Canon Pixma MX455 review

Canon's PIXMA MX455 is a small inkjet multifunction peripheral (MFP) for home offices. It can scan, print, copy and send and receive faxes. It doesn’t have a wired Ethernet port, but it can connect to a wireless network for sharing among several users. The only feature we miss is automatic duplex (double-sided) printing, but the driver will help you do it manually.

The MX455 isn't as flashy as some PIXMA models, but we like its refreshingly no-fuss design. There's no memory card reader and no colour display, but we found the simple LCD screen and dedicated function buttons less confusing than the context-sensitive screen-and-button system found on many mid-range PIXMAs.

The scanner lid incorporates a 30-sheet automatic document feeder, and is secured by hinges that extend upwards to let the lid close flat when scanning thick originals on the platen. Initially, the single paper input tray seems longer than necessary and the output tray too short, until you discover that printed pages come to rest across both. It’s an odd arrangement, but it works perfectly well.

Canon claims a 9.7ppm maximum speed for this printer, and it came very close in our tests; reaching 9.3ppm over 25 pages of black text at the default quality. Oddly, switching to the driver's Fast mode actually slowed the performance slightly to 9ppm. Text was crisp and dark black on both settings, but not quite perfect, with a very subtle horizontal tear on a couple of lines.

Graphical prints on plain paper were excellent, with strong colours and no obvious grain or banding, but they didn't print quickly; Canon claims a 5.5ppm colour speed, but we measured just 2.2ppm over 24 pages. Photocopies seemed slow, too. A 10-page mono copy using the ADF took three minutes and 36 seconds. We waited nearly eight minutes for the same job in colour, but at least the results were good. Photos were quicker, with good quality, glossy borderless postcard prints taking a minute and a half each.

Canon's print interface uses quick settings for simplicity, but more options are available

We experienced slow scanning over a wireless connection: a 300dpi A4 scan took 51 seconds and a 1,200dpi photo scan almost four minutes. Over a USB connection the same jobs took just 19 seconds and one minute. Fortunately, scan quality was up to Canon's usual high standard.

Canon's scan interface hasn't changed in years, but it's one of the best

This MFP gave consistently very good, albeit slow, results, but its running costs should be around 6.7p per page if you use the larger of two available sizes. That isn’t the lowest cost, but it’s an excellent figure for a cheap device, which helps make the MX455 a convincing Budget Buy.

Basic Specifications

Rating****
Maximum native print resolution4,800x1,200dpi
Max optical resolution1,200x2,400dpi
Output bit depth24-bit

Quoted Speeds

Quoted speed, mono A49.7ipm
Quoted speed, colour A45.5ipm

Tested Print Speeds

Time for two 10x8in photos 1.08m 58s
Time for six 6x4in photos 1.021m 15s

Physical and Environmental

Standard printer interfacesUSB, 802.11b/g/n wireless
Optional printer interfacesBluetooth
Size200x458x385mm
Weight8.4kg
Noise (in normal use)42.5dB(A)

Paper Handling

Maximum paper sizeA4/legal
Maximum paper weight300gsm
Standard paper inputs1
Standard paper input capacity100
Maximum paper inputs1
Maximum paper input capacity100
Duplex (code, cost if option)No

General

Printer technologythermal inkjet
Supported operating systemsWindows XP/Vista/7/8/RT, Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later
Other inkjet featuresmono LCD screen
Other inkjet optionsnone

Buying Information

Price£55
Consumable parts and prices£17
Price per colour A4 page3.8p
Quoted life of supplied black cartridge180 pages (ISO/IEC 24712)
Quoted life of supplied colour cartridge(s)180 pages (ISO/IEC 24712)
Quoted life of supplied photo cartridge(s)N/A
Warrantyone year RTB
Supplierhttp://www.lambda-tek.com
Detailswww.canon.co.uk

Print Quality

Number of ink colours4
Number of ink cartridges2
Maximum number of ink colours4
Maximum number of cartridges2
Quoted photo durability30 years
Quoted photo durability sourceCanon

Tested Scan Speeds

Full scan area preview8s
A4 document at 150dpi16s
A4 document at 300dpi19s
6x4in photo at 600dpi20s
6x4in photo at 1200dpi1m 3s

Tested Copy Speeds

Time for single A4 mono copy 1.015s
Time for single A4 colour copy 1.030s
Time for 10 A4 copies using feeder 2.07m 52s

Photo Features

PictBridge supportNo
Borderless printingA4
Direct (PC-less) printingYes
Supported memory cardsUSB flash drive
CD printingNo

Copy Features

Maximum number of copies99

Fax Features

Max mono fax resolution300x300dpi
Fax memory (maximum mono pages)50