Canon imageClass MF455dw Review

The Canon imageClass MF455dw is a high-speed, four-in-one printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine that belongs to Canon’s MF450 line of multifunction printers. All four AIO features are available, much like the MF452dw, which it replaces as our top option for a heavy-duty laser AIO for a small to medium-sized office or workgroup. In comparison to the MF452dw, which is just capable of copying and scanning, the MF453dw is able to scan in duplex for faxing. Its increased price tag of $369 is more than justified by the fact that it not only improves upon the capabilities of its cheaper brothers but also doubles the length of the guarantee from one to three years.

Canon imageClass MF455dw Specification

Setting Up

While its 35.8-pound weight may require assistance during removal and relocation, setting up the MF455dw is a breeze otherwise. 

1. The printer is too large to fit on most people’s personal workstations but is still manageable in size at 17.8 by 18.3 by 15.4 inches (HWD).
2. Once everything is in its proper location, physical setup entails little more than loading paper and connecting connections (in lieu of Wi-Fi, of course).
3. There is no setup required for the initial use of the printer, as the toner cartridge is already installed.
4. In my testing, the installation tool on the driver and software disc asked which connection to use and which drivers to install before proceeding without a hitch.
5. Canon’s proprietary driver is the default option, however PCL6 and PostScript drivers are available if necessary for your workplace.
6. USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi are all viable options for the network interface. This model’s mobile printing capabilities extend to the capability of calling up a QR code on the 5-inch touch-screen control panel for quick and simple Wi-Fi Direct setup.
7. After setting up the connection, I was able to use the Canon app on my phone to print and scan documents. The printer’s touchscreen also allows you to print from or scan to a USB key.

Performance

To conduct our performance testing, I used an Ethernet connection to hook up both the MF455dw and our regular testbed to a network. The MF455dw printed our 12-page Microsoft Word text file at the same rate as the MF453dw, which is also rated at 40 ppm. The two of them averaged 38.8 ppm (17 s, excluding the first page)—just a hair under the required speed. The Canon MF452dw, by contrast, managed 34 pages per minute (ppm) in 19 seconds, which is on par with its rated speed. The Pantum BM5100ADN, which has a slightly higher speed rating than the MF453dw, finished our tests at 44 ppm (15 seconds), making the gap between the fastest and slowest machines in this category only 4 seconds. When the time it takes to print the first page is included back in, the final order of finish shifts, but the gap between the quickest and slowest is reduced to only 2 seconds. The FPO time for all three Canon printers was 7 seconds, but it took the Pantum model 10 seconds.

The MF455dw and MF453dw print at 30 ppm (24 seconds) for the complete file, whereas the BM5100ADN prints at 28.8 ppm (25 seconds) and the MF452dw prints at 27.8 ppm (26 seconds). It would be hard to tell the difference between the two in practical use. The Canon printers’ faster first page out (FPO) speeds made them superior to the Pantum printer for our business applications suite, which consists of multiple files of four pages or fewer and also adds graphics and color to most. Within the margin of testing error, the three of them were virtually indistinguishable from one another. Timed in at 1 minute, 9 seconds (21.7 ppm), the MF455dw The time for the other two was 1:12 (20.8 ppm). First in 1:23 (18.1 ppm) was the BM5100ADN. The MF455dw took an average of 6 seconds to print a 4 by 6 inch photo on our photo lab’s equipment.

Excellence and swiftness

For this printer, speed is not a concern. It has a maximum page-per-minute capacity of 40. In all honesty, by the time I get it to the printer, my pages have already been printed. It’s not even low-priced laser printing. My old Brother HL-L2350DW laser printer was functional, but the print quality was horrible. Low dpi caused a slight blurring of the brother’s writing. In this regard, the Canon ImageClass shines; its 600 x 600 dpi resolution guarantees sharp text and high-quality prints and copies. My wife printed out many copies of her resume on nicer paper, and it paid off: she got the job at her most recent interview, and she received numerous comments on her résumé. In addition, I seldom have to reload paper. There’s enough for 250 pages in the tray, plus another 100 in the handy secondary tray. The printer may be expanded to accommodate a larger project or more urgent business requirement. A second tray may be purchased independently to increase paper capacity to 550 pages. Please keep in mind that this is a monochrome printer. Personally, I have little use for color printing, but I can see how this may be an issue for other firms. Look for ImageClass models like this one that have “Cdw” in the model number if you need color support.

Simplicity of Operation

Setting up the printer for extra workloads is standard procedure. In most cases, setting up a printer is a breeze. It didn’t take long to figure out how to scan the file to a computer, but sending the file to an email address was more of a challenge. Canon might do better by providing more guidance during setup for such tasks. The on-screen documentation is too technical for the ordinary user. What does “PC load letter” signify (those in the know, please fill us in)? I didn’t see that mistake, but that’s how I felt while I was attempting to find out how to scan papers and send them to my inbox. This printer’s standard features—printing, scanning, copying, and faxing (yep, faxing is still a thing)—make it easy to set up and operate. In the age of advanced technology, I hope that businesses will adopt a more user-friendly approach to initial setup. Amazon and Apple are good examples of companies that focus on the customer experience.

The ability to swap out the printer’s toner is easily its coolest feature. Canon’s built-in toner detection feature means I’ll never run out again. My printer can practically tell when the toner is low and reorder it for me. What a simple solution! The page yield of a replacement cartridge can range from around 3,100 pages to almost 10,000 pages with the high capacity setting. While the cost of toner may appear high at first glance, most consumers are unaware that the average page yield of a basic inkjet printer is 200–600 pages. Toner is more efficient and economical since it can print more than three times as many pages. Those looking for more ink retail outlets might omit this step if they so choose. This function is restricted to Canon-brand printer cartridges.

Summary

The Canon ImageClass MF455dw is a massive machine that gets the job done quickly and efficiently. This laser printer can quickly and easily print, copy, and scan. Scan to email, for example, requires some time and effort to set up. The printer has a 3-year limited guarantee, and I’ll never have to worry about running out of toner again thanks to the toner replacement option. It’s more than adequate for use as a small company office at home.