Canons MP510 is a multifunction inkjet printer specifically suited for borderless photo printing. This particular model from canon is slightly cheaper than it’s counterpart of the same class, the PIXMA MP500, but only because certain elements were either completely removed or lesser versions of those elements on the MP500 were used. Being an all in one PIXMA printer, it scans, copies, and prints (quite decently too) albeit without certain productivity conveniences and quality features you would come to expect from a canon photo printer. But it isn’t all bad, with Canons propriety Dual Gamut Processing technology your copied documents will look exactly like the original. Also at just under 180 dollars for an all in one printer, I would say that this is a bargain; perfect for the college student or small home office.
Features
Out of box, Canon’s MP510 comes bundled with all the photo editing software you will need to start off; such as photo studio 5.5 by Arcsoft, OmniPage Scanscoft 4 for the Mp510’s scanner and installation drivers that you will need for both Mac and PC; users who run Ubuntu and other Linux flavors can download the Linux drivers from canons website though they have been known to fail occasionally; in any event you could use 3rd party printer drivers such as Gutenprint print drivers.
The Canon MP510’s network capabilities are limited to IrDA (infra-red) which is compatible with some mobile phones. It does not have an Ethernet port or WiFi, though Bluetooth capabilities can be added to the MP510 by buying the optional Bluetooth adapter. Strangely, a printer cable is not included (?) so you may have to buy a USB printer cable off the shelves of a reputable store; they usually sell for just below 10 dollars.
Like most of canons PIXMA all in one printers, the MP510 can copy and scale up to 400 percent from 25 percent; the printer allows you to make a maximum of 99 copies in one go of any one document, and the Dual Gamut Processing technology ensures your copies will look exactly like the originals. Having no built in duplexer makes the MP510 unsuitable for batch copying and scanning jobs though.
Push button scanning allows you to scan your documents on the Canon MP510 without having to use your computer; the MP510 allows you to scan a document to PDF, scan and email or scan and save to your computer. The scanner is compatible with any software that implements the TWAIN protocol and it supports OCR for editing text of scanned documents through the OmniPage software.
Printing from portable memory cards is easy through the ‘Pictbridge’ port. Plug any compatible memory card (Sony pro duo cards, SanDisk, MMC are supported), select all the pictures and documents you would like to print and let the MP510 do the rest. You will have to make these selections through the MP510’s 1.9 inch LCD panel (.6 inches smaller than the MP500’s LCD). Photo printing quality is decent at a rated maximum of 4800 x 1200 dpi; with available tweaks such a face brightener and photo optimizer that corrects the coloring.
Performance
The PIXMA MP510 can print up to a rated maximum of 25 pages per minute if an automatic document feeder is used and 6 pages per minute standard in monochrome. Colored text, graphics and photo prints (4×6 inches) are printed at a respectable 1.26 pages per minute maximum. Colored and monochrome scans are completed at roughly 5 pages per minute. Color reproduction in the scan from the MP510 is fantastic with images looking detailed and sharp. Two paper trays was a convenient addition which makes it easier to switch between paper sizes while in print or scan mode.