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Canon PIXMA MX850 All-In-One: Probably a Great Printer, Horrible Scanner

Based on my previous all-in-one experience with the HP C7280, when I brought the Canon PIXMA MX850 home, the first thing I did after I installed it was to try out a scan. I didn't print, I didn't copy, I just scanned.

Freaking garbage.

Not as bad as the HP C7280, mind you, but still pretty bad. I tried a book cover and two different CD covers. All of them came out with horrible Moire patterns and pixel artifacts.

I never printed a single page (other than the printer head calibration). It's already in the box to be taken back.

I've learned something, but I'm not sure what.

  • Should I not trust all-in-one units because their scan capabilities will be mediocre at best compared to a dedicated scanner?
  • Should I not trust units with CIS scanners (as both the HP and Canon had) and look for something with a CCD scanner?
  • Should I not trust units that can attach over the network and/or USB? (Though the connection didn't matter when I tried it out both ways, so I doubt it's this one.)

Anyway, back to square one.

Print | posted @ Wednesday, April 23, 2008 7:53 PM

Comments on this entry:

Gravatar # re: Canon PIXMA MX850 All-In-One: Probably a Great Printer, Horrible Scanner
by Scott Hanselman at 5/8/2008 11:48 AM
That's surprising. I have the M550 and I love it. Did you check "descreen"? Magazines and 4color printing needed that checked or you'll get what you're describing.
  
Gravatar # re: Canon PIXMA MX850 All-In-One: Probably a Great Printer, Horrible Scanner
by Travis Illig at 5/12/2008 9:00 AM
Yup. Ugh. I can't tell you how long I spent checking and unchecking options, following the troubleshooting tips and trying different options. Ended up going for a separate printer and scanner rather than all-in-one.
  
Gravatar # re: Canon PIXMA MX850 All-In-One: Probably a Great Printer, Horrible Scanner
by Michael Turri at 1/12/2009 12:31 AM
I was initially plagued by the same problem with this printer: Trying to scan any sort of commercially printed piece was a nightmare. The only way to correct the scans was fiddling around with photoshop. THEN, I realized that I was trying to scan these pieces using the photo setting instead of adjusting the document settings.

To eliminate moire patterns and pixel artifacts, open MP Navigator EX and click on "preferences" at the top right corner.

Next, hit the "Scanner Button Settings" at the top of the pop-up "Preferences" window.

Now use the pull-down "Document Type" menu to select "Document (platen glass)" and "TIFF" under the "Save as type" menu. Make sure the resolution is set to 300 dpi and click "specify."

On the next pop-up window (Scan Settings), tick the boxes for "descreen" and "unsharp mask." Now click OK, the OK again and you're ready to roll.

This I achieved stellar results with these adjustments. I hope this helps whoever reads this.

If you HAVE to reduce moire manually, try this article detailing a pretty good method using Photoshop.

http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/photoshop/ht/apsremovemoire.htm
  
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