Canon MP250 Ink
PIXMA MP250 Ink Cartridges

Canon MP250 Printer Review

For anyone in the market for a personal printer that can handle a number of tasks, including printing high-quality photos and common office functions, the Canon PIXMA MP250 is an inexpensive option. It combines printing, scanning and copying functions into a compact frame that weighs only 12 pounds. The average print rate is about 7 seconds per page in black-and-white and 5 seconds for full color documents, and it takes less than a minute to print a vivid 4x6" inch borderless photo.

When the MP250 is first purchased, a few important things are provided in the box. There will be a CD that contains the printer driver, setup software and user's guide, though the lack of a paper manual might be disappointing to some buyers. A starter set of Canon MP250 ink cartridges is also provided, with smaller page yields than standard versions.

Most major operating systems, including Windows and Mac, will be compatible with this color inkjet unit, and it is connected to a computer through the single USB port. Digital cameras can plug in directly through a PictBridge port, which allows pictures to be printed without the use of a PC. With the machine's light weight, this could even make it a fairly portable photo printing solution. The input tray holds 100 sheets of paper and the output tray automatically opens when printing.

The Canon MP250 ink and advanced nozzle technology can create a maximum resolution of 4800x1200 dpi, or 600x600 dpi for black-and-white documents. The printing system includes multiple printheads that have hundreds of nozzles, totaling 1,472 between them. These nozzles are used to precisely dispense the PIXMA MP250 ink in layers to create images that are true to the original.

Users that print frequently will be requiring replacement Canon MP250 ink often as this machine reportedly burns through it fairly quickly, according to a number of customer reviews. However, the lifetime maintenance of this machine will not be too bad because the PIXMA MP250 ink cartridges are so reasonably priced.

The ability to print great pictures at home is appealing to many buyers, and is a major selling point of the device. The fact that the MP250 can also scan and make copies is just icing on the cake for a machine that is already a good value.