A good multi function machine can be the answer for those of us with limited space. Printing, scanning, copying and even faxing are all possible with the Canon SmartBase MP390.
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If room is the first criteria then size or lack of it is a prime consideration. The MP390 is 44x30x21cm when closed. The paper is stored face forward at the rear of the unit and having this store open adds around 10cm to the depth, add another 12cm if you have the front catcher open but this is not required as the first sheet out will open the nicely balanced mechanism as it comes to it.
The black and silver design looks smart to me. There is a door that hides two memory card slots that accept Memory Stick, SD, Smart Media, MMC, Compact Flash and MicroDrive. The only exception to the major card types is XD as used by Fuji and Olympus and I have seen adaptors advertised for these to work in a couple of the accepted formats.
Print speeds never seem to match the claims, so no surprise that the best I got was 8PPM for the ubiquitous 200 word document in draft mode, the output was quite reasonable and a lot better than a lot of draft mode offerings. The unit can print up to A4 borderless and four A5 offerings on a single A4 sheet of photo paper took just over 4 minutes borderless, the output was fine when using the supplied Easy Photo-Print software. Other software supplied includes OmniPage SE for scanning, ArcSoft Photo Studio for indexing and retouching images as well as some Web software.
Copying can be done through Windows but also by using the 24 keys on the front panel and for this the PC is not required, some reduction and enlargement are possible as well as selecting colour or greyscale.
The scanner can also be used for direct faxing using the built in fax or by scanning into Windows. It is a 1200x4800DPI unit featuring the Z-Lid that allows perfect copies when coping bulkier items.
If you have a PictBridge capable camera then you can print directly from the camera again bypassing Windows or the PC as there is a USB socket located on the front near the memory card slot.
In use the unit did everything I asked, I have seen some better image clarity but normally only in dedicated high end printers. Approximate cartridge prices, black around £5 while the tri colour cartridge is around £10. Black would work out at around 4p per page and colour around 6.5p but this is the notional image print that means nothing much unless your images are all like demo pages. www.dabs.com have it for £187 and should you do a little of everything it will not let you down.
Link : http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Multifunctionals/Multifunctionals/SmartBase_MP390/
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