Tue, 26 Dec 2006 Canon MP150

Although it’s not small physically – it’s comparable in size to the HP – the MP150 is half the price of the others, and the feature set is very limited. There is no LCD, just a single numerical LED. There are also no memory card slots, although you can connect a camera using a PictBridge connector. These limitations make it quite the minimal option for photo printing.

The MP150 seems to be aimed at more general office use, with quick single-button colour and black-and-white copy functions similar to those on the Lexmark. As a copier, the lack of features makes it very easy to use. You can choose paper size and quality from the panel and select a copy count – although we found a small count works best because larger numbers of copies require some extra button pushing and holding. There’s no sheet feeder, so there’s no way to copy and collate a multi-page document in one go. However, this is a limitation shared by the other printers in this round-up.

The software bundle is generous for the price, and includes OmniPage SE OCR and ArcSoft PhotoStudio. There’s also a photo print tool and a Navigator control panel. To some extent these features make up for the lack of the panel controls.

If you’re not in a hurry and don’t plan to use this printer for instant prints from memory cards, it’s still worth considering for photo printing. Print quality is very good, although speed is middling for both printing and copying. Our test copy took a little less than two minutes to complete using glossy photo paper. There were some hints of colour drift in the result, but nothing to cause concern at this price level. Plain paper copying is much faster.