I bought the Canon imageCLASS MF3240 about a month ago, and so far it has exceeded my expectations. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the market for a multifunction device without the need to print in color. If you prefer getting your digital photos printed by an online or in-store photo processor, a laser multifunction is usually the way to go -- since it's a lower cost per page, it's faster, and the output is better quality than an inkjet.
APPEARANCE/CONSTRUCTION:
You can tell that it's a sub-$200 machine by the construction. Don't expect the same kind of solid feel that you'll get from a much more expensive piece of equipment. A few of the plastic parts feel a little flimsy, like the paper tray. But they all seem to work fine, and I don't have any concerns about durability. Unless you're really tough on your office equipment, you should be ok.
The MF3240 isn't the sexiest looking multifunction out there (if you're looking for a great looking device, try the Canon PIXMA MP830, which uses inkjet technology so you can print in color too). In fact, it kind of looks like a cooler sitting on the desk. But the buttons are laid out logically on the keypad, and from the investigating I've done into a lot of different multifunction devices, the footprint on this one seems to be a reasonable size.
PERFORMANCE:
So far, so good. If you're really a stickler for the highest output possible -- if you need the most crisp, darkest text and flawless images -- this probably isn't the machine for you. Don't get me wrong...the output is very good, borderline excellent. But you can tell that it wasn't printed on a $1,000 heavy-duty laser printer.
This baby is fast! Total time for the first page to arrive in my hand after clicking the Print button (including warmup time) was 13 seconds. It's considerably faster warming up than my old HP laser printer.
It's not the quietest machine I've ever heard, but I wouldn't call it too loud either.
It has a toner saver mode, but I'd call this an annoyance. You're supposed to be able to set the toner saver either directly on the printer control panel or through the printer driver. I've tried a number of times to set up two profiles: one that uses toner saver and another that doesn't. It works sometimes, but other times it'll end up in the wrong mode. Even when I get it to work, I don't notice much of a difference in output between toner saver mode and the regular mode.
I've also been having a minor problem with the fax. I have the MF3240 hooked up to my phone line, and a phone extension hooked into the fax machine. The fax machine is set in Manual mode, so it shouldn't do anything unless I take action on my own. But I've had one or two phone calls on the extension that's hooked up to the fax where the machine hangs up on the person I'm talking to after about 10 minutes! If I can't get this problem to stop, I may end up getting a splitter for the phone line and hooking the phone extension into the line separately.
SOFTWARE:
It comes bundled with a light version of OCR software. I tried it once, and it seemed to recognize every single word on the page I scanned. I was quite impressed -- much better than older versions of OCR I've tried (although I must admit this is the first OCR software I've tried in at least 6-7 years, so I'm sure the technology is much better now).
It also installs a piece of software called Canon Multifunction Toolbox 4.9. This is the most pleasant surprise I've experienced with this printer so far. It allows you to click one button, go through a couple simple settings, and then get a scan and go straight to an e-mail, or straight to a PDF, etc. The smartest feature is that it allows you to pick a target file size, and it'll adjust the resolution to achieve that file size. So it eliminates trying to scan something and then finding out the resulting file is 20MB, then needing to go back and re-scan it at a lower resolution before you e-mail it. You simply pick your target file size (let's say 1MB) and the software will scan your document at the proper resolution to achieve that file size. Very smart!
OVERALL:
Amazon has even knocked ten dollars off the price since I bought it...now it's going for about one hundred fifty bucks...so it's an even better value today. This is a very good multifunction device for light/moderate home or home office use. Given the chance to do it all over, I'd definitely buy the MF3240 again.
UPDATE 9/2010: The Canon Multifunction Toolbox software doesn't work with Windows 7. It's not a huge problem, since you can still use all the main functions of the machine. But you will lose a little functionality, such as the one-touch scanning capability. Canon imageCLASS MF3240 Monochrome Laser All-in-One Printer
Pros:
- Inexpensive (I paid $155.99/free shipping here at Amazon which is amazing considering all the functions I get from this solid machine)
- Good computer printing... it does what a b/w laser printer is supposed to: great on text and ok on graphics. It does a comparable job as my previous HP LJ1100 laser printer. Internal paper tray which holds 250 pages is an improvement over my HP.
- Appropriate scanning result. Good for document archiving purpose. I tried to scan an old color photo and print it in another color inkjet printer. The result is beyond my expectation.
- Copier does what it is supposed to. Pretty easy to operate and configure different settings.
Cons:
- FAX function in general is a dispointment. First, if I connect the printer with my phone (i.e.,in-line or serial), the printer "wakes up" from idle mode whenever I pick up the phone. I have to use a splitter to avoid this nuisance. As a result, I pretty much need to set it to Manual mode for FAX. Also, as other people mentioned, there is no auto feeder for FAX. Fortunately I only use FAX occasionally.
- A little too loud for my taste. I have seen many other models that are much quieter than this.
Bottom line:
If you are like myself who does not use FAX that frequently, you will love this unbelivable bargain. It does everything I used to get done at Kinko's at $156! - Multifunction Printer - All-in-one - Laser Printer - Canon'
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