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96 of 98 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent and Affordable Home & Small Office Copier
By P. Schmidt
I have had four previous copiers in my home office over the years. Back in the stone ages (aka the late 70s and early 80s) I had one of those horrible 'pink paper' copiers, which was the only kind small and affordable enough for personal use. Next came a used Savin office copier in the mid 80s, then a Ricoh 'small office' copier in the late 80s and early 90s, and finally a Mita Copystar 'small office' copier until the present day.
Why am I telling you this? It is because I am not inexperienced with various copiers in home use, and it is because each machine has been a significant improvement over the previous. Each was less expensive to use (amortized purchase price per copy and supplies), faster, less hassle (fewer paper jams or general labor to use the machine), and each had better copy quality than the previous. I recall the prices were $800 (new), $600 (used), $1400 (new), $2000 (new), respectively. I mention this to set you up for the copier that is the subject of this review.
The Mita Copystar was a good machine, but took a couple of minutes after turning it on before it would make copies, I had to manually place each original on the platen (image table), it was slow, and it needed periodic service due to infrequent use and toner/drum issues, in order to maintain copy quality. The biggest problem was that it could not do double sides copies (it would misfeed if I tried), and there was no automatic document feeder, a real bummer as I stood there manually feeding each original as it took its time copying.
SO!
The Canon MF6530 has now replaced the Mita Copystar, and it is clear that copier technology and performance has obviously improved by orders of magnitude in the last ten years since the previous machine was made.
For $600, I get a smaller and lighter machine, with better copy quality and much faster speed. It uses a 'single cartridge' system, which means it is like a laser printer that needs an occasional toner cartridge replacement. And that is where this machine differs fundamentally from the earlier ones I had. It is basically a laser printer with an integrated scanner on top. How is this better than having a regular scanner and laser printer connected to your computer? Well, it has its own computer so it is faster, it is not limited by USB speed or how busy the computer is, and it does not have to boot a huge operating system before allowing you to use it, after being turned off to save power.
Using the MF6530 is like this:
It is always 'on', such as so many modern devices like DVD players, etc; but it sits there in low power mode with the internal computer aware but all the power hungry innards turned off. When I decide to use it, I press its Power button, and it clicks a couple of times and says 'Ready' in about 2 seconds. At this point I can place an original on the scanner platen or drop a stack of pages into the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) on top, and press the START button. The first copy comes out in about 5 seconds, and after that it runs at 23 pages per minute (about 1 copy every 3 seconds). When I am done, I can press the Power button again to put it to sleep, or it will go to sleep automatically if I don't use it for a couple of minutes.
The copier can do single-sided to single-sided, single-sided to double-sided, double-sided to double-sided, or it can also reduce two originals to fit them both side by side on a single copy. This works whether I use the scanner platen or the ADF. I just press a button to select which way I want it to go.
The copier has the usual buttons for selecting pre-defined zoom ratios (reduce & enlarge) and basic lightness/darkness. I can also press a few more buttons and have greater control of these settings, including a wide range of zoom with very fine increments, and fine image contrast adjustments.
The copier has a numeric keypad for entering values, including number of copies. There is a small LCD screen the shows the currently selected paper tray (internal bin or external tray), zoom ratio, number of copies selected, darkness setting (or automatic). My only beef is that there is no backlighting for the display; but it is easy to read in normal room lighting.
Double sided scanning from the ADF, and double sided copying or printing is slower than the 23 pages per minute. This is because both the ADF and printer engines use the same inexpensive method to manage the duplex paper handling. First the paper is pulled through the engine to scan/print the first side, then the paper is ejected almost all the way into the receiving tray before being pulled back in through a mechanism that routes it through the engine with the opposite side up for another scan/print, then eject, pull back again through the same flipping mechanism, but this time without the scan/print, just to get the paper back in its original orientation. Obviously this takes more time than regular single-pass paper handling. Still, this method allows an inexpensive machine to do full duplex work, and it is still reasonably fast on duplex mode.
