Canon Lasers imageCLASS MF8580Cdw Wireless 4-in-1 Color Laser Multifunction Printer with Scanner, Copier and Fax

Amazon prime so it arrived very fast. This thing is heavy and the UPS driver had a time of it getting up to my porch. Then I had a time of it carrying it into my office. I've had Canon products around probably all my life and they are always quality. This one arrived packed well and in a box that as it came apart (you have to follow the simple directions on the outside of the box) revealed layers of parts, manual, and the printer itself. Basically all you have to do is follow the quick start and remove all the green tape that holds everything together while it is being shipped. Once all the tape is removed then you have to pull the tape off of the toner cartridges then you are ready to plug it in and set it up.Set up is amazingly simple. You just go through the menus for the fax giving it the numbers and such. My setup is wired so I used the Ethernet to wire into my router. I use static IPs so that was no problem as well. Then you go to your computer/s and insert the disk into each one you want to be able to use the printer. A few minutes later all is well. No issues at all. The paper tray is a bit small only holding 250 sheets instead of a whole ream.Some caveats to all this. I use this as a color printer and fax machine/copier. I already have a high speed scanner so don't need this feature. I have read that some have found this feature less than intuitive. I didn't set it up for wi-fi but can't imagine it would be difficult. The copy speed seems to be as advertised and for color is very fast. First sheet out is slower than advertised but acceptable. I think this is because I use the power save mode and it takes a while to warm up. If I were in a large office I probably wouldn't use the power saver. But... if I were in a large office I wouldn't be using this printer. My office is 5 computers and a b&w laser and this color laser printer.Pros: Built to last, Fast, easy setup, multiple ways to connect (wi-fi, Ethernet, USB). Compact form. Large document feederCons: Scanning feature is cumbersome (relying on others comments), paper tray is only adequate, no touch screen.

That's right, I said it!- I will be making comparisons to the Xerox 6505N MF color laser which this Canon MF8580Cdw is replacing.The main reason for replacing the Xerox after only 2 years whne it is in fine working condition, is that when you buy online, you sometimes make mistakes on the specs. and that can cost you in the long run...lesson learned!- I say there's is no replacement for testing a printer in-store to make sure it meets ALL your needs, just like there is no replacement for trying on a pair of pants BEFORE you buy it, unless you have many bottles of <insert favorite pain reliever here> on hand.- To start, the Canon printer arrived with some crushed styro packaging. This gave me pause. As well the Delivery guy left it on the porch of the house in sub-freezing temps. That's a brain there. So step 1, un-thaw the unit for about 12 hours to make sure the gear oils don't clump up.- I have never spent so much time removing packing materials attached to a device. Setup took close to an hour, but was time well spent. I suppose they tried to think of everything. The funniest part was...not removing the USB cover until the final step. (It was tempting, but I had to consider the warranty coverage.)- To my great relief, the unit appears to be "fully functional".- Once set up, I decided to do the optional calibration step, which I think is a pretty awesome idea. You print a colored test page, then you scan it. The printer then compares that to what it expects the page to look like..viola, your printer is calibrated. Easy!- I grabbed a nice glossy packaging from my PS4 tree charger and jumped straight into color copying. It looked almost identical, dare I say with even better depth than the original.- Onto the more demanding Photograph copying step. The previous day, I had printed copies of a family photo we recently received from a relative at Christmas, using the Xerox 6505. I was satisfied with the Xerox output. So for comparison I copied the same photo using the Canon 8580. I did make a slight adjustment for darkening on both occasions. I feel that the Canon had a slightly superior output. in saturation and blending of the color. I also found it easier to tune than the Xerox, which was surprising. Hopefully I'll get to a controls comparison before I finish the review.- The main reason for retiring the Xerox (probably to a craigslist buyer) is that it was cumbersome or impossible to do the things we needed to do with Legal sized paper on the Xerox. If you ONLY use letter size then disregard this whole issue, you are good to go with the either printer.- - The Xerox will only PRINT legal sized documents (not scan or copy) which requires an investment of around $109 for an 8x14 tray which does not come with the Xerox. The Canon includes a single EXPANDABLE tray (someone was thinking!) which can handle EITHER size, however not both simultaneously. That's ok for us. The Canon costs you $0 to upgrade, it's just a cash grab by Xerox. We decided to take the $109 and put it towards the purchase of the Canon MF.- The Canon also has a larger platen, although not quite legal sized it does seem to scan a larger area than the Xerox. The xerox cannot seem to scan much larger than letter size which, prevents you from being able to shrink down larger items to fit on that cramped Letter size paper. So the Canon wins there too.- The Canon as of this writing has also become cheaper than the Xerox. Another win for the Canon.- The Canon is noisier than the Xerox and slower to start the print/copy process. The canon is to the level that I find it slightly annoying, but that might just be because the stealth of the Xerox has spoiled me.- The Canon has a bulkier control layout than the Xerox.What the Canon gives you is Simplicity, What the Xerox gives you is complexity. When using the Xerox, you KNOW you are using a high-tech piece of equipment. When using the Canon, you DON'T NOTICE you are using a piece of high-tech equipment.- On the canon, you want a color print...you hit the "color print" button. On the Xerox you want a color print...you find 2 tiny buttons on the face with barely legible dots beside them and you press the one that has 3 colored dots. Canon wins the Controls competition. EVEN MY MOM CAN USE THIS PRINTER! That says it ALL. I never could train her on the complexities of the Xerox multi-layer menuing system and floating button setup. The Canon has given important features a dedicated button. How novel.- I found the sheet feeders to be comparable.- On footprint the Canon is ever so slightly larger than the Xerox and well worth the extra cubic inches of desk space.======- Long story short, I have eternally been a proponent of Xerox and I felt I was taking a big chance trying a Canon printer. But I couldn't resist the feature to price ratio. Canon definitely knows imaging technology as well as, if not better than, Xerox. So I was pleasantly suprised with the whole package so far.

I purchase the printer during Xmas. There was a few days delay in delivery but I was not in any hurry. The printer is bulky and heavy, not easy for one person to handle/move. But once set up (very easy steps), it is quickly put to use. The printer has everything I need: auto feeder, double sides, print/copy/scan, color/black, and all is done quickly. The wireless function is especially helpful so it can sit at a convenient location without worrying about where the ethernet port is.The scan quality is good. It can send output to USB, computer (with the driver, utility installed) or email.The built-in paper tray can take either letter or legal size. The alternate feeder is not too easy though. I usually need to do multiple times before the printer takes in the paper correctly. It sometimes does not see the paper is there.Overall I think this is the best color laser for the money. The quality is much better than ink jet. I don't use color much and 50% of the time when I print color using ink jet, the nozzle dries up and could not produce perfect output. By the number of yield, this is even cheaper than ink jet.