Canon Pixma MP810 offers impressive print speeds but slow scan speeds, compared to those of its predecessor. It printed text at a rate of 8.43 pages per minute, far ahead of either the HP Photosmart C7180 or the HP OfficeJet 6310. It managed 1.84ppm with 4x6 photos, on a par with last year's model. The Pixma MP810 fell of the pace when scanning though: 7.40ppm for grayscale scans and a pokey 3.98ppm for color scans.
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The Pixma MP810's print quality is a great improvement over that of the MP800. Text in our tests was dark, sharp, and clean--nearly as good as laser text quality to the naked eye. The color graphics prints were impressive, too: smooth gradients, nicely saturated color blocks, excellent detail, and well-rendered photo elements. We really liked the 4x6 photo prints, too, though the colors lacked a bit of warmth, particularly in the skin tones.
The MP810 did a good job with the color scans: the colors were accurate and details were sharp, but it had some troubling handling the vertical lines of a bar-code pattern. The grayscale scan didn't fare quite as well: The white end of the grayscale was overblown, resulting in lost details in the highlight area, and the entire image seemed slightly hazy.
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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. PT. You can extend the warranty to three years for $95. You can also 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.
What You'll Pay
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