Canon Pixma MX455 review
Canon's PIXMA MX455 is a small inkjet multifunction peripheral (MFP) for home offices. It can scan, print, copy and send and receive faxes. It doesn’t have a wired Ethernet port, but it can connect to a wireless network for sharing among several users. The only feature we miss is automatic duplex (double-sided) printing, but the driver will help you do it manually.
The MX455 isn't as flashy as some PIXMA models, but we like its refreshingly no-fuss design. There's no memory card reader and no colour display, but we found the simple LCD screen and dedicated function buttons less confusing than the context-sensitive screen-and-button system found on many mid-range PIXMAs.
The scanner lid incorporates a 30-sheet automatic document feeder, and is secured by hinges that extend upwards to let the lid close flat when scanning thick originals on the platen. Initially, the single paper input tray seems longer than necessary and the output tray too short, until you discover that printed pages come to rest across both. It’s an odd arrangement, but it works perfectly well.
Canon claims a 9.7ppm maximum speed for this printer, and it came very close in our tests; reaching 9.3ppm over 25 pages of black text at the default quality. Oddly, switching to the driver's Fast mode actually slowed the performance slightly to 9ppm. Text was crisp and dark black on both settings, but not quite perfect, with a very subtle horizontal tear on a couple of lines.
Graphical prints on plain paper were excellent, with strong colours and no obvious grain or banding, but they didn't print quickly; Canon claims a 5.5ppm colour speed, but we measured just 2.2ppm over 24 pages. Photocopies seemed slow, too. A 10-page mono copy using the ADF took three minutes and 36 seconds. We waited nearly eight minutes for the same job in colour, but at least the results were good. Photos were quicker, with good quality, glossy borderless postcard prints taking a minute and a half each.
Canon's print interface uses quick settings for simplicity, but more options are available
We experienced slow scanning over a wireless connection: a 300dpi A4 scan took 51 seconds and a 1,200dpi photo scan almost four minutes. Over a USB connection the same jobs took just 19 seconds and one minute. Fortunately, scan quality was up to Canon's usual high standard.
Canon's scan interface hasn't changed in years, but it's one of the best
This MFP gave consistently very good, albeit slow, results, but its running costs should be around 6.7p per page if you use the larger of two available sizes. That isn’t the lowest cost, but it’s an excellent figure for a cheap device, which helps make the MX455 a convincing Budget Buy.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | **** |
| Maximum native print resolution | 4,800x1,200dpi |
| Max optical resolution | 1,200x2,400dpi |
| Output bit depth | 24-bit |
Quoted Speeds | |
| Quoted speed, mono A4 | 9.7ipm |
| Quoted speed, colour A4 | 5.5ipm |
Tested Print Speeds | |
| Time for two 10x8in photos 1.0 | 8m 58s |
| Time for six 6x4in photos 1.0 | 21m 15s |
Physical and Environmental | |
| Standard printer interfaces | USB, 802.11b/g/n wireless |
| Optional printer interfaces | Bluetooth |
| Size | 200x458x385mm |
| Weight | 8.4kg |
| Noise (in normal use) | 42.5dB(A) |
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 XP/Vista/7/8/RT, Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later |
| Other inkjet features | mono LCD screen |
| Other inkjet options | none |
Buying Information | |
| Price | £55 |
| Consumable parts and prices | £17 |
| Price per colour A4 page | 3.8p |
| Quoted life of supplied black cartridge | 180 pages (ISO/IEC 24712) |
| Quoted life of supplied colour cartridge(s) | 180 pages (ISO/IEC 24712) |
| Quoted life of supplied photo cartridge(s) | N/A |
| Warranty | one year RTB |
| Supplier | http://www.lambda-tek.com |
| 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 | 16s |
| A4 document at 300dpi | 19s |
| 6x4in photo at 600dpi | 20s |
| 6x4in photo at 1200dpi | 1m 3s |
Tested Copy Speeds | |
| Time for single A4 mono copy 1.0 | 15s |
| Time for single A4 colour copy 1.0 | 30s |
| Time for 10 A4 copies using feeder 2.0 | 7m 52s |
Photo Features | |
| PictBridge support | No |
| Borderless printing | A4 |
| Direct (PC-less) printing | Yes |
| Supported memory cards | USB flash drive |
| CD printing | No |
Copy Features | |
| Maximum number of copies | 99 |
Fax Features | |
| Max mono fax resolution | 300x300dpi |
| Fax memory (maximum mono pages) | 50 |