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Scan Features (7.00)
The Pixma MP600 scanner’s maximum optical resolution is 2400 x 4800 dpi with an interpolated maximum resolution of 19,200 x 19,200, and it is capable of 48-bit internal color processing and 24-bit output. All of these specs are standard for a multifunction printer in this class, such as the HP Photosmart 5180.
As with other functions on the MP600, scanning is nearly soundless except for initialization and when the lamp returns to its dock. As with most scanners in this price range, it has a Contact Image sensor (CIS), which is more lightweight and requires less power than a CCD sensor, the same kind found in high-quality digital cameras. The downside of CIS sensors is greater image noise and reduced image depth. The next model up in the Pixma line, the MP800, comes with a CCD sensor, which yields better scan quality, for $120 more.
The scanning bed can accommodate an 8.5"x11.7" maximum size. The door opens easily, and the hinges hold it open above about five inches. The door still needs to be lifted and lowered carefully as the hydraulic arm can yank it out of your hand. The hinges are flexible and can extend for copying or scanning pages from books. A foam pad covered with a white plastic sheet offers protection to the recessed platen and any paper placed on the platen. The MP600 does not come with any adapters such as film holders or scanners, nor are they available as accessories. Like other multifunction units in this price category, it’s not a scanner built for that kind of quality or use.
Scanning can be performed via the on-unit menu, MP Navigator, or the printer driver (accessed through MP Navigator). The on-unit scan menu gives four options, for which options can be set within MP Navigator. Our tests were conducted via the driver, ScanGear, but the software integrates with other programs, like Adobe Photoshop.
Scan Speed (6.18)
Scanning times for the MP600 were quick for photo all-in-ones, even at higher resolutions. The text and photo test times up to 300 dpi were very quick. Only at 600 dpi and above did performance slow down appreciably. Scanning was slowest at the highest dpi, 1200. However, the MP600 still performed more quickly than other multifunction scanners we tested, such as the HP Photosmart 5180, which took twelve minutes to scan an 8.5" x 11" photo, while the MP600 took just four minutes, its longest test time along with the color document scan time. Canon doesn’t report scan times, so there’s no point of comparison possible with the manufacturer specs.
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Canon Pixma MP600 Scanning Times in Seconds for Five Resolutions
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Resolution
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B&W Text
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Graphics
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4x6 Photo
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8.5x11 Photo
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75
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12
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13
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8
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11
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150
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12
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13
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8
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12
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300
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15
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20
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10
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19
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600
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25
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64
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27
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63
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1200
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83
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240
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90
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240
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Scan Color Quality (4.76)
Color error for the Canon MP600 scanner component is represented at left on the Colorchecker a*b* color error chart, which shows the distance from the ideal for each of the chart’s 24 values displayed on the sRGB color space. The numbers alongside the circles correspond to each of the numbered chart squares above. The ideal values are displayed as squares while the scanner values (written as camera here because this test also works for cameras) are shown as circles. Skin tones—squares 1 and 2 on the Gretag Macbeth chart—on the MP600 scan show only small error, while the largest color errors are expressed in the red to orange range and in some of the blues. The MP600’s saturation value is 106 percent, at the low end of the range of all-in-one printers currently in our testing labs. Any value over 100 percent indicates that the saturation of the scanner is boosted, but values this low (under 120) are not considered extreme.
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