Canon PIXMA MX870 Wireless Office All-in-One Printer (4206B002)

Product Description

The PIXMA MX870 Wireless Home Office All-In-One lets you print from any room in your home and boasts incredible 9600 x 2400 maximum color dpi with tiny 1pl ink droplets and a 5 individual ink tank system. A built-in, fully integrated 35-sheet Auto Document Feeder means fast copying or scanning of your originals so you can tend to other tasks while the printer is at work. Its built-in Auto Duplex Printing prints 2-sided documents without having to manually flip the pages and can reduce your paper consumption by 50%. Combine both of those and you can automatically copy two sided documents without having to flip any paper manually at all. Additionally, various security features like password protected PDF’s let you feel safe about creating and distributing your most confidential files.

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Product Details

• Color: GREY
• Brand: Canon
• Model: 4206B002
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.90" h x 17.20" w x 19.40" l, 31.00 pounds
• Hard Disk: 1MB

Features

• Fully integrated 35 page auto document feeder for rapid copying, scanning and faxing
• Paper saving and ecofriendly auto duplex printing
• Super G3 high speed fax with 100 coded speed dials storing up to 250 incoming pages when receiving ITU-T No. 1 chart
• Various security features including password protected PDFs
• Multifunction Devices: Printer, Scanner, Copier, Fax

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

2411 of 2457 people found the following review helpful.
Your New Office Assistant ! & MX870 vs Epson Artisan 810 Review
By Roger Peter Marec
If you are looking at these reviews for the MX870, you are probably wondering what I was wondering... "What is the difference between the MX870 and MX860 and possibly also how does it compare to the Epson Artisan 810?" They are all top rated by Amazon customers for inkjet all-in-one printers.

They are all awesome! The Epson has more color cartriges, but I am not sure if that matters. I give the nod to the Epson on photo quality, but it might just be a subliminal issue of 'more is better'. My last Epson printer was the Epson 785EPX and it printed amazing photos and graphics, and it also used 6 colors.

Both the Canon and Epson have beautiful quick drying inks. The Canon has a special black ink that is a pigment instead of a dye, which you might like since pigments don't run when wet, so theirs is good for flyers and such. And, by the way, if you've discovered that you really benefit from pigment ink, look into the Epson Workforce 610. It is fast, and all its different colored inks are pigments. Graphics and text are outstanding, but photos a little lacking.

The Canon is a little slower to start printing, but once it gets going it is pretty fast. Both Epson and Canon models have an optional duplexer mode (prints on both sides to save paper - this feature significantly slows down print time if that is important to you) and an automatic paper feed. The paper feed on the Canon is fully integrated and two-sided, so it can copy/scan both sides of a document automatically as well. There are a few hiccups with the 860 on this that the 870 solves.

It's a small pain to reload the reglar A4 8 1/2 by 11 paper in both machines in their lower tray. The Epson has an additional slot on its lower tray for photo paper that some may like. The Canon has an extra paper feed at the back of the unit that is great for printing envelopes, prints, or other types of paper, so you don't have to change your main tray. The rear feeder should accommodate heavier papers and have a less likelihood of jamming because the paper comes straight through the machine with little bending. The projecting tray on the Epson looks and feels flimsy and most people seem worried about that, but remarkably I have never heard of anyone breaking it. The Canon has a cool feature... when you send it a wireless command to print, it automatically lowers its front door for the paper to be collected on, so you can keep the unit all closed up when not in use.

If you use OCR, and I love OCR (optical character recognition that allows you to turn your document scans into text files), you will prefer the Epson because it is integrated into their software package. Canons used to have OCR software, but have stopped in the recent year. Note: If you have Microsoft Office Student and Home version, its program 'OneNote' has OCR for you to use. Most people are totally unaware of it being there. By the way, OneNote is the best program on Microsoft Office. It is what keeps me from just using the free open source office software that is so amazing.

Price-wise, the Epson is about 100 more than the Canon. Amazon has some of the best prices. The newer Canon MX870 isn't even available in most stores yet and probably will run about 50 dollars more than the MX860 for the next six months. Apple users will like the smoother integrated software application of the MX870 that was a small problem on the MX860.

Space-wise the Canon is bigger. Look-wise, the Epson is sharper with its shiny black finish, like a piece of fancy stereo equipment. The Canon has a neutral light beige look. Very officey with clean lines.

They both fax if you ever need that every now and then instead of having to run to your local print shop.

The user interface of the Canon and Epson are both easy to use in different ways. I sort of wish the Canon buttons weren't so flush with the unit, but its not really a big deal. You will need to use the interface to copy and scan, but most print jobs you will want to do from your computer.

The Epson has some fun graphics software extra on it. Again, mostly 'fun' stuff. It also prints on printable CDs and DVDs. This could be important to you. It is the best of any printer at this. I don't need it because I print on CDs using LightScribe on my HP. I like that look better if I am going to customize the CD face.

