Canon PIXMA MP640 Network Ready Premium All-In-One Photo Printer

First things first, images generated by this printer are excellent if you're printing on high quality paper. Scans are also of very high quality. Text does bleed when printing to low-grade paper, but that's to be expected with an ink jet.

Now, on to my only complaint - ink consumption. Before buying this printer I'd heard that ink consumption was high, but I never would have expected it to be as bad as it is. To put it in context, the first thing I used my printer for was to print out 12 sheets of A4 which had a small picture on them (this picture occupied about a quarter of the sheet's area. After printing these out my colour ink reserves were slightly above half!

Make no mistake. If you're interested in printing photos then you're far better off ordering prints on line in economical terms. If you're printing A4 photos then expect to get only a handful of photos before you have to buy a complete set of cartridges.

So, that's it. Technically a great printer, but ink consumption makes it extremely uneconomical when compared to ordering photo prints online.

I have the Canon Pixma MP610 Photo All-in-One (3-in-1) Printer (Colour TFT Screen, Easy Scroll Wheel) and have been very happy with it. When my father-in-law wanted a printer for his iMac, I suggested the Canon. Rather than going for a cheaper printer then paying over the odds for replacement inks, pay the bit extra to start with and use inks which can be purchased without breaking the bank.

After unboxing and installing the print head and cartridges, entered the menu and connected it to the wireless network with the WPA key. Thats where the simple task ended. If you have a Windows PC, then probably everything will go according to plan, however an Apple iMac running Snow Leopard is another matter. I followed the instructions exactly the section part that said setting up by network. It set up all the software but at the end, could not find the printer. It found the device as a scanner, but not as a printer, no matter what settings I used. I then thought that it would be best if I set it up via a wired connection, so used an ethernet lead and connected it to the router. I then set about installing the software again, and again nothing. The scanner was listed, but not the printer. I am no computer expert, but then again am no idiot. I have set up friends wireless networks for PC and Mac, as well as upgrade and build computers, but no matter what, could not get the Mac to see the printer. In sheer desperation, managed to get hold of a USB lead and connected to the printer that way. Low and behold, the printer was found and all the software installed straight away. I have left it at this connection, but will later try to connect wirelessly or via the network lead. Perhaps you need a physical connection to be able to let it print wirelessly? Perhaps it is just the Mac or Snow Leopard. Whatever, it sure was a pain in the neck to set up.

However, back to the quality. The prints are excellent with vibrant colours. There are 5 individual inks so if 1 colour goes, just replace that one, no wasted ink as in tr-ink cartridges. There are 2 paper trays. The main one is hidden underneath the printer, and there is a separate one at the back which is useful for manual feeding of photo paper or even envelopes. You can have different papers loaded at the same time, and there is a button on the panel to select which feed you want the paper to be used from.

The MP640, just like the MP610, has duplex printing. This means that it can print on both sides of the paper. When printing, just select duplex printing from the print menu and tick the automatic duplex. It will slow the printer down but you will save on paper and help the environment.

To print on a CD/DVD, put the disc on the caddy, pull the flap down from inside the printer and insert the caddy. Start the CD Label Printer software and add your picture, text or design. Click print and your design is printed directly to the disc with superb quality.

Scanning is very fast and it offers a very high resolution. The scanner software has several pre-sets such as colour photo, b&w photo, magazine, document etc. You can then either save as a picture or as a PDF file. This is great for keeping valuable documents digitally or keeping magazines on file.

Overall, once set-up this printer is hard to fault for the money. If you have a Mac with OS 10.6, then use a USB lead to connect it, it will save you a great deal of time and hassle. Due to the setup nightmare, have deducted 1 star.

UPDATE: 18th February 2010
Now connected wirelessly. Downloaded the latest wireless network driver for Snow Leopard from the Canon Website and installed. I then tried adding a new printer but it still did not find it in the list. I started typing in Canon in the search box and there it appeared. Selected it and everything works over wifi. I wonder if I had done this earlier if it had worked straight away. Nevertheless, the manual did not state it, so will not change the star rating. Brilliant all in one device.

had some issues setting up the wireless on my Mac,
but after downloading the latest drivers from the Canon website - it picked it up straight away.
that was my only frustration & i am so glad it was resolved so easily without the need for cables.

having used the printer for a week,
its great!
photo printing is superb.
document printing - the double sided option is wonderful.
its neat & tidy plus it looks & feels well made,
not like its gonna fall to pieces while printing.

as you can tell i am very pleased with this product,
i spent a good 2 months looking for the perfect printer (wireless preferred) & this is the best of the bunch.
spend the extra - you won't be disappointed.