The printer has a USB 2 port on the back, and the copier comes bundled with a CD-ROM with an application suite. It installs a copier toolbox, which when opened gives you basic control of functions like: copy, scan text, scan image, create PDF, print. Each button opens a sort of remote control panel for the copier, geared to the function being performed. This works well. Keep in mind that there is no need to connect the copier to your computer if all you want to do is make copies. You only need to connect it to the computer if you want to scan or use the copier as a printer.
The software suite also includes a page manager that lets you view your scans, or send documents to the printer. You don't need to use this program, as it just duplicates other programs you already have. The other major thing that gets installed is an OCR (optical character recognition) program that reads text in the scanned image. I scanned a 50 sheet, double sided book of loose-leaf pages, using the ADF, The OCR seems to take about 2 seconds per page to convert all text to computer readable format. The resulting PDF file (it can be told to make one PDF per page or group the whole set into a single PDF) was very clear and the search function in Adobe Acrobat was able to find any words in the document...a testimony to the accuracy of the OCR.
The paper tray holds a full ream of paper, very nice. The tray opens by sliding forward from the base of the copier, so there is no need to have open space to either side, as many other copiers require. The only thing on the copier that opens to the side is the hatch on the left side. This is in two parts: the upper part gives access to the toner cartridge when it runs out of toner and needs replacement. The lower part unfolds into the 50 sheet secondary paper tray. You would use this when you want to print onto paper that is too thick to feed from the normal paper tray, or when printing onto transparencies or other special paper.
The paper that exits the ADF ends up in a tray that is immediately under the ADF input tray, much like all those big industrial copiers at Kinkos. The copies themselves (and paper coming out when you use the copier as a printer) exits into another try that is right below the ADF exit tray. This took me a bit of getting used to, since out of habit I kept looking around to the sides, expecting the copies to come out into a tray there.
This copier can replace your existing laser printer and/or flat-bed scanner. However, if you already have that equipment and are not out of available space, you should keep those and NOT replace them with the copier. I say this because my HP flat bed scanner, while slower, has better quality (better color accuracy and higher resolution) than the scanner part of this copier, and this is probably true for most separate scanners. It is also not too easy to scan a bound book on the Canon, due to its design...a separate flat-bed scanner will be better for this. You should also use a separate dedicated scanner for scanning photographic prints when you want the best quality results. However, the printer part of the Canon is as good as my HP Laserjet, in terms of resolution, speed and duplex printing capability. However, the separate printer in my case has the advantage of being right next to my computer (more convenient); how many people really want their office copier next to their work area (remember that USB cables are maximum of 16 feet between computer and device). A dedicated laser printer is much smaller, and fits on a desk nicely whereas the Canon copier is not going to sit comfortably on your desk top in the corner, out of the way.
The Canon series of home/small office/personal copiers has an excellent reliability record, so I expect this machine to be trouble free for years to come. All critical print engine components are replaced when you change the toner cartridge, to there is nothing left that would normally require adjustment or service.
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Good product but multipurpose tray could be better
By Niels Bohr
I just bought this multifunction laser printer for my wife last week because she is doing a serious amount of scanning and e-faxing of big documents. Her HP all-in-one couldn't handle more than 15 pages or a combination of legal and letter scanning without jamming or performing painfully slow. The solution was to buy her this robust more professional piece of machinery. So far the scanning of her 50-page documents comes out really well (around 8 pages a minute) and she can just drop a large stack for scanning and walk away.
Now for the bad: She went to print using the multipurpose tray for small label sheets as well as envelopes and could not succeed. At first I laughed and said silly woman electronics are for men. So I went about trying to perform the same tasks and was surprised that I could not get it to work. Of course I consulted the manual and looked for online forums and lightly punched the machine and still no success. So we waited until Canon support was available to call for help. The support was good and we were able to print labels using the multipurpose tray after an hour on the phone. However, the process for custom sized feeds in the multipurpose tray is not user friendly and expect a struggle. If you are planning on printing on envelopes and postcards and any other non-standard media don't expect the ease of feeding this stuff in like it's an inkjet printer. Instead prepare to spend time with the control panel on the printer each time you change the media. Other than this issue this multifunction laser is good to go.
