Although we conduct our performance tests and quality judging using a printer's default settings (usually a balance of quality and speed), the Pixma MX420 speeds up dramatically when you switch to its 'fast' mode, or draft mode. The quality is acceptable for in-house use, and you can save a considerable amount of time and ink.

The Pixma MX420 continues the Canon tradition of producing graphics on plain paper that seem overexposed. This look turns into a bright, warm effect when the same graphics are printed on photo paper, though a slightly washed-out appearance persists in the lighter areas of a photo. The company does allow you a lot of leeway in adjusting colors using the Vivid Photo, Image Optimizer, and Photo Optimizer settings found under the Effects tab of the printer driver. Happily, Canon knows black: the text and monochrome output of the Pixma MX420 is dark and crisp.

The good news about the Pixma MX420's inks is that color costs are reasonable. The standard-size tricolor cartridge (cyan, magenta, and yellow) costs $21 and lasts 244 pages, or 8.6 cents per page; the high-yield version costs $27 and lasts 346 pages (7.7 cents per page). Unfortunately, black ink is expensive: $16 for the standard, 220-page size (7.3 cents per page), and $22 for the high-yield, 401-page size (5.5 cents per page). A low-volume user may not mind such costs, but if you print primarily text and monochrome graphics, over time the MX420 will be an expensive printer to operate.

For light use in a home office, the Canon Pixma MX420 is a decent buy--especially if you stick with draft mode most of the time. But it remains a feature or two shy of multifunction perfection. If you want more features and speed, or better ink costs, consider spending another $50 and going for or the .