Canon ImageClass MF4270
The Canon ImageClass MF4270 is a basic and inexpensive mono multifunction machine intended for individuals or small offices. Unlike the sleeker Samsung SCX-4500, this $299 Canon multifunction features office-friendly features including an automatic document feeder, networking, and a duplexer. It lacks some of the more advanced features, however, such as fax forwarding and onboard scanning found on more expensive mulitfunctions such as the Lexmark X342n and the Dell 1815dn that some busy offices may require. If you need a multifunction for only basic print, scan, and fax needs, you’ll come to appreciate the affordable Canon ImageClass MF4270′s speedy task speeds and consistent output quality.
The Canon ImageClass MF4270 is quite compact for a multifunction laser. It stands 15.4 inches wide, 17.4 inches deep, and 17.9 inches tall, and weighs 27.6 pounds.
The ImageClass MF4270′s feature set is fairly standard for office-oriented multifunctions. The machine comes network-ready with an Ethernet port on the back, so it can be easily mounted on a home or office network for printing from various PCs. The ADF is great for batch scanning, copying, and faxing. And the autoduplexer makes it easy to make double-sided prints and copies, thereby saving paper. It has a toner-save mode that reduces the amount of toner used for printing. Obviously, the output quality declines, but this mode is great for prints that will be used internally, as it conserves both toner and money. Similarly, the Imageclass MF4270 has a power-save mode: the printer goes into a low-energy standby mode when it hasn’t been used for a certain period of time (you can adjust the amount of time that triggers the power-save mode).
The Canon ImageClass MF4270 uses Canon 104 black laser toner cartridge, which costs about $80 each.
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The Canon ImageClass MF4270’s task quality was decent across the board, performing more evenly than some of its competition, but it wasn’t the bestr. The black prints were nicely dark and consistent, but we noticed jagged edges where we expect to see clean, sharp lines. The grayscale graphics print showed a lot of cross-hatching and the photo elements can afford to be sharper. The grayscale scan revealed a good amount of compression in the dark end of the grayscale, making the scan a bit murky, but we liked the sharp details and the great pattern reproduction. The color scan was the best of the lot, with great color reproduction and sharp details. Although it wasn’t the best at anything (except for color scanning), we liked its consistently good performance.