Canon Pixma MP640 review

Multifunction peripherals tend to cost less than separate printers and scanners, but the MP640 takes a different tack.

Rather than ploughing the economy line yet again, Canon has provided an abundance of extra features. Wired and wireless networking is built in, making it easy to share on a home network. There are two 150-sheet paper trays, one tucked away at the bottom and a rear tray for specialist media such as photo paper. Automatic duplex printing means it can also swiftly print on both sides of a page.

SDHC, Memory Stick and CompactFlash slots plus a USB port allow direct printing from digital cameras and USB storage devices. A 7.5cm LCD screen makes it easy to select photos for printing, and the accompanying controls are straightforward. Direct printing won't hold much appeal for anyone who's vaguely competent with a PC, but the screen and controls do make it easy to add the MP640 to a wireless network. It also allows functions such as enlargements and contrast adjustment when making photocopies. There's even an option to scan the label on an optical disc and print a copy on another disc, all without a PC.

Text print quality was up to the high standard we expect from Canon's inkjets, and draft quality showed a noticeable improvement on previous models. Draft text appeared a little thinner than in normal-quality prints, but it didn't have the grey appearance that's common to many printers' fastest settings. Colour prints on plain paper were up to scratch, although colours weren't as vibrant as we would have liked. Photo prints suffered no such problems. Here, the MP640 was even better than previous five-ink Canon printers, with marginally richer colours and even smoother mid-tones.

Scan and photocopy quality was just as impressive, with accurate colour reproduction and more than enough detail for scanning reflective media. Canon's ScanGear software is better than ever, with a Thumbnails View mode that recognised multiple documents, automatically rotated them to remove wonky edges and presented each as a separate object for scanning.

Performance sometimes took a nosedive when the MP640 added around 30 seconds for routine maintenance tasks. Otherwise, it performed well. Running costs are lower than average for an inkjet printer. There are MFPs that are even more economical - HP's Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless costs around half as much to run, but it's twice as much to buy.

This is one of seven new models in Canon's inkjet MFP range - we'll be reviewing more soon. However, the MP640 is almost impossible to criticise. It's ideal for homes with more than one PC that demand a wide variety of different tasks.