Canon PIXMA MP130

The PIXMA MP130 is Canon's answer to Epson's STYLUS CX3500 MFD (multifunction device), and has a bundle of great features for a fairly modest price.

It may not be the most robustly built MFD, but the MP130's specifications are more than adequate and Canon's micro-nozzle technology promises strong print quality.

Unlike the CX3500, the MP130 doesn't have a true high-speed graphics mode. Even at the fastest setting, it can manage only 3.3ppm (pages per minute). For any sort of quality and realistic colour it takes about 1.1ppm, compared with 1.9ppm for the Epson.

The colours are bright and vibrant, though, and on text-only work it proves superior to the Epson. Strong output is possible at a zippy 6.8ppm. Scanning is basic and a bit slow, but the quality is reasonable. During our testing, a 300dpi A4 picture took 42 seconds, and 600dpi required almost four times as long.

It's not quite up to the standard of Epson's STYLUS CX3500.