31 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
Worst printer ever used
By zemes
This is a review of Canon imageCLASS MF6530 All-In-One Laser Printer. But I believe the comments here apply to the Canon imageCLASS MF6500 and MF6550 All-In-One Laser Printer as well because the primary difference is that MF6500 and MF6550 have a fax machine while MF6300 does not. (MF6550 also has more paper feeding capacity in its automatic document feeder, but this feature is irrelevant in this review.)
I updated my original review based on subsequent experiences. I couldn't change the rating. Otherwise I would have given it the lowest possible rating.
Pros:
(1) Much quieter than the Brother all-in-one laser printer I used. Especially, the Canon turns quiet immediately after the job is done, whereas the Brother keeps on making a loud noise for longer than five minutes before it goes to sleep (and there is no way to adjust that). If you like a quiet office setting like I do, this can be quite important. In fact, this was one of the reasons why I dumped the Brother and bought the Canon.
(2) The main paper tray is very easy to load and has reliable paper handling (when it's not broken, of course). The fact that it holds a whole ream (500 sheets) of paper is a great plus. With other printers which have a lesser capacity, you always end up having a small amount of paper left behind making a mess. For example, with the most common 250 sheet loader, you are under pressure to divide each ream of paper absolutely evenly, otherwise some paper will be left after two loads. If you do this only once every few months, it may not be a problem. But if you have to do that once every few days in a busy office setting, you might have a problem as I did. So a big thumbs up to Canon FM6530's 500 sheet loader.
(3) The automatic document feeder is also very reliable and seldom has paper jams.
(4) Software installation is straightforward.
(5) The printer is quite fast, seems to be close to the 23 ppm claim.
(6) The quality of the scanner and copier is very high, noticeably better than the Brother I used.
Cons:
(1) The worst user interface I've ever experienced with a printer. This will be discussed in further detail below.
(2) The worst multipurpose tray performance compounded by the incredibly bad user interface and software. This will be discussed in further detail below.
(3) The LCD display is small and dark (with no backlit), and very difficult to read. In fact, if you place it in a not-so-well-lit area, it is almost impossible to read. And unlike other printers, you do need to read the displayed information on the LCD frequently.
(4) The main paper tray makes up the very bottom of the whole printer and directly sits on the surface of the support (a table for example). Not only does this make the opening and closing of the main tray noisy and difficult, it also damages the surface of the support furniture. Worst of all, the main paper tray of our unit broke after about a year and won't hold the position. So the whole thing had to be replaced by another printer. And you know what, everyone was glad to see this thing go.
There are so many good copier/printers out there to choose from. I can't think of a good enough reason to choose this one over others. In fact, with the problems it has caused, I wouldn't even want one for free. It's just not worth the trouble.
More about the user interface and multipurpose tray:
The printer has the worst user interface and multipurpose tray I have ever used. The overall user interface design of the multipurpose tray is difficult and confusing, and is further made even worse by the inadequate documentation. The main problem isn't its paper loading mechanism, which is actually fine, although not the best. The problem is the software part that controls how the printer interfaces with the computer. It turned out that you must set BOTH the printer panel (which itself was extremely difficult to figure out), AND the application on your computer in order to print on a nonstandard media (such as an envelope) using the multipurpose tray; and you need to do all the setting EVERY time when you print on a paper size different from what you did last time; and both settings must be just so. Any mismatch will result in a no-go error (with beeps and flashing lights, you name it).
With many variables and no instructions, it is highly frustrating to figure it out initially. And even after you have learned how to set it up, the problem does not go away as you need to change the setting on the printer panel every time when you change paper type/size used in the multipurpose tray. The fact that the setting for printing is hidden deep down in the menu on the printer panel adds further confusion and frustration.
