Which Canon multifunction will suit me best?

[Soporose]

The Canon MP550 that has served me very well for quite a long time is currently in hospital and will probably cost more to fix than it's worth, so I think it is probably time for me to look at buying a replacement.

I have had such good service from the MP550 and am familiar with the way Canon does things, so I am inclined to stay with the brand.

My requirements are multifunction (print/scan/copy/fax) and it must be able to print on printable CDs/DVDs.

I do not print high-resolution photographs or have any other high-quality printing tasks.

Unfortunately I have found it quite difficult to get a list of Canon printers narrowed down to just those that are multifunction and that also do CD/DVD printing.

Of course Wireless, Ethernet, FireWire and all that other cool stuff would be nice too, but I'm not rolling in money, so I need to strike a bargain between features and price. But, as I said, print/scan/copy/fax and print-to-CD/DVD are essential features.

Would really welcome some suggestions or recommendations. By the way, I'm in Australia, so it must be a model that is available here -- not sure if all models are universally available.

 

[The Hat]

The Canon MP550 that has served me very well for quite a long time is currently in hospital and will probably cost more to fix than it's worth, so I think it is probably time for me to look at buying a replacement.

I have had such good service from the MP550 and am familiar with the way Canon does things, so I am inclined to stay with the brand.

My requirements are multifunction (print/scan/copy/fax) and it must be able to print on printable CDs/DVDs.

I do not print high-resolution photographs or have any other high-quality printing tasks.

Unfortunately I have found it quite difficult to get a list of Canon printers narrowed down to just those that are multifunction and that also do CD/DVD printing.

Of course Wireless, Ethernet, FireWire and all that other cool stuff would be nice too, but I'm not rolling in money, so I need to strike a bargain between features and price. But, as I said, print/scan/copy/fax and print-to-CD/DVD are essential features.

Would really welcome some suggestions or recommendations. By the way, I'm in Australia, so it must be a model that is available here -- not sure if all models are universally available.

The MX 870 would be a great replacement for you; its a bit hefty in price but can be refilled very easy..

 

[stratman]

The MX870 can not be converted to print on disks according to http://damnprinter.com/, at least for those models purchased in the USA. Maybe the situation is different with this model for the rest of the world where Canon typically provides disk printing natively out of the box. Looking at the specs of the printer on Canon AU I don't see media printing capability.

 

[Soporose]

I was finally able to speak to an actual human being at Canon customer support, and this is what I found out...

When I bought my MP550 it was one of a range that Canon described as "Multifunction", which meant print/copy/scan/fax. Some of the multifunction printers, including the MP550, were also capable of printing to media (CD/DVD).

Well, Canon don't describe a "Multifunction" range now. They have changed the description to "All-in-One", and the "All" no longer includes fax.

The only models in their current range which feature print/copy/scan, and which are also capable of printing to media, are the following:

Canon MG5350 - 5 tanks - Wireless
Canon MG6250 - 6 tanks - WiFi & Ethernet
Canon MG8250 - 6 tanks - Wireless

And before someone claims that no one uses fax anymore, I've heard it before, but it's very, very wrong. There are probably very few reasons to NEED to use fax nowadays, but a huge number of individuals and organizations still do rely on it.

Anyway, the repair shop claims that the logic board in my MP550 is stuffed and they want over $200 to replace it, so that ain't going to happen!

After a quick search by phone and online I failed to find a retailer in my area (Brisbane) who stocks all of those three models, making a physical comparison difficult. Not looking forward to that shopping job next week.

Would really like feedback from anyone who has one of those three models.

 

[lbrain]

I have one of those all in one Canon photo printers and I would like to say that they are quite good with what they have going. Yes, they would not be working topnotch for every aspect they work with but they are great at working on the middle range.

If you are hardcore with what you want done, this might not be a goo investment as you are still better of getting better results on separate hardware.