Canon ImageCLASS MF5550 Laser Multifunction Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had been looking at multi-function devices (MFDs) for a little over one year. One of the things that delayed my purchase is that the all-in-one machines are usually a generation or two behind in technology. The Canon imageCLASS MF5550 is able to print-copy-scan-fax, with an automatic document feeder (ADF) and a glass platen for laying objects flat for scanning and copying. Because this Canon was also the first MFD with USB 2.0, I bought it for my solo law firm. This unit also looked more graceful than other Canon or Brother models. I have owned this unit for three months. I paid $450 plus tax from Office Depot. The manager agreed to come close to available online prices.
While this unit does some functions very well, it does other basic functions very poorly, and I do not recommend it. Although you are buying the Canon name, they actually outsourced the design of this model, and the design company has taken the position that if there is some way to get a function to work, no matter how convoluted, then the printer does what it claims to do.
* CONS *
ENVELOPE PRINTING is the main reason to stay away from this MFD. It will not allow you to print an envelope unless you change the paper sizes for both the copier (7 steps) and Windows (6 steps). And there are 2 pop-up Windows error messages if your Word document has an envelope on one page and a letter on another. These 2 errors show up again when you change the Windows settings back. There are also 2 more error messages when you actually hit the print button to print the envelope only. So you have 6 error messages that require a keystroke or mouse click. Then you have to change both the copier and Windows settings back again to print a non-envelope. That is a grand total of 34 EXTRA keystrokes or mouse clicks. I did not count the basic keystrokes or mouse clicks when you select the Word print button and go through the Word pop-up dialog box. Make sure you only print the envelope page, or otherwise on your letter-size page will only be printed with an envelope-width-size strip of text down the middle.
With my old HP 4P printer, the Word print pop-up dialog was the only step required to print envelopes and letters. The HP automatically waited for me to feed an envelope in the manual paper feeder for any pages that were not letter size, and then printed the rest of the letter-size pages in the same print job. One of the less senior (but know-it-all) Canon reps claimed that the problem was with Windows, even though the old HP did just fine and the Canon was a nightmare under the same OS. One of the more senior Canon reps said that problem was built-in to the printer, and a driver update will not fix the above issues.
The MFD documentation claims you need insert the envelope into the manual feeder with the stamp-end first. However, Word will print the envelope upside-down. The MFD manual claims that the printer will jam if you put the return-address side in first, but mine has never jammed.
On the upside, the envelopes do come out okay without using the back door to make them go straight out the back instead of coming out the front.
ODD PAPER SIZES - this Canon only handles the preset paper sizes specified in its driver, so you cannot use this printer to address Christmas card envelopes or certified mail receipts. Using the manual feeder is not a work around. The Canon locks up, and you either have to open the toner cartridge door or unplug the machine to get it to reset. My old HP printer works fine with all Windows (98SE, XP Pro), and will automatically default to the manual paper feeder if I am not printing a page that is the default paper tray size. The HP won't give me an error, no matter what paper I put in the manual feeder.
ENLARGE/REDUCE - automatic or manual 50-200%; but unfortunately you cannot zoom pages that come through the ADF. Also, the glass platen cannot see past letter-size 11", even though it is about one inch longer than that. Thus, you cannot copy anything longer than 11" with either the ADF or laying a page on the glass platen. If you had a document or image on your hard drive that was legal size, you could probably print it - or maybe the ADF plus the manual feeder would allow you to copy legal size (I have not tried either).
INK/TONER CARTRIDGE is combined; but cartridge is too small (2,500 printouts) and expensive at $80.00. That's where companies make their money these days. HP, Lexmark and probably even Canon use proprietary codes to prevent third parties from making generic cartridges. I have not seen a non-Canon X25 cartridge available anywhere, and only a few drill-and-refills are available on ebay.
EXPOSURE - images appear too dark when printing or copying.
"2 ON 1" COPYING - the manual states that you can copy on both sides of a page, but the errata (i.e., correction) sheet confirms that the machine really cannot.
FAXING requires that you use a shorter telephone line (I wanted to use 25 feet), or you will have trouble sending and receiving.
THE PAPER TRAY really is too small for 250 sheets, so expect to break your 500-sheet pack in three parts (this means more refilling and running out of paper in the middle of a job).
THE ENERGY-SAVER LIGHT is a surprisingly strong nightlight for its small size (well, I mentioned everything else - I might as well include it all).
WARRANTY - one year is too short. Real (i.e., non-outsourced) Canons carry a three-year warranty.
* PROS *
PRINT AND COPY QUALITY is excellent, and you cannot tell the difference between the original and the copy. It is every bit 600x600 dpi printing.
AUTOMATIC DOCUMENT FEEDER - I had no problem with misfed pages; it claims to handle 50 pages.
COPY AND PRINT SPEEDS are very fast - it spits one page out and prints the next right away.
COVER - stays up with no balance problem; it can be raised about 1 inch when closed. You need to keep it down when copying small papers like receipts and checks, because it will waste a bunch of black toner printing in the empty areas without the cover closed. The cover provides a white background.
COLLATE function works well.
FAX - You can store often-used fax numbers, and the fax documentation says it recognizes "distinctive ring" from the phone company.
LACK OF NOISE - It is completely silent quiet when in energy-saver mode or in standby after an operation. There is no on/off button on the Canon. My HP was very noisy when it was turned on and even louder when printing. When the Canon is working, it is also less noisy than the HP.
SCAN SPEED - The scans are much faster than my old parallel-port, dedicated scanner, and the supplied word-recognition programs (OmniPage and PageManager) do a decent job. One of the programs defaults to .bmp images for image scanning, which take up a lot more room than a .jpg. You cannot change the default.
CANON CUSTOMER SUPPORT does actually answer their phone, and the three senior reps, Bill (who helped me), Josh and Steve will spend time with you explaining why this machine is a piece of junk.

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A laser multifunction from Canon, the MF5550 consolidates important office functions into one unit, saving on both space and money. Designed with small business users in mind, the MF5550 can scan, copy, fax, and print, and comes with a number of useful features.
A 250-sheet front-loading paper cassette and single-sheet multi-purpose feeder are provided, while a 50-sheet automatic document feeder helps save valuable time when scanning, copying, or faxing large documents. Maximum print and copy resolutions of 600 x 600 dpi are accompanied by a maximum optical scan resolution 1,200 x 2,400 dpi, (up to 9,600 x 9,600 dpi interpolated), while 256 levels of halftone and a 48-bit internal color depth produce high-quality, accurate scans suitable for a wide range of applications.
The included software comes with an OCR program, so you can easily convert scanned documents into text files on your computer. Print speeds are as fast as 19 ppm for letter-sized documents and copy speeds of up to 19 cpm (at lower resolutions) and a time-to-first-copy of around 13 seconds. The copier accepts originals up to 8.5 by 14 inches and can enlarge or reduces copies anywhere from 50% to 200%.
The fax machine has a 33.6Kbps modem, with fax resolutions of up to 203 x 196 dpi. A fax memory of up to 255 pages ensures that even if you run out of paper, you won't lose important faxes, and 12 standard and 100 coded speed dial presets provide an easy way to store frequently used numbers.
The MF5550 has a 19.1-by-18.1-inch footprint and connects to the host computer via its USB port. PC compatible only, the unit also comes backed with a one-year parts and labor warranty.
What's in the BoxMF5550, automatic document feeder and tray, document output tray, slide guide, multi-purpose feeder, paper cassette, toner cartridge, USB cable, software CD-ROM, user's manual

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