🏆 Canon Color imageCLASS LBP646Cdw: A Laser Workhorse for Small and Home Offices
The Canon Color imageCLASS LBP646Cdw Wireless Laser Printer, featuring its clean white finish and robust feature set, is positioned as a high-performance, single-function color laser printer tailored for the demands of modern home offices, small businesses, and hybrid work environments. Balancing speed, print quality, and a relatively compact footprint for a laser machine, the LBP646Cdw aims to be a dependable workhorse for users with moderate to heavy printing needs.
 |
| Canon Color imageCLASS LBP646Cdw: A Laser Workhorse for Small and Home Offices |
This in-depth review explores the printer's key features, performance metrics, output quality, and overall value proposition for its target audience.
Key Features and Specifications
| Feature | Specification / Detail |
| Printer Type | Color Laser, Single Function (Print Only) |
| Print Speed | Up to 26 Pages Per Minute (PPM) in both Color and Monochrome (Letter) |
| Duplex Printing | Automatic (Built-in Duplexing), up to 15 images per minute (ipm) (A4) |
| Print Resolution | Up to 1200 x 1200 dpi (Equivalent) |
| First Print Out Time | Approximately 10.3 seconds (Black/Color) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 High-Speed, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Mobile Printing | Canon PRINT Business App, Apple AirPrint, Mopria Certified |
| Paper Capacity | 250-sheet Standard Cassette + 1-sheet Manual Feed Slot (Max. 251 sheets) |
| Recommended Monthly Volume | 250 – 2,500 pages |
| Display | 5-line Monochrome LCD |
| Security Features | Secure Print, TLS 1.3, IP/MAC Address Filtering |
🚀 Performance and Speed
The LBP646Cdw lives up to the speed expectations of a modern laser printer designed for productivity. With a rapid print speed of up to 26 PPM for both color and monochrome documents (Letter size), it ensures that even substantial print jobs are handled quickly, minimizing wait times.
The First Print Out Time (FPOT) of around 10.3 seconds is competitive and indicates quick readiness, a crucial factor in busy offices where short, frequent print jobs are common.
A significant advantage is the built-in automatic duplex printing capability. This feature is essential for saving paper and reducing operating costs in a professional environment. While the duplex speed (approx. 15 ipm) is naturally slower than simplex, it remains efficient for double-sided documents.
🎨 Print Quality and Output
Canon is known for its excellent imaging technology, and the LBP646Cdw generally delivers on this reputation, especially for text-heavy documents.
Text Quality: Black text is consistently crisp, sharp, and near-typesetter quality, even at smaller font sizes. This makes it ideal for professional correspondence, reports, and legal documents.
Color Quality: The printer utilizes Canon's V² (Vivid and Vibrant) Color technology to produce visually appealing color documents. For standard business graphics like charts, graphs, and presentations, the color output is vibrant and professional. However, as is common with many office-focused laser printers, photo print quality may be slightly subdued or muted compared to a dedicated inkjet photo printer. It excels in delivering high-quality business color, not gallery-grade photographs.
Resolution: The 1200 x 1200 dpi (equivalent) resolution ensures fine detail in both text and graphics.
📶 Connectivity and Usability
Setting up a printer can often be a frustrating experience, but the LBP646Cdw is praised in many user reports for its easy wireless setup. Its wide range of connectivity options makes it highly flexible:
Wireless (Wi-Fi): Allows for convenient placement and printing from virtually any device on the network.
Wired (Ethernet): Provides the most reliable connection for a shared office environment.
Mobile Support: Compatibility with Apple AirPrint, Mopria, and the Canon PRINT Business App facilitates seamless printing directly from smartphones and tablets.
USB Direct Print: A front USB port allows printing of common file types (JPEG, TIFF, PDF) directly from a USB flash drive, bypassing the need for a computer.
The 5-line Monochrome LCD panel is functional for navigating menus and checking printer status. While not as intuitive or feature-rich as a modern color touchscreen found on higher-end models, it gets the job done and contributes to the printer's overall simplicity and lower cost.
💸 Running Costs and Maintenance
The LBP646Cdw uses a four-cartridge (Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) system. Canon offers high-yield toner cartridges (Cartridge 075H), which are crucial for users intending to print at the higher end of the recommended volume.
Toner Yield: Opting for the high-capacity cartridges helps spread the cost of consumables over a larger number of pages, resulting in a more manageable cost per page (CPP).
Maintenance: Canon laser printers typically use all-in-one toner cartridges (toner and drum unit in one), simplifying maintenance as the drum is replaced with the toner, ensuring consistent print quality and less user intervention. This design minimizes the need for separate drum unit replacements.
Security: Features like Secure Print (PIN-protected jobs) and various network security protocols are important for maintaining data integrity in a professional setting.
⚖️ Pros and Cons
| 👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
| Fast Print Speed (Up to 26 PPM) in both color and mono. | High Initial Running Costs if not using high-yield toner. |
| Excellent Text Quality suitable for professional documents. | 5-line LCD is basic; not a color touchscreen. |
| Automatic Duplexing for paper saving. | Limited Paper Capacity (250 sheets) for very high-volume needs (though adequate for its class). |
| Robust Connectivity (Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Mobile Printing). | Some user complaints about occasional network connectivity issues. |
| Relatively Compact size for a color laser printer. | Color prints, while good for business, might be subdued for photo use. |
🎯 Conclusion: Who is the Canon LBP646Cdw for?
The Canon Color imageCLASS LBP646Cdw is a solid, reliable choice for a small or home office that demands fast, high-quality printing on a regular basis. Its impressive speed, professional-grade text output, and essential automatic duplexing feature make it a significant step up from standard inkjet printers.
It is best suited for users with a moderate monthly print volume (250 to 2,500 pages) who primarily print business documents, reports, and color presentations. While the running costs are manageable with high-yield cartridges, users with extremely high-volume needs might benefit from researching models with larger standard paper capacities or lower overall CPPs.
Ultimately, the LBP646Cdw delivers on its promise: a speedy, low-maintenance, and professional color laser printer that can serve as the backbone of a productive small-scale workspace.