The Canon has some very useful proprietary software that you will love if you surf the Web and want to copy and print out multiple bits and pieces of articles with ease... even on the same sheet of paper. You can do this anyway with Windows, but Canon's program is easier and faster.

Both Canon and Epson have ink cartridges that are separate from the print head, so it is easier to find third-party ink and save money. Third party ink is better than what it used to be, but the OEM (original equipment manufacture) cartridges are truer and faster drying for important projects and to bring out the full glory of these machines.

I chose the Canon MX870, but all the printers I mentioned here are rated tops at their price-point. I hope I covered a few of the more notable differences to help you narrow in on your search.

399 of 407 people found the following review helpful.
This Printer is Easily Worth 3x This Price, You Can't Beat It.
By Catherine Delfino
(note: I copied this review (my review) from when i reviewed it on canon's actual site. No point in making a new review, just don't want someone to think i'm a marketer or canon employee if they see this elsewhere)

This is my first and only All in one photo ink jet printer so its hard for me to compare to anything else. However, regardless whether or not I have something to compare it to, I can say that I am more than happy with my product.

I've had it for only a few days now, but i've already put it through you know what trying to test out numerous features and settings as well as using different products (trying different photo papers, etc.). So far, I can not find even one complaint. It prints brilliant photos ( I have noticed, photo paper brand makes a very noticeable difference as well), performs excellent scans and copying / faxing functions as well as it could.

I love the design of the mx870. When your not using it, everything closes up making a nice neat little package, unlike some other models where trays are popping out left and right. I also LOVE the "gun metal" color. It looks very sleek.

The wireless connectivity is just awesome and setting up the wireless connection was EXTREMELY SIMPLE. Took less than 5 minutes.

Another important note is that so far, the ink really seems to last. I've already printed NUMEROUS photos, all at max quality (most ink used), including many 8.5 x 11" photos (which use a lot of ink due to sheer size), and the ink levels still say they are full!!!! Maybe too good to be true, hope its not a faulty ink level indicator lol (I doubt it).

Quality seems great. They made it very functional. When you open the printer to access the print head and ink etc, a handy little kickstand pops out and keeps it open for you to free up your hands. There are handy little red lights that light up when you install ink correctly. I guess I do have one complaint in this area though (if I HAD to nitpick); when your done placing something to scan and you go to close the bed, at first glance there seem to be some nifty "gas shocks"(?) that gently let the bed fall back down. This is a great and convenient idea, HOWEVER, not implemented entirely well because they work great right up until the last inch or so of closing at which point they "give out" and the bed slams shut. It's possible mine could just be defective. Either way, its really a small complaint because I just gently assist the closing with my hands anyway, no big deal.

The on screen display is well suited, and easy to use. As gimmicky as it sounds, I even like the blue light up WIFI logo when you're wirelessly connected, just sort of looks cool.

Finally, the included software is really good considering its simplicity. I have photoshop CS4 extended which will obviously blow any other photo tools out of the water. HOWEVER, i still constantly find myself using the included software instead! This is because it has really SIMPLE/QUICK but at the same time EFFECTIVE tools such as face smoothing. Just click a button, and the program automatically finds faces and helps smooth out wrinkles, or other imperfections. It's quite a noticeable improvement, sort of how Nancy Pelosi was airbrushed for that magazine cover and she looked 20 years younger. It may sound cheesy, but once you use it and see how simple it is, I can't imagine printing photos without it.

Now this isn't a complaint, just something I can hope for in the future. Having a wireless printer is handy, but it would be even more AMAZING if Canon could come up with a way to make the fax wireless. I don't see how this could be hard. Maybe wirelessly send the fax to the computer and have the computer dial out using the internet? Another option would be, considering most people have digital phone service nowadays through their modem, the printer could again wirelessly send the fax to the router which is already connected to the modem containing the phone line for digital phone service. With today's technology, having the fax be wireless as well should be AN EASY problem to solve. This would make their printer TRULY WIRELESS and would be a class leader (though, I must say I would buy a whole new printer just to have such a feature, which is bad for my bank account).

Sorry for the wall of text, just trying to be as descriptive as possible and cover all angles for any people considering this printer.

One final note. Before I settled on this printer, I must have researched and compared other all in ones for 3 days or more. In the end all that research pointed to this printer, and now that I have received it and tested it, I can confirm it. Other potential printers included "somethingpro 8500" (not allowed to say actual name, but you get the idea). That thing is more than 2.5 times more expensive and lacks many of the mx870's features. Point is, not only is this printer great, its VERY WELL PRICED. I would have paid twice as much as or more after testing this thing out. Can't believe I picked this thing up for only (not allowed to say here, but i assure you its a really great price when compared to similar products) with free shipping (shop around and you'll find it, substantially lower than MSRP).

