Canon Pixma MP530

1 out of 10 - Abysmal
Abysmal squared!
I too saw all the great reviews and ordered mine from Amazon. After going through one replacement print head (which ...
I too saw all the great reviews and ordered mine from Amazon. After going through one replacement print head (which Canon at least was very quick to send me) and all new cartridges (full replacement costing $50!), still no printing. So now I'm trying to get their local repair center to call me back after already investing 5 hours in this thing. Seems like this is a consistent problem that needs to be fixed before Canon sells any more! In the meantime, I'm going to be out a scanner for awhile.

59 out of 71 users found this user opinion helpful.
6 comments posted to this opinion

9 out of 10 - Spectacular
Very user friendly great for home office!
I used to work as a sales person selling printers and copiers but now im in medical field and i ...
I used to work as a sales person selling printers and copiers but now im in medical field and i have to say, Canon has finally created an all in one machine with fax and great photo quality, as always,that is affordable to a medium budget people like me.Gone are the days of the bulky canon MP730,which is a bit expensive and has the flimsy paper feeder.But that machine also did the job well.But this one i have to say is a great one.Although it doesnt have the card slots and tiny lcd for fast photo printing,for me its not that important since i always preview and edit red eyes in my pc monitor before i print photos.it has the front picture bridge interface for usb though if you wanna print from a camera.In the box it goes with the step by step instructions on how to setup till you align it.ofcourse , this is a machine and you cant expect it to do this asap cause this is not human.read the setup first, before you judge!i just wish it has bluetooth interface so i dont need printer cables for this and if you wanna place it from a distance from your work station.overall,for the low price, fast and quiet printing and not to mention the dual paper tray which are the top and cassette option,they definately did a good job!and the scanner,scans picture with smooth resolution.software bundle that came with it is also very user friendly.i couldve gave it a perfect 10 if it had bluetooth. Read more
by techkritik (see profile) - October 12, 2006

24 out of 25 users found this user opinion helpful.

7 out of 10 - Very good
Excellent printer, but not without flaws
After researching several multi-function printers, I felt very confident that the MP530 had everything I needed. For the first couple ...
After researching several multi-function printers, I felt very confident that the MP530 had everything I needed. For the first couple of weeks of use, I had no complaints. The included software package is very easy to use and full of great features. It can even save a scanned document as a PDF. I have used HP's software package before and Canon's shines in comparison.

The honeymoon period soon ended as color print quality severely suffered. I checked the ink level indicator, and it stated that all 5 cartridges had adequate levels of ink. I ran the cleaning program a couple of times, as well as the deep cleaning, but saw no improvement.

I removed the ink cartridges to inspect them and found that 3 of them were bone dry. After replacing them, print quality returned to its previously excellent state.

All in all, I would recommend this printer to home office users who need a full-featured multi-function inkjet printer. Aside from the ink level problem, I am very happy with the MP530. Read more
by brightedge (see profile) - February 24, 2007

24 out of 26 users found this user opinion helpful.

4 out of 10 - Mediocre
Not good at all printing
The fax and copy functions work well. Haven't scanned yet. The print is uneven. It works well for normal ...
The fax and copy functions work well. Haven't scanned yet. The print is uneven. It works well for normal business type applications. It does not work well for greeting cards, half-fold envelopes, nonstandard size papers. I wish I knew about this before I bought this highly rated product. I have had similar trouble in the past with another Canon printer. It often leaves streaks of black ink along edges of envelopes or greeting cards. It's as if the ink has pooled and overflowed. Since I print lots of greeting cards, this is very annoying--I picked this model for it's two sided printing. I don't remember seeing anything in reading reviews that talked about its severe limitations on paper sizes and weights. An email to Canon support gave me instructions for maintaining the printer, but seemed to indicate that I would still have problems using any paper they consider nonstandard. I have used the greeting card stock in HP printers with no problem. Read more
by LDIETZ1001 (see profile) - December 7, 2006

21 out of 26 users found this user opinion helpful.

7 out of 10 - Very good
A very adequate unit for my needs
Canon has produced another great product.
This is the third Canon printer and the fourth Canon product that we own.
...
Canon has produced another great product.
This is the third Canon printer and the fourth Canon product that we own. I have a BJ-100 that prints in black but still works after 11 years. The second printer, a Canon 2000 was worth the money, even though it lasted only 7 years.
This unit serves two purposes for me for it provided a scanner for me. Another is that it replaced a multifunction HP 1210 because it just died.

The MP530 is suitable for those who don't have the extra funds to get the MP830 which the only differences between the two is that the MP830 has the slots for the card readers and about a $100 more price tag depending on where you go. The individual inks also save money when using the system. At around $12 each for a cartridge, it is a far cry from paying $37 for a color cartridge for an HP or $55 for a combination pack for HP 1210 MP that I replaced with this unit.

