Canon Color imageClass MF8380Cdw

Need your small office or workgroup to print color in volume? The Canon Color imageClass MF8380Cdw ($600 street) offers a good set of MFP (multifunction printer) features, including WiFi connectivity, and provides solid output for text and photos (though not so much for graphics). ?It?s not the fastest color laser MFP around, but it?s worthy of consideration.

The MF8380Cdw is too large to share a desk with, measuring 18.9 by17.0 by19.2 inches (HWD) and weighing 68 pounds with cartridges in place. The control panel is on top and doesn?t really tilt towards you, so you?ll need to stand up to access it unless the printer is on an extremely low table. The panel includes an alphanumeric keypad, four-way controller, 5-line monochrome display, and a typical range of function buttons for print, copy, scan, and fax as well as an energy-saving mode, and ID entry for secure printing. In front is a port for a USB thumb drive.

On top is 50-sheet duplexing automatic document feeder (ADF) for copying, scanning, or faxing both sides of multipage documents. Standard paper capacity includes a 250-sheet main paper tray and a 50-sheet multipurpose feeder, and an automatic duplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. An additional 250-sheet paper tray is also available, for $200 (street), for a maximum paper capacity of 550 sheets.

The MF8380Cdw offers USB, Ethernet, and WiFi connectivity; we tested it over an Ethernet connection with driver installed on a PC running Windows Vista.

Print Speed and Output Quality

I timed the MF8380Cdw on the latest version of our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), at an effective 4.8 pages per minute (ppm), about the speed we?d expect given its rated speed of 21 ppm for monochrome and 21 ppm for color. Two years ago, we timed its predecessor, the Editors? Choice Canon imageClass MF8350Cdn ($399.99 direct, 4 stars)?which had the same rated speed?at 6.3 ppm. The Brother MFC-9970CDW ($700 street, 4 stars) also tested at 6.3 ppm, while the OKI MC561? ($749 list, 3.5 stars) tested even faster, at 7.2 ppm.

That doesn?t mean the MF8380Cdw is actually slower than its predecessor. Our standard procedure for testing business printing speed is to test using a printer?s default settings, based on our knowledge that typical users are likely to stick to the defaults. Canon recently made duplexing (double-sided printing) its default on most of its new printers. Thus, we tested the MF8380Cdw in duplex mode, which tends to be a little slower than simplex (one-sided) printing. The MF8380Cdw printed each of our one-page test documents?which can only be printed in simplex for obvious reasons?at the exact same clip as did the MF8350Cdn.

The MF8380Cdw?s output quality favored text over photos and?especially?graphics. Text quality was typical of color lasers, good enough for most any business needs except ones requiring very small fonts.

Photo quality was typical of a color laser: suitable for internal business uses like printing out recognizable photos from Web pages, but not much more than that. ?Colors in some prints were a bit muted. Several test images showed posterization, abrupt shifts in color where they should be gradual. Details in dark areas showed up well, while brighter areas were sometimes washed out.

Graphics were sub-par for a color laser. Colors were generally pale, and some colors were a bit off?yellows tended to look mustardy, for example. One illustration showed significant posterization, abrupt shifts in color where they should be gradual. The graphics are okay for most schoolwork and internal business use, though I?d be reluctant to use the MF8380Cdw for PowerPoint handouts or formal reports.

Other Issues

Canon?s claimed running costs for the MF8380Cdw of 3.7 cents per monochrome page and 16.4 cents per color page are the same as they were for its predecessor, the MF8350Cdn. The world, though, hasn?t stood still since the MF8350Cdn was launched two years ago, leaving those running costs looking on the high side today. The Brother MFC-9970CDW?s running costs are 2.7 cents per monochrome and 13.4 cents per color page, while the OKI MC561?s are even lower, at 2.3 and 12.3 cents, respectively.

Its rated duty cycle is 40,000 pages per month, the same as the MF8350Cdn and more than adequate for home and micro offices and many small offices as well.

The Canon Color imageClass MF8380Cdw is a solid color MFP with a full feature set for a small office or workgroup. It prints solid text and photos, though it faltered a bit with graphics. Its speed is adequate, though unexceptional. All in all, it?s a very respectable choice for an office or workgroup looking to add color laser printing to its repertoire. The Brother MFC-9970CDW has a similar feature set (including Wi-Fi) plus a sweet touch screen and is faster, though it also has problems with graphics and has worse photo quality than the Canon. The OKI MC561 lacks Wi-Fi connectivity, though it offers greater standard and optional paper capacity and a slightly higher duty cycle.

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