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Canon has started quoting both normal and draft mode print speeds, which is a move towards transparency and one which other printer makers should copy. It quotes 14ppm for black pages and 9ppm for colour. Our five-page text test took 54 seconds to complete, though when the machine had to wake up from sleep mode, there was an extra 40 seconds worth of print cartridge rattling before it started.

The 54 second result translates to a real-world speed of 5.6ppm, less than half the quoted speed. The five page colour test took 1min 59secs, or a speed of 2.52ppm, less than a third of Canon's claim. While we realise all manufacturers are in a cycle of hype on print speeds and Canon is no worse than others, you really need to treat all quoted print speeds with a sack of salt.

We've come to expect good print quality from Canon printers and the MP210, even though an entry-level device, doesn't disappoint. Black text is sharp with no signs of ink spatter or spread. Graphic colours are also dense with little sign of stipple patterns and good registration of black text over colour. Copy quality is impressive with colours closer to the originals than we often see.

The photo test print was well reproduced with very smooth colour gradations but some loss of shadow detail. Although the PIXMA MP210 uses only a four-colour print engine, it's more than good enough for general photo printing in the home.

Canon's printer driver started to report low ink after 220 ISO pages and black and colour inks were out by the time 250 pages were printed. We test in a continuous print run, which is likely to give slightly better yield figures, so we're happy to go with Canon's figures in calculating page costs. Using the higher capacity PG-40 and CL-41 cartridges, you should pay 2.89p per black page and 6.09p per colour one. The black figure is on the high side, but not top of the tree, while the colour figure is lower than many of its competitors.

Verdict

It's easy to forget the PIXMA MP210 costs less than £50. It's well-made and produces fine text, graphics and photo documents at reasonable cost. While it's not as easy to use as an all-in-one with an LCD display and has no memory card slots for direct photo printing, these things may not be important to you. If not, you could do a lot worse than this well-designed machine.

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