CNET posted a review of the Canon PIXMA MP500 the other day, and even though technically this printer isn’t brand new, the review is still worth reading. The PIXMA MP500 is a pretty affordable machine, as you can purchase it for around $200 and can likely find some rebates to bring the cost down even more. It is a photo all-in-one machine which uses a five-color ink system which is a mix of four dye-based inks and one pigment-based ink. It prints at up to 9600×2400 dpi and can produce a 4×6 photo in about one minute - both pretty standard statistics for Canon models these days.

The CNET review gives the MP500 a 7.2 rating (out of 10), which is not too spectacular, but also is not as bad as it sounds. They never give out anything above a 9 and currently the highest ranked printer that they have has an 8.3 rating. According to their review, the MP500 has excellent photo and text printing, but mediocre scanning results. This is a predictable complaint, since affordable all-in-one machines are likely to skimp on features that don’t involve printing. They know that people will not accept sub par printing results, but they will likely shrug it off if their color scans don’t turn out perfect. Tested against comparable machines, the MP500 held up very well on text speed and pretty well on photo speed, so it is a well-balanced machine.

Based on user feedback (where it scored an 8.8) most people feel this is a solid machine. If you don’t care that the scanning and copying features might be a little lacking, then this would be a good machine for you. Most people spending under $200 for an all-in-one machine are not going to have high expectations for how well their scans turn out, and in reality they shouldn’t. If you are truly concerned about the quality of your scans, then you can either buy a standalone scanner or else look for a more advanced machine.

Canon Pixma MP500 CNET editors’ review [CNET]

Buy this printer Buy Canon PIXMA MP500 cartridges