The MP530 is excellent. The set up was smooth, with only one call to customer service while setting up to stop the clicking that occurred when the phone lines were connected to the unit. The representative told me to switch them and that solved the problem.

After using the unit since October 10th,
The unit is solid. Colors come out bright. Black print comes out excellent. I have saved a lot of paper with the duplex function. Copies great and simple. Even my mother who is not a bit fluent in electronics can use the copy function.

Scanned documents come out great. You really can't tell them from the original.

Faxing is relatively easy once you fully understand the control buttons. The only confusion that sets in is when one has to determine what setting to set the unit on when receiving faxes. I called Canon and got a idiot who didn't understand that I just wanted clarification on the different settings. I wound up hanging up on him. I wrote Canon a note and they called back expressing sorrow for the incident. I told them that it would be great to include How to videos online at the Canon website to help folks learn about their system. I also told him that they needed a how disc in the software bundle with the unit.


The only problems that I have with the unit is that the instruction book or user guide is bit confusing. I wound up taking the book and writing my own notes to help me understand the different functions and settings.

I also don't like the fact that one has to hit the ON/OFF switch to turn the unit on. The Canon 2000 was automatic. When you turn the pc on, your printer was on.

I don't like the fact that one has to push either the black or color button to complete a function independently of the pc. It is confusing when there is also an OK button.

The software is dismal for Canon. The photo software is ill conceived. They should have stuck with the photo suite from previous models. I scanned a b&w photo of my mother and the result on screen was dismal. The image scanned was darker than the original. I used the software provided, Easy Photo Print, and it only made it worse. I haven't printed a photo yet, so I don't know about the finished product.

Overall, it is a good unit. Above all, be patient in learning the ins and outs of the system. I thought I had made a big mistake also, but I calmed myself down, got the book, as confusing as it is and took the time to learn it. Read more
by lynjs (see profile) - December 31, 2006

11 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.

9 out of 10 - Spectacular
Excellent All-In-One!!!
Well i've read the previous reviews for this printer and i've just one thing to say: read the ...
Well i've read the previous reviews for this printer and i've just one thing to say: read the manual!! I had the same "clicking noise" when i connected my printer. The problem? i had the FAX connections backward. Once fixed, all was quiet and FAX works great!!

In fact, all of the features work great. It does do 2-sided printing and copying (duplex mode), but my one disappointment here,i guess, is that you can't do 2-sided copying through the ADF. You have to manually flip the page being copied. Not really a big deal.

This printer is NOT network ready, but if you still need to share it between 2 computers, spend $25 on a 2-port USB switch. I got one from SIIG and it allows me to hot-key between desktop and laptop. Read more
by Craig Anderson (see profile) - October 28, 2006

8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.

9 out of 10 - Spectacular
Great all-in-one printer
I was going to get the MP5000 but then I saw this and opted for the fax and ADF over ...
I was going to get the MP5000 but then I saw this and opted for the fax and ADF over the LCD screen. The 5000 got great reviews and this machine should continue that trend. It was a breeze to set up, it's fast, text looks great, photos look great (pretty nice even on stock paper) and it copies and scans beautifully as well. Only problem I've encountered is having a router with a parralel port while the printer runs off a USB cable. I'm not the first to run into this problem and have ordered a USB to parralel cable. This is just another great Canon printer. Read more
by Burby (see profile) - September 28, 2006

7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.

8 out of 10 - Excellent
Good MultiFunction Machine, Copy/Scan especially good
This machine is used in a small dept. mostly as a printer/scanner, but also as a stand alone copier ...
This machine is used in a small dept. mostly as a printer/scanner, but also as a stand alone copier for the 3 or 4 people in the area.
They all love the copy functions, which are easy to see & understand--one button for color, one for B&W. The Scanner is turning out to be a big workhorse for the main user locally connected to the machine. Printing is fine, and surprisingly good if you want to print at the best quality. However, like other ink jet printers of today, ink cartridges are where they get you. I'd recommend printing in normal or draft as it still looks pretty good. However, it does beat out the competing HP machine's ink usage by quite a bit.

We don't use the fax feature as we have stand-alone faxes, though we did try it out to make sure it worked.

Overall, we're very happy with the product as it met our needs perfectly. It arrived ok (from Buydig.com), and we've had no mechanical problems whatsoever (3 mos of heavy use so far). The install (on PC) was straight forward and another bonus over HP is the clear choice during the setup to install crapware or not. I'd highly recommend this machine to anyone looking for a good SOHO printer/scanner/copier (and fax). Read more
by podunk5 (see profile) - December 14, 2006

6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.

