Installing the MP730 software is slow but idiot-proof: You just pop in the CD and follow instructions, which require restarting your PC several times. The fax engine distinguishes voice from fax, sending voice calls to your phone or an answering machine and sending fax calls to the printer or to buffer memory so that you don't have to get a second phone line installed for your fax. In the Copy mode, menus let you print two reduced originals side by side or print the same image on the same page several times (useful for business cards, name tags, and so on). Using the menus with the Photo Print mode, you can print a photo contact sheet, pick individual images to print, and set up the printer to copy or print onto high-quality glossy paper. Still, the MP730 provides plenty of features we do like. Finally, the MP730 can't forward faxes to another number or hold a fax to send when nighttime low rates kick in, which other multifunctions do. Nor does Canon's software create group dials from your address book on your PC or provide a cover sheet. Nor can the MP730 sync fax numbers entered by hand or accessed from within the Windows Address Book (Canon doesn't provide its own fax/address-book software), so you may end up duplicating efforts. To make more than one collated copy of a multipage document, you have to place the document in the ADF several times. For example, the MP730 can't collate copy jobs. The MP730, while easy to operate, lacks some of the advanced features you might find on separate printers or faxes. The flash card reader under the control panel means you don't need a PC to print photos. One nice touch: the LCD displays small and large type on the same screen, allowing more information about a print job to show at one time. The control panel LCD also provides menus to operate the copy and fax modes independently of a PC. However, unlike photo printers which use six inks (with light shades of magenta and cyan), the MP730 uses only four inks (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) like ordinary color printers, and this does affect the photo print quality. If you have your PC attached, you can also transfer images from the cards to the PC. When you push the Photo Print button, the control panel's LCD displays menus for printing directly from the cards. It has two flash-memory slots just under the lip of the control panel that accept digital camera cards in the CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, and Secure Digital formats. The MP730 is designed to operate without a PC. Unfortunately, the resulting work area is a tight fit for most people's hands. When you need to replace the ink tanks or clear paper jams, the whole scanner bed lifts to expose the print head and paper path. Plus, although the scanner glass is only letter/A4 size, the ADF passes legal-size documents across the glass for copying and faxing, and the printer's paper path also accommodates legal-size docs. Though the lid is somewhat heavy (thanks to the ADF, which rides piggyback), the lid slides up on its hinges so that you can fit thick documents, such as books, on the glass. The shell consists of unobtrusive dark-gray plastics, with tough, translucent trays to support documents stacked in the 35-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) and to keep dust out of the main paper tray. The scanner lifts to reveal the ink tanks or to clear a paper jam.Ĭanon designed the MultiPass MP730 to be easy on the eyes and easy to operate. So if you don't anticipate using the flash-memory readers or you need more sophisticated fax features (or if you work on a Mac), consider another multifunction printer, such as the $140 Dell A940 or the $299 HP PSC 2210. But you'll pay for the extras with a lofty $400 price tag. The MP730 includes an automatic document feeder and a built-in digital camera flash card reader-rare extras for a multifunction. Drawing on its fast color ink-jet print engine, the MP730 copies in color or black and white, scans to and prints from your PC, and faxes both paper and digital documents. Canon's MultiPass MP730 straddles the line between a photo printer and a do-everything multifunction device for your home office.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |