CANON makes — or perhaps made — some great products.
I have two Canon 35 mm cameras (a brass F-1 and an FtB) sitting in my closet, a Canon SD1100 IS mini-digi cam and a full size Canon digital camera that does everything but yell “Say Cheese!” — fine for most folks, but I like my brass F-1 and its sensible controls. (I also have a 4*5-inch technical camera.)
I also have — had — three Canon multi-function printers.
The MP-560 was well-designed and provided 99% of all the things I want in a multi-function printer. (It lacked an Automatic Document Feeder.) Four ink cartridges plus extra black. Worked via Wi-Fi and Ethernet.
Knowing it was nearing time to replace it, I bought a Canon MX-922 multi-function printer. This one had an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) that was handy, but the printer’s mechanical design was, in a word, BAD TERRIBLE.
In order to print anything but 8 ½ * 11 paper, the paper tray had to be emptied and some cheap plastic sliders moved to hold other papers — envelopes, 4*6 photo paper, etc. A pain in the posterior. (The MP-560 had a slot for envelopes and sundry paper sizes.)
As with the MP-560, the MX-922, the printer worked with WiFi and Ethernet.
MX-922 Heads “North”
Yes, I know most folks say something heads south when it starts to go bad, but from where I sit in the Sunshine State, going north is not a good thing. Snow, ice, sleet, etc. and et al
I don’t print a lot of things, but both my Spouse and I do occasionally need a printed document.
So, this morning I hied myself off to a local office supplies store and bought, for $50, a Canon TR4520 multi-function printer.
It is as badly designed as the MX-922 — paper has to be removed from the single paper tray in order to feed envelopes, albeit it is slightly easier to accomplish.
The input size adjustment seems a little more substantial than the MX-922’s and there is less to go wrong with the new machine’s feed system; fewer little pieces of plastic to break off.
The scanner on all of the Canon printers worked to specification. The MX-922 and the TR4520 feeders are pretty straight forward. All Canon printers offer automatic two-sided printing and collating.
Unfortunately, the Canons are not Linux-friendly (no drivers) nor are they particularly Mac-friendly. I think Canon is being very short-sighted, but then they can’t seem to get their packaging (mechanical engineering) back to the level of the MP-560.
Canon also, apparently in an effort to sell more ink, has gone from four small color cartridges and one large black ink cartridge to two fat cartridges: one black and one tri-color. Having multiple color cartridges set Canon apart from most of its competitors.
If this new printer will perform faithfully for as long as my just-discarded MP-560 I will be — if not happy (due to poor packaging) — at least satisfied.
Unlike the MP-560, maintenance on the TR4520 is a pain.
Firstly, the documentation provided on a CD is not correct. I never did figure out to align the print head. I’m no dummy; in fact I used to WRITE technical manuals for mil-spec electronics, process control gear, and private telephone systems, but the Canon documentation simply fails to match the software. Documentation should follow the KIS(s) Principle — Keep It Simple (stupid). The paper documentation is almost nil.
Set up, following the CD's prompts, was simple.
The new printer is set up and works, via WiFi, from both computers and at least one “smart” phone (a Redmi 6A). There is NO Ethernet connection. There is a telco connection for fax (that, unfortunately, my carrier (Consumer Cellular) does not support.
The TR24520 IS noisy, even in “quiet more.”
I confess that I am a Canon loyalist. I have only had one really bad Canon product, a video camera that failed when needed most.
The TR4520, however, may be my last Canon.
- Sloppy design.
Two ink tanks.
Poor documentation.
If I am forced to buy a new printer before 2030, it likely will be a printer from another manufacturer. HP makes bubble jets now, as does Brother and some others. Canon needs to bear in mind there ARE alternatives, even in relatively low-cost home office printers.
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