Whether it’s for a small business run out of your spare bedroom or a seven-figure business based in a New York City high-rise, nearly every operation needs an all-in-one printer that can reliably print, copy, capture, and transfer documents and information reliably, day in and day out. While there are half a dozen or so companies making these kind of AIOs for home and small business, the unit I’m taking a look at Canon’s imageCLASS MF267dw, a black and white laser printer that also has all of the necessary copying, scanning, and faxing functionality required by any business. Over the past four weeks, I’ve put the unit to the test, checking to see if its spec sheets line up with real-world performance. Below are my thoughts on the MF267dw after more than 25 hours of testing the hardware and software from Canon.
Design: Form above all
I won’t sugarcoat it. This all-in-one printer is a monster. Sure, it’s not the full-blown device you might see in your typical office environment, but unless you have a massive desk, you’re going to want to find a dedicated shelf or closet for this thing. It measures 14.8-inches tall, 15.4-inches wide and 16-inches deep. The unit is entirely black with a small section on the top of the printer covered in a semi-glossy design that looks like a faux carbon-fiber from afar, but close-up is simply a textured diamond pattern. Figuring out where exactly all of the functionality lies within the printer is a bit of a challenge, as there aren’t many labels to guide you. As a quick overview, the top half of the unit is reserved for the copying, faxing, and scanning functionality while the bottom half is reserved for the printing operation. In fact, if you look through where the printer feeds out the paper after a print, you can look right through the device. This, along with a number of strategically-placed access points, proved extremely beneficial in diagnosing and troubleshooting jams and other issues that arose through my torture test. The faceplate, which houses the black-and-white LCD display and buttons used for input and navigation, tilts roughly 75-degrees. This range proved more than enough to easily see and interact with the print, regardless of whether it was just barely off the floor on a rack or higher up on a shelf in the office. The built-in backlight also makes it easy to see the menu, even if the ambient lighting wasn’t ideal.
Setup Process: Simple, but sophisticated
Setting up the MF267dw can be as simple or complicated as your use-case calls for. If all you need is basic print/copy/scan functionality, setting it up is as quick as plugging it in and connecting to your computer over USB or connect it wirelessly after linking the printer to your local Wi-Fi network. To make use of the automatic scan-to-email functionality or fax capabilities, it requires a deeper dive into the settings to connect the printer to the email server of your choosing or connecting the printer to a phone line using the built-in connection on the left-hand side of the unit. Although most functionality of the printer is mostly plug-and-play on both macOS and Windows computers, downloading Canon’s drivers and scanning software can make the process of interacting with the printer much easier, as you won’t have to navigate the on-device menu and instead can control the copying and scanning functions directly from your computer. I also appreciated Canon’s placement of the paper trays. With a little flip of the tray on the bottom half of the unit, you can access the main paper tray, as well as the multipurpose tray, which is meant to more precise printing needs and holds just one sheet at a time. Some other printers of this nature require loading paper from the back of the unit or require you to lift other sections, which sometimes means you have to pull out the unit if it’s housed under a shelf or cabinet. The MF267dw makes it as simple as flipping down its front tray and loading the appropriate media. My only complaint on this front is that the multipurpose tray can be hard to find if the printer is placed on a lower shelf or surface, but my use-case didn’t require the more precise feeding method, so it wasn’t that big of a buzzkill.
Performance/Connectivity: Fast and reliable
With apologies to the trees whose wood pulp I had to sacrifice (and subsequently recycle) for this review, I’m over 500 pages deep into prints, sometimes up to 60 at a time to test the limits of the printer, and so far this thing just keeps going. Canon claims it can achieve speeds up to 30 pages per minute (PPM). My testing thus far proved that to be exactly the case, with it varying slightly depending on whether I was printing a graphics-heavy document or a simple text document. Even after all of these prints, I haven’t had a single instance of a jam and so far the print quality has been consistent from beginning to end. As mentioned above, setting up the MF267dw to be used wirelessly was fairly straightforward, and once connected Wi-Fi, it proved simple to print from my desktop, laptop, and mobile devices (both Android and iOS, using Google Cloud Print and AirPrint, respectively). Since setting up the printer nearly a month ago, I haven’t had to reconnect the printer once, even after we had a power outage due to inclement weather in the area. Copying and scanning also proved to be quite intuitive and beneficial. When loading documents into the top feeder for automated copying or scanning, the printer will beep to notify you the documents are far enough in the tray. When a copying or scanning option is selected, it will automatically feed the documents through and output them as you’ve directed. A neat feature I’ve noticed is that the printer will automatically know whether it’s a single document or a stack of them and automatically conclude the scan when there is no longer source material. While it seems trivial, some all-in-ones require you to click “Continue” between pages, which can be a pain, especially if it’s a large stack of papers that need to be scanned together as a single document.
Software: Not needed, but helpful
The printer can be used almost entirely without installing Canon’s dedicated scanning software (Canon MF Scan Utility), so the software side of it isn’t necessary. However, if you plan to trigger and control copying and scanning functions directly from your computer, you will want to install the software. The program itself is fairly straightforward and more or less emulates the menu and settings found directly on the printer, albeit in a slightly easier-to-access interface. It can even send scans directly to Canon’s more robust scan-editing software, ScanGear, where you can tweak the scans to better edit how the scans look.
Price: Right where it should be
Canon’s MSRP for the Mw267dw is $249.95. However, across nearly every online retailer, it hovers around $190. If you’re in search of an all-in-one for business needs, it’s difficult to not recommend the unit at this price point. Aside from any internal component issues that may arise, the toner is about the only recurring cost, so it’s mostly buy it, set it, and forget it. The included toner cartridge is rated for 1,700 pages and Canon’s high-capacity toner cartridge is rated for 4,100. There are also cheaper third-party toner cartridges available as well, which further lower the cost-per-page. As we’ll address in the competition section below, Brother has similar printers in this price range with similar functionality, but Canon’s offering is compelling, even at its MSRP.
Canon Mw267dw vs. Brother MFCL2720DW
There are plenty of home/small office all-in-one machines available, but one of the most parallel models on the market is the Brother MFCL2720DW (see on Staples). The printer comes in at $230 on most retailers, about the same price as the Canon Mw267DW which features nearly identical specifications. The Brother MFCL2720DW laser all-in-one can print up to 30 pages per minute, offers both wired and wireless connectivity options, uses a 2.7-inch color touchscreen for navigating the menu, and offers a 250-sheet paper tray. In addition to scanning and copying, the MFCL2720DW can also be set up for faxing and features built-in duplexing for double-sided printing. Both Brother and Canon have experience with both professional and consumer all-in-one printers, so there’s no wrong choice between these two. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference because the specs alone probably won’t swing you towards one or the other. The Canon imageCLASS MF267dw is a robust, reliable AIO printer that can handle nearly anything you throw its way. From basic printing and faxing needs to complicated presets for sending specific scans to various people or businesses, it gets the job done quick without breaking the bank. Sure, the device is a monster, but it’s nothing a sturdy shelf in the corner of your office can’t hold.