9 out of 10 - Spectacular
Sweet color, quick printing, great price
I investigated about 10 different multi-functional units. I print in color with some regularity and even print my own product ...
I investigated about 10 different multi-functional units. I print in color with some regularity and even print my own product brochures (limited runs less than 100). I fax with some regularity and scan / copy only occasionally. My other need was networking. I have three computers and needed to share my multi-function with all of them, including a wifi laptop. Why choose the MP530 when networking is important? Price and printing performance.

MP530 Summary
The price for this unit at Frys and other places is listed at $199 but I got it for $169 a fantastic price for the features available. The unit is extremely ergonomic, well constructed and has six total ink ports. The ability to have multiple ink cartridges is a significant savings over time. How many times has the blue run out and you have to buy a whole new cartridge? What a waste of money. Over the lifetime of use, it is a big money saver. Also, the ink-to-paper nozzles are removable which means getting a new one (while the unit is probably not cheap) is easy to install.

Printing: What can I say that others haven?t already said? I find the printing to be exceptional. Fast, quite, and really good. Is it publication quality, no of course not, but it is way better than expected. I am super impressed with the printing on the MP530.

Scanning has been very good and even at the lower resolutions is totally fine for a home office with some color intensive design applications. The highest resolution is a little slow but very, very good.

Faxing is well faxing, easy to do.

Copying in color and B/W is also very good.

Overall, I think we would all agree, 70%-80% of your time with this machine will be printing and this is done on the HP530 exceptionally well.


Networking & WiFi
So how to use this printer on a network, simply get a combined router print server. Many of the print servers ?do not support multifunctional units? because multifunctional units have bi-directional communication needs which nearly all print servers do not support. So your adventure is into the ?we don?t recommend that? variety. So what, try it, you might like it.

Bi-directional communication means that the printer talks back to the print sender (computer) about things like paper supply, ink supply, etc. Most if not all print servers don?t support this back-talk from the printer which also means scanning is not possible. I am using the US Robotics MaxG Router/Server. I don?t know about the wifi range (a negative on the CNet review) since I haven?t tested it completely but as far as speed and print server capacity I have been very, very happy. My WAN speed on the wifi was almost exactly the same as my wired desktop (using DSL Reports speed tests) and the file share speed was also as good or better than my ISP supplied 2Wire modem/router (which I totally love). So, as far as networking goes for my printer, I would say it is EXCELLENT.

I got both for under $250 including tax. Show me a networked, multi-function color printer with individual ink cartridges for under $250. I don?t think there are any in this class so together the MP530 and print server are AWESOME.

I would love to have a TCP/IP port with the USB port on the printer because to scan I need to disconnect the printer from the print server and connect the USB directly to the computer. If a TCP/IP port was on the printer then the need to swap cables wouldn?t be necessary. Few of the print server support scanning, I have only seen a couple, and the list of ?approved? scanners is very small. None of the print servers I found had the MP530 as an approved scanning device so for now, scanning is a hard wired thing. I will probably end up using a USB hub so that the printer is connected to both the print server and the computer simultaneously.


MP530 / MaxG Router Installation:

1) Setting up the Router/WiFi was within 5 minutes. I had ZERO problems getting the router and WiFi connected to my modem and running smoothly.

2) Setting up the print server was also easy. I followed the instruction from the admin page of the Robotics router.

3) Install the printer software on a local machine as instructed by Canon. Print a test page from the USB connected printer-computer as if the printer was not going to be networked (ie plug the printer directly into the computer).

4) Shutdown computer and printer; connect printer to print sever and set up a network printer on the computer. Don?t uninstall the local printer from your computer as it is needed for scanning and when printer is directly USB connected to the computer.

5) You MUST download and install the print drivers for the MP530 on all devices that will use the MP530. Such as my laptop that prints via the WiFi. The drivers can be found at:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=DownloadDetailAct&fcategoryid=334&modelid=13371

Install the drivers first, then set up the network printer. Easy as pie.

6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.

1 out of 10 - Abysmal
For the rich only.
You will go broke if you use this printer in your home office. I am on my way to the ...
You will go broke if you use this printer in your home office. I am on my way to the office supply store to purchase a new printer. The cost of replacing the ink tanks is running me almost $180.00 a month. At $15.00 dollars or more a pop for each tank and having to replace them at least every two weeks, I just can not afford to continue to use this printer. I would not even give this printer away to my worst enemy. The ink is controlled by a computer chip that only allows a preset amount of prints regardless to the amount of ink left in the tank and prevents the ability to refill or use generic replacements. Skip this one all together. I wish I did. Read more
by MissLynda (see profile) - November 26, 2007

3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.