It was only a few months ago that Canon released the PIXMA MP540 all-in-one printer and already they’ve thrust out two more sequels.The MP560 comes packing more features than its predecessors but do they have the wow factor? Time to scan our Canon PIXMA MP560 review to find the answers.
The first thing you notice about the Canon PIXMA MP560 is how similar it is in appearance with the ageing MP540. The sleek silver and black tones, sensuous rounded curves and fold-away compactness remain and the dimensions are almost identical (at 8.1 kg the MP560 is marginally heavier).
What has been correctly retained in the Canon PIXMA MP560 is the excellent Easy-Scroll wheel which makes navigating the menus on the 2” colour display a breeze, while the control buttons are large, clearly labelled and unfussy. In the same way, all the standard memory card types (including the increasingly less favoured xD-Picture Card) are available, hidden neatly behind the front panel above the USB slot for flash memory and PictBridge enabled cameras.
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The paper limits on the Canon PIXMA MP560 have also stayed unaltered, with up to 150 sheets of plain paper fed into the front cartridge and the same total dropped into the rear feeder. A major improvement, though, is the automatic double-sided printing option. Previously you had to manually turn each page over to get ink on each side.
Maximum print resolution (9600 x 2400 dpi) and scan resolution (2400 x 4800 dpi) remain unchanged on the Canon PIXMA MP560 but speeds have marginally increased. Officially Canon claim 9.2ipm for text documents and 6.0ipm for colour, which is a more realistic boast than their competitors, yet we still only averaged around 6.5 for draft text and just under 4.0 for colour. On the other hand, the quality of the black ink in particular was impressively deep and solid and the colour prints were mostly vibrant, with only some lightening of tones on scanned photo copies.
The other significant extra that the Canon PIXMA MP560 throws into the mix is Wi-Fi. It’s easy to set up and operate will be a big boon for those not wanting to spend a fortune in a small office. And with prices tumbling already, the well fancied Epson Stylus Photo PX710W should be worried.