Canon's MP360 pairs a budget-priced inkjet engine with a flatbed scanner that sells for much less than $150. With a copy function (600dpi) thrown in for good measure, this device compares favorably with HP's excellent multifunction products.

The MP360 comes with a 4,800 x 1,200 printhead that produces borderless photos up to 8.5 x 11 inches. It also has a High-Speed USB 2.0 interface and a scanner surface that accommodates originals up to 8.5 x 11.7 inches. The unit as a whole weighs 18 pounds and is 11.3 inches high.

Photograph quality was acceptable for an MFD in this price range. As with all Canon prints, these weren't saturated in some areas. For example, blacks lack the punch to make images really stand out. Whether I used the borderless or regular printing mode, a troublesome line appeared during the last inch in about half of my prints, tarnishing what were otherwise nice photos. Plain-paper photos were grainier than I usually see, but hues were accurate and details crisp.

The MP360 created 4- x 6-inch photos in only 90 seconds. Full-page, borderless photos printed quickly, too, in only 3:30 (minutes:seconds). Standard-quality text was crisp enough for business presentations. Copied text was nearly as good as the original and much darker and vivid than the same page scanned to our PC. Clip art graphics featured smooth coloring that's at least as good as documents from an HP.

Black-ink cartridges cost $7 and yield about 580 pages, and the tri-color cartridges sell for $18.50 with 160-page yields. The similarly priced HP PSC 1350 uses a $35 391-page color cartridge and a 450-page black cartridge that costs $20. Color costs are similar, but Canon wins the black-ink battle hands down. Users with budget concerns will probably opt for the Canon.

by Nathan Chandler

MultiPASS MP360
$149
Canon
(800) 652-2666
(714) 438-3000
www.usa.canon.com