Product Listing

Canon PIXMA MX886 All-In-One Printer - An Office Thoroughbred

By Ng Chong Seng - 16 May 2011
Launch SRP: S$499

How We Test

How We Test

Here at HardwareZone.com, we perform a variety of tests to evaluate a printer's print speed and print quality. Our test suite mimics what and how an average person would print in the real world. For MFPs, we conduct additional copy and scan tests. Also, we only use the manufacturer's recommended consumables. Here is a list of tests we put an MFP through:

Examples of the documents we use in our tests.

Print Speed Test

For black-and-white print speed test, we use an all-text document consisting of various fonts at different sizes. For color-capable machines, we also use a document consisting of black text and colored graphics. Timing starts upon job initiation and stops when the last page drops on the output tray. For pages-per-minute (PPM) conversion, we use the saturated print rate; that is, we omit the time to print the first page. Auto duplex (two-sided) print timings are recorded if the printer supports it. Normal quality setting (or equivalent) in the driver software is selected if the default isn't already at this setting.

Copy Speed Test

For MFPs that have an automatic document feeder (ADF), we also test how fast a 10-page document is copied. Again, timing starts upon job initiation and stops when the last page drops on the output tray. For MFPs that don't have the luxury of an ADF, we use a single-page document and duplicate it 10 times. Timing starts upon job initiation and stops when the last page drops on the output tray. For copies-per-minute (CPM) conversion, we omit the time to copy the first page. As usual, we use the printer's Normal quality setting.

Scan Speed Test

For scanning, we time how long it takes to scan a single-page document from the flatbed scanner to the PC (into either JPEG or PDF format), using the manufacturer's software. In the presence of an ADF, we'd conduct another test using a 10-page document. Various scan resolutions are used, starting from 300 dpi. Timing starts upon job initiation and stops when the files are ready.

Photo Print Speed Test

If the printer is able to print photos (especially for inkjet printers), we'd time how long it takes to print the popular PhotoDisc target image. A separate monochrome image is also used. The paper type setting in the driver is adjusted to reflect the type of photo paper being fed. Timing starts upon drawing of paper and stops when the printout lands on the output tray. Typically, borderless photos are printed in two sizes: 4R (4 x 6-inch) and A4 (8.3 × 11.7-inch).

Quality Evaluation

Armed with all the printouts from the tests above, we'd spend some time evaluating their qualities. Two tools are indispensable at this time: a calibrated monitor (for photo and scan quality evaluation), and a good magnifying glass (because some fonts are printed at very small sizes).

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8.5
  • Design 8.5
  • Performance 8.5
  • Features 8.5
  • Value 8
The Good
Good print and copy speeds
Very dark text output
Excellent photo print quality
The Bad
Fingerprint-prone due to glossy exterior
Slow duplex print speeds
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