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- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 99 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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40 out of 42 people found this review helpful
2.5 stars
"Brutal bug when printing text with duplexing on"
Pros: I have no complaints except for this horrible bug
Cons: text quality is much worse with duplexing on
Summary: Unlike the MP780, the MP830 printer driver has a very serious bug that likely has it using the color inks to produce black text instead of the pigment black ink when printing text in duplex mode. I find this bug to be extremely bothersome. The problem exists when duplexing in other printing modes, but it's most apparent when duplexing text on fast mode.
With duplexing on, the text quality is pretty bad. With duplexing off, the text quality looks fantastic on the MP830. Given the MP830 comes with built-in duplexing, this printer driver bug is pretty annoying for those who want to use the duplexing feature for text printing.
This problem exists with Mp830 printer driver 1.00 on Windows XP service pack 2. I've tested this problem on two different MP830s (firmware 1.04 and 1.06) on two different computer systems.
I've also had this bug confirmed by a third party. Visit http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=95623&forum_id=40
This bug is very easily reproduced:
Print text in fast mode with duplexing on. Then print text in fast mode with duplexing off.
Night and day
The problem also exists in standard mode, but the difference isn't as extreme.
Canon is in dire need of fixing this issue, unless of course Canon customers don't mind paying for inferior black text quality when the duplex option is turned on. But it sure bothers me.Updated
"This is from Canon technical support:
"The unit was designed to print using "composite black" when duplexing. Composite black is created by using color inks. Unfortunately, we do not have answers as to why Canon USA made this decisions, these decisions are determined by the developers at Canon INC."
Absolutely brutal. If I could I would change my rating to zero. Composite black text print is vastly inferior to the text print produced when using the black ink cartridge. Canon technical support is basically telling me that duplex black text printing on the MP830 is horrible by design. Oh, plus you have the added bonus of wasting color ink when printing black text while duplexing. InexcusableUpdated
I should have written "Like the MP780"--not unlike.
Canon believes if these printers don't use composite black ink while duplexing, the text will show through to the other side. I tested this manually (I flipped the page over myself and printed on it), and I disagree: the text looked a lot better, and there were no issues.Updated
I should have written "Like the MP780"--not "Unlike".
Anyway, Canon believes printing with composite black ink ensures the text will not bleed or be seen on the other side of the page. I've tested this manually by printing on one side of a piece of plain paper, flipping the page over, and printing on the other side. The text looked vastly better on both sides--and there were no issues. So, I compeltely disagree with Canon. The choice to use color ink to produce black ink while duplexing is a bad choice. At the very least the option should exist in the printer driver to use the proper black ink tank when duplexing if that's what the customer wants.Updated
I should have written "Like the MP780"--not "Unlike".
Anyway, Canon believes printing with composite black ink ensures the text will not bleed or be seen on the other side of the page. I've tested this manually by printing on one side of a piece of plain paper, flipping the page over, and printing on the other side. The text looked vastly better on both sides--and there were no issues. So, I compeltely disagree with Canon. The choice to use color ink to produce black ink while duplexing is a bad choice. At the very least the option should exist in the printer driver to use the proper black ink tank when duplexing if that's what the customer wants.
- 2 replies to this review
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Hi folks,
I have found the way to make the duplex print works better for canon mp830.
All you need to do is to hack the printer driver by asking it to print on media type Hagaki paper instead of plain paper.
Here are the steps:
1. Set the media type to Hagaki paper instead of plain paper.
2. Set the page size using custom 8.5 x 11 (or 8.5 x 14 if you want to duplex
on legal paper). Actually just setting it to letter or legal size does work too.
3. Set the print quality to High resolution (you may also use standard, or
custom setting with resolution set to high and halftoning set to diffusion).
In my experience, it does not differ that much.
4. When you hit OK, you will be asked to set the correct Hagaki paper size,
please ignore that.
5. Go and print it out, you will see that it will duplex print with more crisp and
much blacker than if you duplex with plain paper.
I have just duplex print my tax returns, my company design documents and my resume with this setting. The results are awesome now. Sharp, crisp and blacker than if I duplex with plain paper. -
I was very interested in this printer, particularly since it can do duplex scanning. Unfortunately, the lack of a network adapter was the first strike. (I'm replacing my HP g95 network multifunction printer, which can do duplex printing, but its ADF doesn't support duplex scanning.)
This composite black issue takes the cake, however.
Duplexing is VERY popular, nowadays. Canon knows this. Therefore, they obviously figure they can sell more ink by making the printer use composite black while duplexing instead of true black.
Since we all know that printer manufacturers sell the printers so cheaply, and instead make their profit on greatly-overpriced ink cartridges, what Canon is doing is nothing more than "gouging us at the pump" like Big Oil. Triply so, since color ink costs quite a bit more per ml than black, and composite black uses all three color inks to make black.
I just lost all respect for Canon. It's a shame, too, because I really liked their printers (particularly for the individual color cartridges, instead of the tri-color cartridges HP uses).
I suppose it's possible Canon could update the driver for it so it will use the true-black ink on duplex prints (or perhaps an independent programmer will put out a better driver, as is often done with firmware for popular DVD burners), but I won't hold my breath. Obviously, they are counting on selling this printer to uneducated buyers.