In beats me why Canon designed this printer this way. Intuitively, you'd think that as long as you load the paper correctly, the rest of the printer settings should be done on the computer, either in the printer properties or from the application you are using (for example, Microsoft Word). Other printers I used behave just like that. Some are simpler and some more complex, but all can be figured out fairly quickly if you are familiar with printers. Not so with Canon. With the poor logic of the user interface design, even if they had a very clear instruction, which of course they don't, you would still need to spend at least half an hour to figure out how to do this conjunction. But because they don't have a clear instruction in this regard at all, it is close to impossible for most people to do this. I persisted and did it eventually only because I couldn't help. I read other reviewers' frustration and thought to myself, well, I'm sure I would know better. But I underestimated the unreasonableness of a product. It took me almost 2 hours to figure out how to print on an envelope using the multipurpose tray, and I'm highly experienced with the printers.
As of now, I still don't know how to print checks on partial letter-size sheets from the accounting software QuickBooks. We happen to use the check format that has three checks in one letter-size sheet. For the first of every three checks, you have a full letter-size check sheet which can be handled using the main paper tray without a problem. But for the second and the third check, presently there is no way we can print on this printer, unless the checks are printed at the same time with the first check. Once the first check is printed and removed, you end up with a partial letter-size sheet which is impossible to print on this printer from QuickBooks. To be fair, I don't know whether it is QuickBooks or the Canon printer, or both, to blame. But the Brothers Multi-functional we used before had absolutely no problems printing checks. Looks like we'll have to destroy all the existing blank checks and order some new checks that comes with just one check on each letter-size sheet.
After all that, I would become anxious every time when I need to use the multipurpose tray, not only because of the unnecessary trouble of setting up, but more because of the uncertainty involved, as I never know if it will work or not. After hitting the print key, I'd nervously watch the printer with a sickening anticipation of a beep and lit orange light showing an error signal. This has essentially discouraged me from using the multipurpose tray.
Well, if you don't believe me, try it. Just try to print an envelope from Microsoft Word using its built-in envelope and label printing options. I bet your printer would be still beeping with that orange light flashing after three hours. Just try it. Set aside a whole afternoon, prepare a bunch of envelopes to be wasted, bring whatever techniques you use for handling anger and frustration, and start to do trial and error. You may actually get some exercise because you need to run between the printer and your computer so many times, at least one round-trip for each trial.
I highly doubt Canon has really paid any attention to its multipurpose tray. Alternatively, I suspect it was a hoax by ill-intending Canon employees.
In comparison, the multipurpose tray of Brother all-in-one laser printers not only prints envelopes very intuitively and easily, it even has an automatic bypass feature. It works in this way: if the multipurpose tray is not loaded, the printer automatically chooses the main tray. If the multipurpose try is loaded, the printer automatically chooses the multipurpose tray as a priority, thus bypassing the main tray. This works wonderfully if you do mixed printing of both plain paper and letterhead. You would load plain paper in the main tray to handle the regular printing. And as you occasionally need to print on letterhead, you just grab a few sheets of letterhead and put that in the multipurpose tray. Often, you may be printing the first page of a letter on the letterhead, but the rest of the letter on plain paper. With bypassing feature, no special setup is required. You just put a single sheet of letterhead in the multipurpose tray, and the printing job will be done just the way you like.
It is sad that Canon's multipurpose tray isn't capable of doing anything remotely resembling the above. Even if Canon's design of multipurpose tray were perfectly implemented (easy to set up and easy to use), I would rate Canon's design itself a three-star, while the Brother's design a five-star. But because Canon's multipurpose tray really is a mediocre design with a pathetic implementation, I don't know how I would rate it.
With such a failure of design and implementation of a key component and feature, I just cannot give the Canon even an average rating despite that the printer excels in some other aspects.
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Older model 4350d was great - this replacement is utter junk
