Canon Office and Business MB2720 Wireless All-in-one Printer, Scanner, Copier and Fax with Mobile and Duplex Printing – Best for Office and Small Businesses
Previously, most people were used to opt for laser printers to use for their business related tasks. However, a few years ago, the MAXIFY lineup from Canon completely changed the idea of business-centric printers by introducing multifunction machines with inkjet technology that are particularly meant for home-office and small-office use.
The MB2720 Wireless All-In-One Printer belongs to MAXIFY family of five printers. It differs from other MAXIFY printers, mainly for its counterparts. The AIO machine comes with business-lite features such as printing, scanning, copying and faxing as well as offers mobile printing and auto duplex printing. These features make Canon MB2720 the Best Canon Printer for Small Office.
The MB2720 ranges in the price list between $90 and $110, and somehow worth the price for its excellent multi-functionality. It comes with 2 paper drawers, and can handle 20,000 pages as maximum duty cycle per month. The AIO peels back a little when you assess its high cost per page, which can sound realistic only for an entry-level multifunction machine available for $200, especially if you want to use it for printing a few hundred pages every month.
Let’s review the MB2720.
Design
The Canon MB2720 all-in-one wireless printer has an archetypal business inkjet machine type appearance. It looks almost same as its predecessor MB2320 model. It is 12.6-inches high, 18.1-inches from front to back, and 18.3-inches from side to side. It weighs as 26pounds which is 9/10 of a pound lighter than the previous model. It has a USB drive on the left side of the chassis, just alongside the output tray.
The MB2720 features a 50-sheet Automatic Document Feeder to let you feed multipage documents to the scanner, which however, doesn’t support auto duplexing. In addition to the aforementioned features, this versatile machine allows you to perform walkup or PC-free tasks through a 3-inch color touchscreen display, which is accompanied by a control interface with numerous buttons and status LED. These buttons are used to navigate through various functions, and also accommodate basic power, stop, home, back settings. The control panel also has a couple of start buttons used for scanning and copying with both color and black modes.
Setup
This MAXIFY unit is light enough to take out of the packaging without having to exert a lot. Generally, the machine offers a quick and easy setup which becomes much easier with provided user guide. Aside from that, its control panel displays a “getting started” manual and some useful tips for your convenience during the installation process. Once the initial setup is complete, use any of the provided options like Ethernet, Wi-Fi and USB to connect the printer to a network, computer, laptop or a mobile device.
The AIO comes with a host of software suits such as Windows, MacOS: Master Setup, Network Tool, Scan Utility, Speed Dial Utility and PosterArtist Lite21 (for Windows only) so you can get started with your printer without a further ado.
Performance
This unit has a superb print and copy quality, though its 50-sheet Automatic Document Feeder doesn’t support auto duplexing function. So, if you want to copy or scan a 2-sided original, you would have to turn them over manually to scan or copy the other side.
The printer causes no jams or hiccups when printing from different mobile devices, and all of its relevant functions such as ADF and print path work excellently. Compared to other printer in MAXIFY lineup, this unit has high cost per page.
The MB2720 is bit faster than its sibling MAXIFY models. It prints a text document at the rate of 20.6 pages per minute which is a fast enough speed for a MAXIFY low-volume printer. However, it drops the speed to 8.2 pages per minute when printing documents with heavier text with embedded graphs, and photos. The machine also prints 4×6-inch photos at a good speed rate of 41 seconds. The best part is that the MB2720 delivers excellent quality of text, photos and other documents which is undoubtedly the strongest suit of this office-centric AIO. As far as its scan and copy output concerns, this MAXIFY unit produces good quality scan and copies with crisp and clear text, necessary detailing and accurate colors.
Connectivity options
Depending on your particular requirement, the MAXIFY MB2720 has several options for connecting it to a compatible device and start printing. For instance, it supports Ethernet if you want to use and share it with other users on a wired network. You can also connect the AIO to a single computer via a USB port and USB cable. Furthermore, it comes with a built-in Wi-Fi, allowing you to connect the device with mobile devices, laptops and tablets.
Paper Handling
The MB2720 AIO includes two input trays with 250 sheets capacity each. Both the input trays serve as an additional benefit for those users who often need to switch between 2 different types of papers for different printing requirements. In the view of its cost per page, however, these trays cannot be leveraged in a cost-effective manner.
Furthermore, this AIO has no multipurpose drawer or expansion choices. It releases printed pages on an output tray which has the capacity to accommodate 150 sheets at a time. Location wise, this output tray is extended from the chassis, directly above the both input trays.
Supported Media Types & Sizes
It supports diverse media sizes including letter, legal, executive, #10 envelopes, 4″x6″, 5″x7″ and 8″ x 10″. Furthermore, it accepts media types such as plain paper, photo paper, glossy, photo paper plus glossy II, plus semi-gloss, pro luster, glossy, matte, high resolution paper, label paper, business card, and #10 envelopes.
Compatible Operating Systems
The Canon MB2720 Wireless Printer has excellent compatibility with numerous operating systems in order to ensure maximum accessibility and convenience of use. It supports operating systems including Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows 8 & 8.1, Microsoft Windows Vista SP1, Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Windows 7 SP1, Microsoft Windows RT, Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2, Microsoft Windows Server 2012, Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile, Android, iOS, Apple Mac OS X 10.8.5 and 10.11.
Main Features
The MAXIFY MB2720 contains a number of smart features of modern age to help you get the most out of this All-In-One machine.
- DRHD Ink System
This MAXIFY unit uses Dual-Resistant High Density or DRHD Ink that is meant to ensure laser sharp crispy text and vivid colors. With this dual ink system, you get the printout that not only are highlighter but also amazingly smudge resistant.
