Canon imageClass MF275dw – Review 2023
Canon imageClass’ MF275dw ($219.99), however, breaks the rule that a higher number in a model name indicates greater capability. The Canon MF260 II Series printers offer less and compromises in other cases compared to the Canon MF275dw. It is cheaper than the imageClass MF269dw 2, and shares many of the features. But it doesn’t have the same paper handling when printing or scanning as the MF269dw 2. It costs the same as the imageClass MF264dw, has similar features, and includes faxing. However, its paper handling is inferior. It is still a great choice for those who don’t require heavy-duty printers of the MF450 class, such as the Editors’ Choice Award-winning MF455dw.
Setup is quick and easy
The MF275dw, with its dimensions of 14.4 by 15 by 14.6 inches and weight of 24.7 pounds, is a typical mono laser multifunction device for small offices. It’s too big for sharing a desk, but not so large that it’s difficult to find room for.
It is very easy to set up. Remove the packaging, load it with paper and plug it in. The cartridge is already installed and ready for use. Our tests showed that software installation was equally easy. Canon provides a disc for installation that takes care of almost all the work. The only thing I had to tell the program was to connect via Ethernet and confirm it found the printer. The firmware was updated automatically through the network connection. As well as Ethernet, there are also USB, WiFi and WiFi Direct options. Mobile printing is also supported by the printer.
Paper handling is suitable for light-to-moderate-duty printing in a small or home office, but more “light” than “moderate,” despite the automatic duplexing (for two-sided printing). There is only one tray that accepts up to legal size paper. It has a capacity of 150 sheets. The tray is at the bottom of the printer and sticks out slightly. There is no cover on it, so loading the tray is easier than using a drawer that you slide in and out. Due to the lack of an additional tray or a single sheet bypass feed, you will need to replace the paper in the tray every time you want to change paper type or size.
Canon recommends a monthly cycle of 200-2,000 sheets. But a realistic maximum, given that you would prefer not to have the tray refilled more than once a week is 600 sheets a month, which is about 30 sheets a day.
The MF264dw II has a flatbed that is letter-sized and a 35 page ADF to accommodate pages up to legal size. Even with manual help, this model is not able to scan both sides and then assemble scanned pages into the correct order. This is common for machines in this price range. Only the flatbed can scan duplex. Each page must be manually scanned, each side. This is a major problem if you plan to scan multiple pages of duplex documents. The menu allows you to copy single-sided documents into two-sided versions.
Running costs are typical of the category. Toner costs, based upon the high-capacity cartridge of the printer, are 3.35 cents a page. The drum is included in the cartridge. As always, keep in mind that the number that matters most is the total cost of ownership—running cost plus initial cost. In our guide on how to save money when buying a printer, we cover how to calculate the total cost.
Test the Canon imageClass Mf275dw: It’s up to the Competition
In our performance tests, we compared the MF275dw to the Lexmark MB2236i and Brother MFC-L2717DW. We also tested the Canon MF264dw. The MF275dw is currently the most expensive of the three, but they all have a larger paper capacity. Lexmark and Brother also have slightly higher speed ratings while the MF264dw shares the same rating with the MF275dw. The MF269dw shares the same rating with the two Canon models. Although its results weren’t included in these charts, it gave a nearly identical performance in our tests.
The four printers were all able to print our 12-page Word file with little difference. The two Canon printers were tied in terms of fastest first-page-out (FPO) while Brother and Lexmark were tied for the first place on pages 2 through 12. The different strengths of the printers were cancelled out by 12 pages. If you print mostly one- and two-page documents, then either Canon printer is faster than the others, even if it’s only a few second difference. If you are primarily printing documents longer than twelve pages, then the Brother and Lexmark model will be quicker than the Canon printers.
The two Canon printers tied in the first place for the full business application suite. This includes Excel, PowerPoint and PDF documents with color graphics, each of which is one to four pages. The MB2236i ranked third. The FPO times are a major factor in these results, as the total time difference between printers is almost equal to the FPO time multiplied with the number of documents in the suite.
The MF275dw’s text quality is just a little bit below the top tier of mono lasers. Characters had sharp edges, and many of the fonts tested that are likely to be found in business documents could be read and were well-formed when viewed at 4 point, but all passed at 5 point. One of the highly stylized fonts, with its heavy strokes, was also easily readable and well formed at 8 points. This is typical mono laser output. The other font was well-formed in 12 points and was easily readable, even at 8 point, which is better than normal.
The graphics output was perfect, but there were some graphic elements that could not be considered acceptable when you want to portray a professional image. I observed some posterization, or sudden shading changes where they should have been gradual, in a difficult-to-reproduce shade, and some subtle dithering in fills. Minor uneven pile height was also visible in solid-black fills. A dark gray line with a black backdrop on a one-line chart didn’t standout as much as it should have. And although a line of a single pixel width on the same background was visible, it wasn’t completely filled in. Photo prints also showed some dithering. However, they were not bad enough for handouts.
Verdict: Solid choice, but check the paper handling
The MF275dw offers good enough performance and output to make it worth considering as long as your printing and scanning needs are met. You may find that the 150-sheet paper tray is too small for your needs, or that changing paper types can be a hassle. If this describes you, you might want to consider one of the other models. Each of these models has a drawer with 250 sheets and a bypass tray with one sheet for those times when you need to print a couple of pages on a different type paper.
Canon MF264dw II, out of all the models, is the only model that does not offer faxing. This means it’s not a good choice if you require this feature. Canon MF269dw II and Brother MFC -L2717DW both support standard analog faxing on phone lines. Lexmark MB2236i supports faxing online.
Consider the paper handling when scanning. The MF269dw is the only model (except for the more expensive MF455dw) that can do duplex scanning. The MF269dw III is the most expensive of the models listed here, but well worth it if this feature is needed. It’s still more affordable than the heavy-duty MF455dw which was our top pick in mono laser AIOs. The MF275dw may be the best option if duplex scanning is not required. Its smaller paper capacity, however, prevents it from being the clear choice.