¡Printing!. The Canon imageClass MF451dw prints using laser technology, which picks up powdered 'toner' on a roller and fuses it to the paper with heat. It prints black-and-white text with excellent quality. Text printing was very quick, 5 pages took 15 seconds, costing 4.2 cents per page. It prints mono graphics with some obvious defects, but OK for casual use, costing 10.9 cents per page. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page. Individual cartridges for each color let you change only the ones that are empty. The capacity of the main paper tray is 250 sheets, a generous amount. There's a second input tray that can hold another 100 sheets. ¶¡Scanning and Copying!. Scanning performance was very good, fine for general-purpose scanning. It has an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for easily scanning/copying a stack of pages. The ADF can duplex—it's a DADF—which can scan/copy both sides of each page. ¶¡Controls and Display!. The printer has a color display screen, 4.9-inch diagonal size, touch-input capability, and can be tilted. ¶¡Connectivity and Networking!. The printer can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, and can wirelessly connect via Ethernet, WiFi, Apple Airprint. We found it relatively easy to setup the WiFi connection on this printer. Apple AirPrint is built in, to print wirelessly from Apple devices via your local network. ¶¡Cost of Ownership and Toner!. When this page was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $300, high for a all-in-one black and white laser printer. Printing uses up toner and the costs add up over time. This printer uses one (1) cartridge. When the ink runs low, you replace the empty cartridge. The toner we used in testing was the Canon 057 cartridge—at the time, the price was $136. We estimate each cartridge of toner to last at least 8 years—a very long time—following a typical monthly printing amount of 33 text pages. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate your total equivalent cost to be $333—high for a monochrome laser. The estimated yearly cost is $16, which is typical for a monochrome laser type of printer. The theoretical total cost after 5 years is $382. ¶¡Note!. The printer takes up a lot of space and might be more suitable for an office than a small desktop. ¶¡Printer Firmware! Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing. ¶¡Software! The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual and scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a PC and the Windows operating system, using the latest version of printer software (driver) and printer support apps available at the time of testing. ¶¡About the toner, software and firmware! Our test results are valid only for the Canon-brand toner, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the Canon printer-update app on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Canon's website for further guidance.
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