subject: Canon PIXMA MP640 Review [print this page] The Canon PIXMA MP640 is a mid-range all-in-one device which costs about 150. There are two paper trays, it can print on both sides of a page, will work in a wireless network and it has a colour LCD display.
The MP640's control panel is situated on the scanner lid. A fold-down flap keeps this safe when it is not being used and the monitor is also housed in it. The control panel is simple to use with a selection of buttons and a click-wheel for working through the various menus.
The flatbed scanner is located beneath the lid and this raises to let you get to the printer cartridges. As is becoming more common these days the five Canon PIXMA MP640 ink cartridges include two black (the PGI-520BK and the CLI-521BK), a pigmented one for printing text and a dye-based one for photos and three colours (CLI-521C, CLI-521M and CLI-521Y). The Canon PIXMA MP640 has facilities for CompactFlash, SD, MemoryStick, xD and USB in a covered housing at the front right of the machine.
The MP640's two 150 page capacity paper trays give plenty of printing options. Either can be used for most printing jobs although Canon recommends you use the rear tray for photos and the cassette tray for plain paper. It is also possible to print straight onto Cd's and DVDs using a carrier which slots into the front of the printer.
You get a comprehensive selection of software with the Canon PIXMA MP640 together with drivers for Windows and Apple operating systems.
To connect the printer to a wireless network you must begin by logging on to it using WPA or WPS. Having done so the printer will be picked up. A simple operation.
The quality of copies of both documents and photos made by the Canon PIXMA MP640 was of a very high standard. Text and graphics were easy to read and the colours matched the originals. The results with photographs were just as impressive. Pictures were sharp and colours clear and faithful.
The Canon PIXMA MP640 printed documents to an equally high standard. Mono prints were rich and well defined and colour documents had plenty of detail. Print speeds were excellent at roughly 13 seconds per page. The speed drops to nearly 3.5 pages per minute when printing with the duplex-or.
The MP640 produced scans of a very high standard. Perhaps the only negative point is the fact that there is no facility for scanning film.
The Canon PIXMA MP640 comes highly recommended. It produces great quality prints, scans and copies, is easy to use and has WiFi and duplex capabilities.
