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 Canon MP530: An all-in-one with FANTASTIC photo quality Dec 03, 2008
I've had the MP530 for two years, and I absolutely love it! I am a freelance photographer, so I wanted something that could produce excellent photo prints. I am also a musician, and I print my own promotional materials, which again requires excellent print quality. I also needed at least an average-quality scanner and I have limited space. That's why I went with an all-in-one, but my main concern was photo quality:
I can honestly say that the MP530 prints better photos than Wal-Mart! Wal-Mart's photo printers probably cost something like $30,000. The MP530 costs $100-$150, and with high quality photo paper, it does a better job! I only know this because I did a test: I printed six 4x6 photographs on the MP530, and I also ordered prints of the same six shots from Wal-Mart. My personal opinion was that the MP530's shots were better. Then I showed all the prints to my friends and family, and I asked them to pick which ones they thought were better, and also which ones they thought were done by me at home and which were done by Wal-Mart. I referred to each copy as "A" or "B". "A" was the MP530 prints, but I didn't tell anyone that. Non one knew which was which. EVERYONE picked all the "A" copies as the better prints, and EVERYONE thought that the "A" copies were from Wal-Mart! When I told them that they were actually printed at home on the MP530, they were all very surprised. I should mention that I used the Canon Glossy photo paper that came included in the printer box. I should also mention that some of the participants were graphic designers and photographers, and everyone participated separately, not as a group.
As far as the scanner goes, I don't use it often, but when I do, I get great results. I'm sure there are other scanners that are better, but I have scanned 4x6 photographs, cropped and resized them to 8x10, then ordered huge prints at 16x20 and I have been very happy with the results.
The copier works great, too. Fast, sharp copies with the push of one button. What more could you want?
I only used the fax once. The process was easy once I read the manual and set it up properly. I may never need to use the fax again, but it's nice to know it's there if I need it.
The ink lasts as long as other printers, if not longer. The ability to change individual colors is supposed to save you money, and I think it does, but not enough to make a huge difference. The ink is expensive, but that goes for all printers, doesn't it? It's worth it, though. Canon says it won't fade for 100 years and I believe them, because my prints have been exposed to sunlight for two years are there is absolutely no sign of fading. I would never use off-brand ink because the color probably won't be accurate, it will probably fade or smear, and it might damage the printer, so what would be the point?
In the two years I've owned this printer, it has never taken more than one sheet at time (my HP printer always did that), and I've never had a paper jam, except for once, when I tried to feed a sheet of card stock with two severely damaged corners. But if that sheet only had ONE damaged corner, I'm sure the MP530 could've handled it.
If you want a printer that makes absolutely flawless photographs, buy the MP530 and get the scanner, copier and fax as a bonus. I really don't see how any stand-alone photo printer could print any better than this.
 Good printer, but goes through ink like CRAZY. Dec 02, 2008
This printer does everything you want it to do, but it seems like every other day the ink is "low". If you try to push it and wait till the ink is totally gone, it will get to a point where it will not print because it says the ink is out (you can't even choose to print in grayscale when one of the colors is out. No ink, no print, no way). And when you go to replace the ink, it still appears to have enough to print (probably 1/4 full!). This is a real hassle, and has caused me to really resent this purchase.
My only other problem with it is that you cannot turn off the beeps. I have yet to find any setting on it anywhere to turn it off. I used it for a time as a fax machine and the faxes will not come without beeping. Getting faxes in the middle of the night at a home office is sure to wake you up (very annoying if you have fax spammers! And you can't block the numbers!).
Honestly, I liked my old HP better. I only upgraded to have the ability to print pictures well, but with the ink problem, there's no way I am going to be doing that - it would cost too much in ink!!
It works like a $300 machine, but it costs $100. Canon is doing good work Nov 30, 2008
It scans very nicely. It copies a bit crooked but fast and sharp and photos are good enough for framing - I framed a bunch. Maybe the color accuracy isn't as good as a $200 dedicated photo printer, but I also don't give a d*mn. Prints are fast and clear and color is good and it always seems to work right away without a cleaning or a re-setting or re-screwing-around. I appreciate that.
Fantastic Printer! Nov 29, 2008
I only just installed and started using this printer -- (was waiting to use up every drop of the ink in my last and final Epson printer) -- and I really love it. It's a very high-quality piece of equipment at a low price. I love that it has a second paper cassette, meaning I don't have to manually change paper types, and a feed switch right on the front that tells it which paper tray to use. The printer is quiet, prints wonderfully, and I am extremely happy with it. I haven't hooked up the fax yet -- and I probably won't because I always seem to conflicts between phone lines/answering machines/DSL/fax operations. But no matter, because I rarely send faxes anymore and never receive them. They could do away with that function on this machine and I'd still be extremely happy with it.
I love its other functions as well -- reduce/enlarge, image and exposure quality, and the two-sided printing. These are features usually reserved for far more expensive printers. So I'm happy as a clam!
awesome! Nov 25, 2008
The price on this was great. The shipping was speedy. It puts my 5 yr old HP all-in-one to shame......seriously. I should have switched over long ago!
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