Verdict
Canon’s whacky-looking MAXIFY GX6550 could be costly to purchase, however its ultra-low operating prices make it good worth to personal over the long run. It’s an awesome alternative if you need a small workplace multifunction for a cramped house, however in any other case, its oddball scanner association won’t be ideally suited.
Execs
- Extraordinarily low operating prices
- Unusually compact design
- Cheap high quality and velocity
Cons
- Very costly to purchase
- Uncommon scanner format isn’t excellent
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A 3-in-one wi-fi MFPThe GX6550 can print, scan and duplicate, however there’s no fax help -
Refillable tanksRefillable ink slashes operating prices, and also you get hundreds of pages’ price within the field
Introduction
The MAXIFY GX6550 is one in every of Canon’s rising vary of MegaTank refillable ink multifunction peripherals (MFPs). Marked out by giant, refillable ink tanks of their entrance panels, these value extra upfront than an equal cartridge-based printer, however they need to make up for it in the long run by decrease operating prices.
This inkjet is aimed toward small and residential workplaces, significantly these which can be brief on house – its scanner has an uncommon, front-loading doc feeder, which might show you how to slot it right into a smaller shelf house.
This printer arrives with a full set of ink bottles which can be rated for six,000 black or 14,000 full-colour pages. You received’t fairly get that from the primary set, as some ink is used to prime the printer, however even once they run out it’s best to solely pay solely round 0.6p per full-colour web page – at the least 10 occasions lower than you’d pay to run a traditional equal.
The GX6550 helps wi-fi networks and has a wired Ethernet interface, however no fax modem. Apart from that, it’s effectively geared up for workplace life, providing duplex (double-sided) printing, scanning and copying, a 250-sheet paper cassette, and an extra 100-sheet rear tray.
Design and options
- Small and intelligent, however not great-looking
- Good paper-handling options
- Very low operating prices
This definitely isn’t the best-looking MFP. Whereas its vibrant ink tanks add a touch of aptitude, it’s spoiled by barely awkward angles and dated-looking smoked plastic paper trays. Its tiltable management panel contains just a few buttons and a small color touchscreen, but it surely’s not as effectively built-in as some others. On the entrance panel you’ll discover a USB port for walk-up printing and scanning, however, tucked away simply above the paper output, it’s not particularly apparent.
The MAXIFY GX6550 won’t be attractive, however it’s compact. Uniquely on this class, its scanner’s computerized doc feeder (ADF) is oriented in order that it’s front-facing, so it may be used even when the MFP itself is pushed again into a good cubby gap.
That is an attention-grabbing characteristic, and will definitely be helpful the place house is at an actual premium in a micro enterprise, but it surely does lead to some compromises. The GX6550 isn’t deep sufficient for a full-length A4 platen, so to scan paper sizes above 5×7” (13x18cm) it’s important to use the ADF. This imposes a most 600 dots per inch (dpi) decision, though the scanner itself helps 1,200 dpi. It additionally means that you could’t preview an A4 doc earlier than scanning it.
It’s vital to click on the ADF enter correctly into place when utilizing the scanner, in any other case scanned A4 sheets are likely to foul on its decrease edge and get crumpled up. It took me some time to understand that this entails firmly pushing it in. Canon has added a warning sticker subsequent to the ADF enter, which is sort of an admission that the design may very well be higher.
In any other case, this MFP has good paper dealing with. With two trays totalling 350 sheets, you shouldn’t have to reload it usually. You would hold a inventory of headed or picture paper within the rear tray – though you received’t be capable to you probably have positioned the GX6550 in a cubby gap. The ADF and printer are each duplex, so you may make double-sided prints, scans or copies with out lifting a finger.
Establishing Canon’s MegaTank printers is a bit more concerned than different inkjets. First you match the print heads, which look quite a bit like empty cartridges, and then you definitely begin filling the tanks from the equipped bottles. Refillable ink tank printers are cheaper to run than cartridge-based ones, and the MAXIFY GX6550 is not any exception. There are millions of pages’ price of ink within the field, and when it runs out you may get hundreds of pages extra for about £80. The ensuing value – 0.2p per black web page and about 0.4p in color – retains this printer low cost to run, even when it’s used closely.
The flip aspect is that it prices quite a bit within the first place – it’s at the least £300 greater than I’d count on to pay for an equal, cartridge-using workplace MFP. Issue within the ink that comes with the GX6550, nevertheless, and it’s higher worth out of the field – you simply must be certain you’ll print that a lot over the MFP’s lifetime.
With this in thoughts it’s unlucky that the GX6550 has a one-year guarantee and, on the time of writing, it wasn’t eligible for Canon’s long-running free three-year improve promotion. I’ve no purpose to doubt this printer’s longevity, but when it did fail after 13 months, you could not but have recouped the additional outlay.
Print velocity and high quality
- Moderately quick prints and scans, however color graphics usually are not too speedy
- Sturdy scan high quality, however so-so color prints
- Pretty straightforward to make use of
This can be a fairly straightforward MFP to make use of, but it surely’s not excellent. Other than its fiddly ADF enter, I discovered that the touchscreen may very well be a bit sluggish and awkward. This was significantly true when diving into the copy menu to arrange a duplex, multi-page copy. Moderately than a single 2>2-sided setting, you have to set duplex scanning and printing individually.
