Canon imageClass MF4570dw

We don't usually review printers like the Canon imageClass MF4570dw ($299 direct) that are virtually identical to one we've already reviewed except for the addition of WiFi. We made an exception in this case primarily because the Canon imageClass MF4570dn ($299 direct originally, 4 stars) is an Editors' Choice, and we wanted to see if the MF4570dw, would be one as well. It isn't, but it comes close, and is certainly worth considering if you need a mono laser MFP for a small or home office.

First, to avoid confusion about prices, note that the dw model is the same price that the dn model was when Canon first announced it. Since then, Canon's dropped the price on the MF4570dn to $249, making it an even better value. And one way to think about the dw is that it's the same printer with WiFi added for $50 extra. However, there are some other interesting differences.

Canon is moving towards shipping all of its laser printers that include duplexing (two-sided printing) with their drivers set to duplex by default. This new approach started with the current crop of newly announced models, including the MF4570dw. Given that few people change settings for their drivers?which is why we run most of our tests using printer defaults?it's a good bet that most people will print with the default duplex setting. The best argument for this change to duplexing is that it helps make printing a little more eco-friendly, since it uses less paper. However, it also slows down print speed, and it creates at least one problem.

When you set a printer for duplex, you also have to tell it whether to want the two sides printed so you can read the document by flipping the page on its long side, like a book, or short side, like a steno pad. The default setting on the Canon driver assumes you want to flip the pages along the long side, which is fine for pages you want to print in portrait mode, but the wrong way for my tastes for pages printed in landscape mode.

I'd argue that if you are going to make duplex printing the default, you should also add separate settings for portrait and landscape modes for the direction to flip the page, and ask the user to choose the default flip settings during setup. Otherwise, odds are you'll forget to change the setting before printing with some regularity, have to reprint the document, and wind defeating the ecological benefit of having the duplex setting in the first place. So count the default duplexing as proving that Canon has good intentions, but didn't think through this particular change very well.

Basics and Setup
The MF4570dw shares the dn model's size, making it a little big to share a desk with, but reasonably compact, at 14.6 by 15.4 by 16.6 inches (HWD), and easy to find room for in the typical micro office or busy home office it's aimed at. Like the MF4570dn or the directly competitive Brother MFC-7860DW ($300 street, 3.5 stars), it can print, scan, and fax, even over a network, and work as a standalone copier and fax machine.

It also offers a 35-page automatic document feeder (ADF) for scanning multipage documents as well as legal-size pages, which are too big for the flatbed. And with a 250-sheet input tray and 1-sheet manual feed, as well as the duplexer, it offers an appropriate level of paper handling for most micro or home offices. If you need more, however, you'll have to go elsewhere, since there are no options for additional trays.

Setup is standard fare. For my tests I connected the MF4570dw to a wired network and installed the driver on a Windows Vista system.

Speed and Output Quality
Because of the default setting to duplex printing, the MF4570dw is a bit slower than the MF4570dn on our tests, but Canon rates the printer at the same 26 pages per minute (ppm) for simplex (one sided) printing, and 16 ppm for duplex.

On our business applications suite, (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), the printer managed an effective 9.8 ppm in its default duplex mode. Although that's slower than the MF4570dn, at 12.3 ppm, it's still reasonably fast. In fact, the printer essentially tied the MFC-7860DW, for example, at 9.7 ppm as well as the more expensive Editors' Choice Brother MFC-8480DN ($400 street, 4 stars) at 10.6 ppm. (Differences of 1 ppm or so on our tests aren't significant for lasers.) In addition, I ran the MF4570dw through the tests in simplex mode, and timed it at the same speed as the dn model.

Not surprisingly, the MF4570dw offers essentially identical output quality to the MF4570dn. Text is a touch below par for a mono laser, which is still good enough so you shouldn't have any complaints unless you need a printer for serious desktop publishing or have an unusual need for small fonts. Graphics and photo output are both par for a mono laser MFP. For graphics, that means it's easily good enough for any internal business need. For photos, it's suitable for printing Web pages with recognizable photos or printing photos in client newsletters and the like.

Much like the MF4570dn, the Canon imageClass MF4570dw offers all the features you need for a small or home office, reasonably good speed and output quality, and sufficient paper handling. And if you don't want to print in duplex, you can always change the default setting to simplex. If you don't need WiFi, the MF4570dn is obviously the better choice. If you do need it, you'll want to take a close look at the Brother MFC-8480DN as well, but the Canon imageClass MF4570dw is a more than reasonable choice and a potentially good fit for any micro or home office.

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