CANON IMAGECLASS MF6590 TONER CARTRIDGE

Canon Copier ImageCLASS MF6590 Review

Overview:

The Canon Copier ImageCLASS MF6590 is nearly indistinguishable from its sister unit, the MF6540, the major differences being only an added fax modem and network card. For a marginal increase in price, the additional Ethernet port and fax capabilities make the MF6590 the better buy for the money, though it still suffers from the core hardware’s mediocre overall print speed.

Pros:

Unlike the other models in the series, the Canon Copier ImageCLASS MF6590 is equipped with fax capabilities. The unit operates using the commonly seen Super G3 33.6 Kbps fax modem that transmits at a rate of about 2 seconds per page. Segmented fax memory allows for a fax page memory that can hold a very impressive 1,000 pages. That much memory could rival pretty much any fax capable machine on the market.

23 one touch speed dial buttons can be found on the control panel and a total of 100 coded dials can be programmed as well. If the machine is unplugged or there is a power outage, the internal fax battery will safely hold fax data for up to an hour and fax only manual, answering, DRPD, auto switching, polling, and dual access are all incorporated into this well rounded device.

The document feeder on the Canon Copier ImageCLASS MF6590 is of ample size with its 50 sheet capacity. This is a welcome inclusion on such a compact device. In fact, the printer in general does pack a lot of hardware and storage space into a very economical design. Instead of the usual 250 sheet paper tray we find a full 500 sheet cassette that is accompanied by not a single sheet bypass slot but a 100 sheet multipurpose tray that can handle paper thicknesses up to 35 lbs.

The device is network ready, which means that it is among the most affordable options for a small office without much document handling demand that needs to provide basic print functionality to a group of people. The network scanning abilities are, unfortunately, very limited but network printing should be a very fast setup.

Another welcome surprise that the Canon Copier ImageCLASS MF6590 provides is its 1200 x 600 dot per inch print resolution. With twice the resolution of the common 600 dpi machines, this Canon is much better equipped to handle thin lines and image printing. Unfortunately the device’s optical scan resolution is only 600 dpi, but this is remedied by a 9600 dpi interpolated mode.

Cons:

The unit’s print speed of 24 pages per minute is not entirely a game ender, but it is a disappointment. The unit has not come down in price enough since its discontinuation to justify considering for purchase unless slow print speed truly is of no concern to a buyer. There are plenty of affordable 4 in 1 units out there, from Canon and otherwise, that can now run circles around this unit as far as raw performance, and even bargain hunters should take just as hard a look at what’s on the shelf today as they do at an aging unit like this.