Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I also had a difficult time finding one of these units to actually see and touch and reviews on this machine are few and far between. I finally found one at Fry's electronics in Fountain Valley. We have been using an HP officejet 6110 and it finally stopped recognizing print cartridges so I decided to look for a new machine. I was not happy with the cost of replacement cartridges for the hp and it goes through them fairly quickly. The Canon uses induvidual ink cartridges and reviews of similar Canon's show one of the lowest printing costs available in an inkjet. I have read the reviews for the mp500 and the mp830. Most people seem to be happy with these machines. I was about to purchase an mp500 when I saw the mp530 on the Canon website. I preferred the 530 because of the fax capability. I believe the 530 uses the same print technology as the 500, and the copy/scanning mechanism is also the same. I use an mp500 at work and the print quality is very good and the scan quality I would rate as good so I ordered the 530. I have been very happy with the quality of the print. As good as the hp6110 or better. The copy quality is good but the colors tend to be a little washed out which is similar to the mp500. I am sure an adjustment in the printer settings would help with the colors. Quality is a little less than that of the hp but it uses a different scanning mechanism and the quality is acceptable for our uses. I have yet to use the fax function so I am not able to comment on that feature. I am also very pleased with the looks of the machine. All of the doors and covers close giving the 530 a very sleek look unlike the HP. The output door opens automatically when printing or copying. The print speed is also faster than the 6110. So far I have not had any compatability issues with the Canon. I have this printer connected to an imac G5 and it works very well. Overall I have given a rating of 4 stars. I think it is an excellent value for the price. After my experience with the hp6110 I don't think I will go back to hp. From what I have read Canon's products are generally reliable and that will hopefully be the case with this machine as well. Hope this review helps.