Skip to main content
DEAL WATCH: Keurig K-Express | 22% off $69.99

Keurig has changed the face of coffee, and snagging one of these for less than $70 is a solid deal. Read Review

BUY NOW
  • Introduction

  • Design & Usability

  • Features & Performance

  • Conclusion

  • Science Introduction

  • Color Performance

  • Print Speed

  • Detail Performance

  • Introduction
  • Design & Usability
  • Features & Performance
  • Conclusion
  • Science Introduction
  • Color Performance
  • Print Speed
  • Detail Performance

Introduction

Design & Usability

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

A loaded multifunction that disappoints with CMY cartridges

The {{product.name}} has two ink cartridges: one black, one CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow). Both of these live in a harness mount on the right side of the printer. While they are easy to install—and have a relatively small capacity—CMY cartridges can get annoying since they are only as good as the ink you use most: any leftover ink will be a complete and total waste. In our tests, the cyan ink was drained by print number 60.

CMY cartridges can get annoying since they are only as good as the ink you use most.

On the top of the printer you'll encounter the extensive physical controls for the {{product.name}}, complete with a directional pad, smart buttons that change with the function you select, and toggle buttons that allow you to quickly change the mode of the printer. Next to the d-pad lives the small LCD screen of the {{product.name}}; although you'll use this for setup, alerts, and not much else, it's nice to have a screen like this that can display text telling you if there's something wrong.

If you're an avid photographer with a camera that uses an SD card or MemoryStick, you'll be happy to note that there are slots on the front-left of the printer that allow you to print files directly from your memory cards. If that's not enough, the {{product.name}} also supports PictBridge and parallel printing. Like most modern office printers, the {{product.name}} has an internal 802.11n wireless card, as well as an ethernet port, and can be shared over a home network with multiple computers. For faxing, you can also make use of the telephone port on the back. You can always hook up your printer to your computer directly via the USB port, but you lose the ability to share if you do so, and a precious USB port on your computer.

{{photo_gallery "Front Photo", "Left Photo", "Right Photo", "Back Photo", "Top Photo", "Controls Photo", "Screen Photo", "Box Photo", "Ports Photo", "Ink Photo", "Ink Management Photo", "tour"}}

Features & Performance

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Fair detail and color performance

First and foremost, the {{product.name}} is a home office printer, able to scan, print, fax, or copy. While it doesn't have the same range of media options as, say, a pro-photo printer, it does have an impressive range of options for the home office. Able to print on all of the standard paper sizes under 13 inches, including 4 x 6 prints, 5 x 7 prints, 8 x 10 prints, letter, legal, and U.S. #10 Envelopes, the {{product.model}} handles most needs that might be thrown at it in a home office environment.

It can really shine with a custom profile generated by specialized software.

The {{product.name}} did a fairly average job of maintaining color accuracy, but it does struggle a little bit with the blues. You probably won't notice much of an error to the naked eye, however, as the color errors seem largely isolated. If left to its own handling of color profiles, the {{product.name}} can handle color accuracy fairly well, but it can really shine with a custom profile generated by specialized software. If you were to do this, you can expect color error to be reduced by about half.

Conclusion

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Overall, the {{product.name}} is a printer that offers an acceptable level of service.

If you're looking for an office printer that can handle scanning, faxing, copying, and photo printing, the {{product.name}} is a great option for the price, but with a few drawbacks. While you're saving money in the short run by buying a more affordable printer, there are other members of the Canon MX line that are more economical with ink cartridges—namely, the Canon MX882 that will end up saving cash in the long run.

The {{product.name}} does a fairly good job of printing photos, and it isn't the slowest printer we've tested. For its price point, it's a solid option if you're OK with having a CMY and a black ink cartridge. For what you'd pay, you get a lot of printer.

Though the {{product.name}} doesn't have the test scores of a pro-photo printer, it is a more affordable option that will do what's expected of it. If you've read the review and are fine with its few idiosyncracies, you could do a lot worse than the {{product.name}}.

Science Introduction

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

It doesn't exactly go toe-to-toe with a pro-photo printer, but the MX512 is impressive in its own right by the numbers.

Color Performance

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

For a multifunction printer, the color performance is quite good.

The {{product.name}} did a fairly average job of maintaining color accuracy, but it does struggle a little bit with the blues. You probably won't notice much of an error to the naked eye, however, as the color errors seem largely isolated. If left to its own handling of color profiles, the {{product.name}} can handle color accuracy fairly well, but it can really shine with a custom profile generated by specialized software. If you were to do this, you can expect color error to be reduced by about half.

Able to reproduce 50.7% of the Adobe RGB color gamut, the {{product.name}} does a fair job of maintaining good color performance for a multifunction printer, and in fact does better than some others at its price point. While it's theoretically possible that you can come across color values that can't be reproduced by the printer, it's unlikely to make an impact on your photos.

{{photo_gallery "Science Section 1 Images"}}

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Quick photo printing speeds and average document speeds.

Compared to other printers in its price point, the {{product.name}} actually prints photos acceptably fast, at a rate of one 8 x 10 print every 92.4 seconds. Because the {{product.name}} does not support some of the smaller, more popular photo sizes, you can't print on 4 x 6 paper, but you could conceivably print multiple 4 x 6 prints on one 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of photo paper. The {{product.name}} doesn't dawdle much when it is told to print, but that doesn't mean it's fast: in fact many times it will clean its printer heads or do something else first, so be wary that if you print photos, you will not be getting them in a hurry.

When it comes to document printing, the {{product.name}} can crank out color or black and white pages at standard quality at a rate of 2.24 pages per minute, which is on the higher end of average for a photo printer, but a bit low for an office printer. Compared to others at its price point, however, this is a fairly steady clip.

{{photo_gallery "Science Section 2 Images"}}

Detail Performance

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Most prints have a minimal amount of detail loss.

The {{product.name}} does an exceptionally good job maintaining an even and bandless transition from white to full color in each of the 4 ink gradients. No nasty surprises here. There were a few peculiarities in certain areas. For example, if you were to take a microscope to your prints, you will notice that many of the lines are not as defined as they could be, and that sometimes the finer lines are blurred. This type of visual error has consequences in other photos too, as high contrast situations will see some detail error.

{{photo_gallery "Science Section 3 Images"}}

Meet the tester

Chris Thomas

Chris Thomas

Staff Writer, Imaging

@cthomas8888

A seasoned writer and professional photographer, Chris reviews cameras, headphones, smartphones, laptops, and lenses. Educated in Political Science and Linguistics, Chris can often be found building a robot army, snowboarding, or getting ink.

See all of Chris Thomas's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next