We first reviewed Canon's Pixma MP240 in What's New, Shopper 255.
We're including it here because it's still cracking value. Everything from its construction to its sharp prints belies its price. It uses a tri-colour cartridge plus a cartridge of pigmented black ink for standard document printing, but even this gives print costs only slightly higher than Epson's BX300FW.
Its standard-quality print speed of 5.6ppm is quick enough for most tasks. Document quality was excellent, with sharp, smooth-edged text. Colour illustrations were bright and accurately shaded. Even in draft mode, which prints at a fairly swift 7.5ppm, text was clear and well defined. Photo quality was sharp and light colours were accurate, although dark shades slightly lacked intensity because the printer has no photographic black ink.
Both colour and mono copy quality were excellent, with clear reproduction of text and accurate colour and shading. Many budget MFPs are limited to nine photocopies in a single run, but the MP240 can be set up to 20.
The ScanGear scanner software has been simplified, but all the usual Advanced Mode features are still present, from software-based dust and scratch removal to tone and shadow correction. By default, the scanner interface closes after each scan but can be set to remain open.
You can also retain the preview image between scans. The 1,200dpi maximum resolution is higher than that of most budget MFPs, but the integrated Contact Image Sensor (CIS) scanner is best suited to scanning photos for the web or documents for archiving. Colours and shading were accurate, though.
Print costs of 7.9p per mixed-colour page are slightly higher than the other inkjets here, and the tri-colour cartridge has to be replaced if you run out of any one colour. However, the MP240's incredibly low price and excellent print quality make it our favourite low-price inkjet MFP. If you don't print often but still want good-quality prints and accurate scans, this is a perfect choice. It's our Budget Buy.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | **** |
| Maximum native print resolution | 4,800x1,200dpi |
| Max optical resolution | 1,200x2,400dpi |
| Output bit depth | 48-bit |
Quoted Speeds | |
| Quoted speed, mono A4 | 19ppm |
| Quoted speed, colour A4 | 15ppm |
Tested Print Speeds | |
| Time for two 10x8in photos 1.0 | 6m 24s |
| Time for six 6x4in photos 1.0 | 10m 24s |
Physical and Environmental | |
| Standard printer interfaces | USB, PictBridge USB |
| Optional printer interfaces | none |
| Size | 155x444x331mm |
| Weight | 5.5kg |
| Noise (in normal use) | 42dB(A) |
| Power consumption standby | 1W |
| Power consumption idle | 2W |
| Power consumption active | 12W |
Paper Handling | |
| Maximum paper size | A4/legal |
| Maximum paper weight | 300gsm |
| Standard paper inputs | 1 |
| Standard paper input capacity | 100 |
| Maximum paper inputs | 1 |
| Maximum paper input capacity | 100 |
| Duplex (code, cost if option) | No |
General | |
| Printer technology | thermal inkjet |
| Supported operating systems | Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Mac OS X 10.3.9 - 10.5 |
| Other inkjet features | none |
| Other inkjet options | none |
Buying Information | |
| Price | £39 |
| Price per colour A4 page | 4.4p |
| Quoted life of supplied black cartridge | 220 pages (ISO/IEC 24711) |
| Quoted life of supplied colour cartridge(s) | 244 pages (ISO/IEC 24711) |
| Quoted life of supplied photo cartridge(s) | N/A |
| Warranty | one year RTB |
| Supplier | http://www.pcworld.co.uk |
| Details | www.canon.co.uk |
Print Quality | |
| Number of ink colours | 4 |
| Number of ink cartridges | 2 |
| Maximum number of ink colours | 4 |
| Maximum number of cartridges | 2 |
| Quoted photo durability | 30 years |
| Quoted photo durability source | Canon |
Tested Scan Speeds | |
| Full scan area preview | 8s |
| A4 document at 150dpi | 11s |
| A4 document at 300dpi | 19s |
| 6x4in photo at 600dpi | 23s |
| 6x4in photo at 1200dpi | 57s |
Tested Copy Speeds | |
| Time for single A4 mono copy 1.0 | 42s |
| Time for single A4 colour copy 1.0 | 44s |
| Time for 10 A4 copies using feeder 2.0 | N/A |
Photo Features | |
| PictBridge support | Yes |
| Borderless printing | A4, letter, 20x25cm, 13x18cm, 10x15cm |
| Direct (PC-less) printing | Yes |
| Supported memory cards | none |
| CD printing | No |
Copy Features | |
| Maximum number of copies | 20 |
| Max colour copy resolution | 1,200dpi |
Fax Features | |
| Max mono fax resolution | N/A |
| Fax memory (maximum mono pages) | N/A |