- Power Schedule
Like its MAXIFY siblings, the MB2720 is capable of automatically switch on and off at your convenience. This allows you to pre-set the time when you are more likely to use the AIO for any of your printing or scanning needs. With Power Schedule, you get the maximum usage, convenience, conserve energy and save on money.
- Management Information Base
Also known as MIB, this feature comes as a standard support for MAXIFY users, helping them efficiently manage all their AIO functionality. Also, this allows you to effortlessly monitor ink and paper levels besides dealing with printer notifications remotely.
- Setting Restrictions
It is possible to protect your printer against unwanted use by using the Setting Restrictions of this AIO. It enables you to set a password on your device and network settings so you can monitor its usage and prevent it from being misused.
- Mobile Convenience
The MB2720 supports mobile connectivity to almost all iOS and Android devices locally and over the web. Though the MB2720 lacks Wi-Fi Direct and NFC protocols, it has enough alternate ways for mobile printing that are quite manageable for everyone. It makes it possible to perform printing job by using free MAXIFY Printing Solutions (MPS) app from your android and iOS devices as well as Apple iPhones, iPads, and iPod. Also, you can print content direct from your email and scan or print to various Cloud sites and USB drives.
- Cloud Convenience
The MB2720 offers superior cloud convenience for printing almost any content from email or different sites over the internet. Its touchscreen LCD allows you to handle most of the cloud functionality via numerous options, for instance, “cloud option” will connect you to one of the different cloud websites such as Google Cloud Print, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Photobucket and Google drive.
- Automatic Duplex Printing
Turning the page to print other side every time can be time consuming when printing multiple documents. Also, it increases your overall paper consumption. With MB2720’s built-in duplex printing, you not only print on both sides of the page without flipping it over by hand but also reduce your printing and paper cost.
Pros & Cons at a Glance
This unit has an overall adequate productivity and convenience for assisting in your workplace, though it carries a few shortcomings too.
Why to Buy Canon MB2720 All-in-one Printer
Pros
- The MB2720 is capable of offering excellent quality printing, scanning and copying capabilities from a single unit.
- It uses up to 600 x 1200 dots per inch (DPI) printing resolution for both color and monochrome printing.
- It prints text, graphics and photos at the fastest speed among the MAXIFY inkjet printers.
- The machine allows numerous connectivity options for maximum accessibility.
- This unit supports auto two-sided printing, allowing you to print on the both sides of the page without having to turn it over by yourself.
- It has 2 large input trays with 250-sheets capacity each, and a 100-sheet output tray for flexible paper handling.
Cons
- It doesn’t support auto duplexing for Automatic Document Feeder.
- It lacks Wi-Fi Direct protocol which is a peer to peer protocol for connecting mobile device to a printer without the need of a router.
- The AIO also misses NFC or Near Field Communication protocol for mobile connectivity.
- It is a bit expensive to use in terms of the cost per page.
Specifications
| General | |
|---|---|
| Machine Type | Multi-Function/ All-In-One Printer (AIO) |
| Display Screen | 3 inches LCD touchscreen |
| Color Category | Black |
| Duty Cycle | 20,000 pages per months |
| Ink Compatible Cartridge | PGI-1200 Cyan (Std/XL), PGI-1200 Yellow (Std/XL), PGI-1200 Magenta (Std/XL) PGI-1200 Black (Std/XL) |
| Document Feeder Capacity | 50 sheets |
| Media Size Class | Legal |
| Standard Media Capacity | 500 sheets |
| Printer | |
|---|---|
| Printing Technology | Inkjet |
| Inkjet Technology | Canon FINE (Full-lithography inkjet Nozzle Engineering) |
| Nozzle Configuration | 1280 nozzles (pigment black), 3072 nozzles (color) |
| Ink Cartridge Configuration | 4 individual ink tanks |
| Ink Type | Dual Resistant High Density (DRHD) |
| Print speed (Black) | 24 PPM (Pages-Per-Minute) |
| Print speed (Color) | 15.5 PPM (Pages-Per-Minute) |
| First Print Out Time (Black) | 6 seconds |
| Printing Resolution | Up to 600 x 1200 DPI |
| Duplex Printing Enabled | Yes |
| Image Printing Speed (Black & White) | up to 24 images per minute |
| Image Printing Speed (color) | up to 15.5 images per minute (color) |
| AirPrint Enabled | Yes |
| Scanner | |
|---|---|
| Scanner Type | Flatbed |
| Scanning Optical Resolution | Up to 1200 x 1200 DPI |
| Automatic Reduction/Enlargement Enabled | Yes |
| Transparency Scanning | No |
| Copier | |
|---|---|
| Maximum Number Of Copies | 99 |
| Copying Speed (Color) | up to 5 PPM (pages per minute) |
| Document Enlargement | 400% |
| Document Reduction | 25% |
| Copying Features | Auto Exposure/Intensity (AE), 2 on 1, 4 on 1, ID Card Copy, Frame Erase Copy, collation copy, fit to page and Preset Copy Ratios |
| Fax | |
|---|---|
| Fax Type | Flatbed |
| Integrated Fax | Yes |
| Modem Speed | 33.6 kilobits per second |
Final Verdict
The Canon MB2729 is a good multifunction device to be used in small and home based offices. It can be a perfect pick for home users as well. It has a higher cost per page and a mismatch of paper handling strength and a non-duplex ADF. It has, however, 2 large paper trays and substantial XL Ink tanks that are handy in cutting down the cost of tending this machine needs. Also, this unit is the Best All In One Printer for those who need to print occasionally or don’t need to scan lots of two-sided documents.
