Canon PIXMA MG3250 review – Still a great budget buy

It didn’t remain problem-free, however. We experienced slower scan times than we’d expect over our wireless network, and tried to improve performance by moving the MFP to with a couple of metres and with a direct line of sight to the router. We were able to cut the time of a 150dpi A4 scan from 33 to 17 seconds, but when repeated over a USB connection the same job took just 12 seconds.

The print driver’s default screen offers a choice of presets and options

This is an unhurried printer, not quite able to break the 10ppm barrier even when printing text in its Fast print mode. At 1.6ppm, colour prints on plain paper were rather slow using Normal print quality, while photo prints were even more so; at the highest quality, each 6x4in borderless snap took nearly three minutes. Fortunately the results were worth waiting for, with strong black text and blemish-free colour on plain paper, and sharp, detailed photos on glossy media. Scans weren’t the sharpest we’ve seen from a Canon device, but documents were crisp enough, while colours captured from photos were accurate and subtle shade details were preserved well.

Even scanners with LED light sources need a moment to get ready

The MG3250 accepts Canon’s PG-540 black and CL-541 colour cartridges, both of which are available in high-capacity versions. Using these keeps print costs down to a total of 6.5p per page of mixed text and graphics, which is very competitive for such a cheap device. If you can live with its leisurely speeds, the MG3250 is otherwise a great cheap MFP. It’s our Budget Buy for those who need a wireless device.