If you think of the Canon imageClass MF4450 ($249 direct) mono laser MFP as a personal version of the Editors’ Choice Canon imageClass MF4570dn ($299 direct, 4 stars), you won’t be far off. There are some important differences, most notably the lack of network support and a duplexer (for two-sided printing). However, it otherwise offers similar capabilities at a lower price, while its ability to connect only by USB makes it a definitively personal printer.
Like the MF4570dn, the MF4450 can print, scan, and fax directly from a PC and work as a standalone copier and fax machine. It also offers a 35-page ADF to complement its flatbed for scanning and easily handle multipage documents and legal-size pages. As long as you don’t need to duplex—a duplexer isn’t even offered as an option—paper handling for printing is more than enough for most personal needs, with a 250-sheet main tray and a one-sheet manual feed.
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The MF4450 is a little bigger than you would probably want sitting on your desk, at 14.6 by 15.4 by 16.6 inches (HWD), but it’s small enough so you shouldn’t have trouble finding room for it nearby, even in a home office.
Setup on the Windows Vista system I tested with was standard fare. Canon rates the printer at 24 pages per minute (ppm), which is 2 ppm slower than the rating for the MF4570. The results on our tests, however, were essentially the same for both printers.
Canon imageClass MF4450 Specifications
- Printer Category
- Laser
- Type
- All-In-One
- Canon imageClass MF4450 Color or Monochrome
- Monochrome
- Technology (for laser category only)
- Laser
- Canon imageClass MF4450 Maximum Standard Paper Size
- Legal
- Direct Printing from Cameras
- No
- Canon imageClass MF4450 Rated speed at Default Resolution (Mono)
- 24 ppm
- Canon imageClass MF4450 Standalone Copier and Fax
- Copier, Fax
- Canon imageClass MF4450Print Duplexing
- No
Canon imageClass MF4450 Output Quality and Other Issues
The output quality doesn’t earn the same high marks as the print speed, but it’s easily good enough for most business needs. Text quality is a touch below par for a mono laser, which means you wouldn’t want to use it for high-quality desktop publishing or if you have an unusual need for small fonts. For anything short of that, however, you should find it more than acceptable.
Graphics quality is at the high end of a tight range where most mono laser MFPs fall, making it suitable for any internal business need. Photo output is a touch below par, but still suitable for printing Web pages with recognizable photos. Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are, you may or may not consider the photos good enough for client newsletters or the like.
Ultimately, the MF4450 is an attractive choice as a personal MFP. Both the MF4750dn and D550 offer better value—with the MF4750dn adding network support and a duplexer and the D550 adding both a print duplexer and a duplexing ADF for scanning—for just $50 more. But if you don’t need these additional features, there’s no reason why you should pay for them. And if that’s the case, choosing the MF4450 will give you what you need while leaving a little more money in your wallet.
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