Canon i-Sensys MF4010 review

Canon's inexpensive i-Sensys MF4010 MFP has a modest specification, with just a 600x600dpi scanner and a USB Hi-Speed connection, but it performed well against pricier MFPs and was easy to use.

The paper tray pulls down from the front of the printer to save space. The guides that hold pages in place feel flimsy, though, and we had to position them carefully to ensure that none of our pages was askew.

One of the most important features of a laser MFP is the ability to produce fast, high-quality copies. The MF4010 did very well in our copy test, accurately reproducing details of contrast and shading without banding or graininess. Print quality was also excellent. Small font reproduction was the best here, with clear, sharply defined lettering. Diagrams and graphs were printed with great accuracy and high-quality shading. Photo prints looked grainy, but had consistently accurate shading.

Print speeds were quick, with just 10 seconds' wait for the first printed page and five seconds' warm-up time from standby. Although its 18.3ppm text printing speed wasn't the fastest in the group, it had the quickest mixed text and graphics print speed among the MFPs at 13.7ppm. We were also pleased with the scanner's performance, despite its low resolution. Scanned images were sharply focused, if slightly dark.

There were some problems with the scanner driver. When we set it up to scan images into Adobe Photoshop Elements 6, we found the focus blinked rapidly between different progress windows. Fortunately, this didn't affect the speed or quality of our scans, or the stability of our software.

Print costs were similar to those of the other MFPs here, at 2.1p per page. That's slightly more expensive that most single-function lasers in the group, but is typical of budget laser MFPs. The MF4010 is great value. Text and document prints looked fantastic, print speeds were quick, and it produced some of the best-quality copies we've seen from a budget laser MFP. It's our Best Buy MFP.