I discovered the USB doc and picture printing menu straightforward, and the display screen is sufficiently big to point out a surprisingly crisp preview, however there’s no thumbnail mode. In the event you needed to pick, say, seven pictures from a USB stick containing 40, you’d have to scroll by all of them, ready just a few seconds for every to load.
The MAXIFY GX6550 wins again some factors with a few glorious usability options. First, it may possibly multitask, letting one person scan whereas it’s nonetheless servicing a print job, and vice versa. It additionally shows the variety of pages remaining to be printed in a multi-page copy. That sounds trivial, however it may possibly assist forestall folks milling round cluelessly whereas a protracted job’s ending up.
This can be a fairly fast inkjet, delivering a primary web page of textual content in 27 seconds, and occurring to achieve a most of 5.8 pages per minute in our 20-page check. Like different printers, this one tends to be quicker to start out brief paperwork. As such, it was a lot faster when printing a number of copies of a single textual content web page, hitting 20.5ppm. It reached a powerful 7.7ppm when printing color graphics.
This MFP can also be a reasonably fast copier, significantly for single pages, which wanted solely 16 seconds in black or color. A ten-page copy from the ADF took 68 seconds in black solely, or practically two and a half minutes in color. I’m at all times impressed by MFPs that may full a double-sided copy of a double-sided authentic. The GX6550 took a prolonged 5 minutes to complete this job in color, but it surely’s an awesome functionality to have.
I couldn’t full our common A4 preview check, however previewing a 10x15cm picture wanted simply seven seconds. A4 doc scans accomplished in 18 seconds at both 150 or 300 dots per inch (dpi). On the most 1,200dpi, scanning the picture took a minute and a half.
Canon’s TWAIN scan interface is without doubt one of the finest, and I didn’t have any main grumbles concerning the outcomes of my picture scans. This scanner did an awesome job of preserving the element from closely shaded areas and in very gentle areas. Nonetheless, it was much less spectacular when capturing paperwork, which appeared subtly underexposed at 150 dpi.
Whereas this MFP delivered glorious, daring black textual content, I used to be underwhelmed by its graphical prints. These have been pretty daring, however appeared undersaturated and drab when in comparison with the most effective inkjets and lasers – this criticism utilized to color photocopies, too. Though the GX6550 will print first rate pictures on particular papers, it received’t print borderless snaps, and its pigment-based inks can’t produce a high-gloss end.
Like different inkjets, the GX6550 makes use of a modest quantity of energy. I measured a 29-watt peak, dropping to 4 Watts in standby, and fewer than a watt when sleeping.
Newest offers
Do you have to purchase it?
A good compact inkjet multi-function printer
It’s an affordable performer, and its impressively low operating prices imply you received’t be scared to print off lengthy color paperwork or strive the occasional picture.
If you’d like a powerful guarantee and minimalist design
The GX6550’s uncommon design is slightly compromised, particularly if you wish to scan A4 paperwork from a platen. It’s a disgrace, too, that its glorious operating prices aren’t backed up by a powerful guarantee.
Closing Ideas
This isn’t a nasty MFP, however its compact design does imply it’s slightly compromised. I wouldn’t advocate it for those who usually have to scan A4 paper or giant, thick originals. And whereas it’s nice in a good spot, do not forget that placing it in a cubby gap successfully prevents you from utilizing its second paper tray, which may very well be a ache.
In the event you don’t want the compact packaging – and you may reside with out a duplex scanner – the extra conventionally organized MAXIFY GX5050 is an identical however better option. In any other case, you could find nice alternate options in our greatest printer 2023 information.
How we check
Each printer we evaluation goes by a collection of uniform checks designed to gauge key issues together with print high quality, velocity and value.
We’ll additionally examine the options with different printers on the similar worth level to see for those who’re getting good worth to your cash.
Measured the time it takes to print with numerous paper
In contrast print high quality with different printers
Examined printing with monochrome and colored ink
FAQs
Sure, like several printer the MAXIFY vary can print pictures. That stated, as an office-focused system it’s not the most effective. Whereas it helps matte and shiny picture papers, it received’t print with out borders. It additionally doesn’t ship the high-gloss end you’d get from a specialised picture inkjet. MAXIFY printers are advantageous for infrequent picture prints, however not if you need the highest quality.
Canon’s scanners are often excellent, and its scan interface is without doubt one of the finest. The MAXIFY GX6550 has a most optical decision of 1,200 dots per inch (dpi). That’s not the very best you’ll discover, but it surely’s greater than ok for workplace archiving. It’ll even make an honest fist of scanning pictures.
Trusted Evaluations check knowledge
Power consumption
Printing A4 mono velocity (single web page)
Printing A4 mono velocity (5 pages)
Printing A4 mono velocity (20 pages)
Printing A4 color velocity (single web page)
Printing A4 color velocity (5 pages)
Printing A4 color velocity (20 pages)
Printing A4 color picture velocity (20 pages)
Scanning velocity check (single web page)