If you need an all in one, BUY THIS CANON. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. YOU WILL WONDER HOW YOU EVER GOT BY WITHOUT THIS THING, AND WITH ALL THE MONEY YOU SAVE OVER ITS COMPETITION YOU CAN BUY ENOUGH INK TO LAST YOU THE REST OF THE YEAR!!!!

(as overly positive as this review seems, I PROMISE YOU I am NOT working for canon. I normally don't even review items, but when I'm this pleased I want to spread the word. ENJOY!)

PROTIP: From my experience so far, get the printworks gloss photo paper over HP's 5 star version. Its cheaper, and identical images come out noticeably better on printworks. Can't speak for other finishes i.e. matte or semi-gloss, but the gloss is much better. I also have not tried canons line of products, but intend to next.

184 of 186 people found the following review helpful.
After 2 yrs of shopping, Very Happy with this choice
By Justin D. Turner
I have been looking at all-in-ones casually for the last couple of years. After considerable research, I purchased the MX870. My old printer, a HP I purchased in 2000, still works well. With that in mind, here is what I was looking for in this purchase:

- Primarily, I was looking for a good scanner that could also replace my existing printer should it fail since it is so old.
- Easy to use scanning software
- Duplex scanning was desired
- Duplex printing was desired
- Separate ink for each color
- The ability to print in B&W even if a color ink is out
- Print speeds were not a concern - this is for home use
- Print quality was not much of a concern either - I haven't had a color cartridge for my current printer for 4 yrs
- I don't print photos, so printing on photo paper/borderless printing/etc. are not attributes I researched (in my opinion, it is just easier and cheaper to upload them to a service and have them sent to you. In the rare instances I need pictures sooner than that, I go to CVS, which I think is still cheaper than printing from home.)

So far the MX870 has lived up to my expectations.
- Set up was very easy. I would say it took 30 minutes, including unboxing and setting up the wireless (and I was taking my time).
- Scanning has been great. It scans really well from the feeder, and there are very easy to access options for color, dpi, etc. Last night I scanned a 25 pg document, front and back, and had no issues.
- The software does not seem to be a resource hog. You can select exactly what you want to install on the CD (just drivers, scanning software, photo software, etc). I think this is great. For my laptop and desktop, I needed the scanning software, but was able to opt out of installing the photo software for now. For my netbook, I can easily just install the drivers, and none of the other software.
- The scanning software is light on resources and easy to use. You scan something in, a window pops up so you can review it, rename it, etc. Couldn't be easier.
- Print quality is fine. I have it set to print fast duplex by default and this results in a product that works for me. In the 4 days I've had it, I haven't tried to print it on normal or best quality, so I cannot speak to those results, but judging by the quality of the fast, I would assume it would work for most home users.
- Copy is easy - no complaints.
- Print speed is a little slow. As I stated above, I've only printed on Fast, but this printer's fast is definitely not any faster than my old HP - even with duplex printing turned off. If speed is critical, this may not be your best bet. For most home users I would suspect it prints fast enough for general use.

I'll quickly mentioned the competition. Based on the criteria above, I was very seriously considering three other printers:
(1) The HP 6500 wired for $150 or wireless for $200
(2) The HP 8500 Pro wired for $200 wireless for $260
(3) The Brother MFC 6490CW - $200 on sale at Office Depot, regularly $300

(1) I decided against the HP 6500 wired because for $50 more you got wireless and duplex printing/scanning. I decided against the 6500 wireless because for $200, I could get the 8500 - from HPs better printer line - which even though it was wired, had more features and a higher quality scanner.

(2) I decided against the HP 8500 despite the fact that it is: (1) recommended by CNET, (2) discounted through my employer, (3) I have enjoyed my current HP for a decade. The reason I did this was simply because there are just too many bad reviews. I know there are a lot of reviews for it - almost double the amount there are for this printer - but they seem to be too recurring: bad printer heads, failing after a couple months, bad software, driver issues with Windows 7 and XP, and the list just went on. Before buying the HP, I would read not only the reviews on Amazon, but also the reviews on CNET and [...]. After an hour of reading "stay away" and "do not buy!" I imagine you'll be as scared as I was.

(3) I chose the Canon over the Brother because quite simply because it was cheaper on Amazon ($146) than the Brother on sale ($199, currently back to $299 it looks like) and it is much smaller. Both have great reviews all over the web, so without any reason to pick the more expensive Brother, I chose the Canon.

I hope this review helps and I'll update this review if I encounter issues (my expectation is a printer of this cost should last at least 5 years).

--- UPDATE ---
2 of the 3 color inks have now run out and it still prints black/grey with no problems. A definite feature in my book.

After a few months, I am happy to report I still have no issues with this purchase. The trial black ink is just about gone (comes with a small and large black ink tank) but overall, I would say it seems to use black ink efficiently. My history/comparison with color ink is limited so it's harder for me to say there.

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