Canon - imageCLASS MF284dw Wireless Black-and-White All-In-One Laser Printer with ADF - White

This is my second Canon laser printer and is a definitely a much needed upgrade. The printer has all the features needed for today’s connectivity setup. My old printer wasn’t compatible with Windows 11 that’s why I had to replace it. I’m really glad I got this printer. I also enjoyed this beige color!

I bought this All In One printer to replace a Brother one that I had for several years. Over the years, I have bought many printers. In the last ten years or so I have stuck with Canon printers. The old Brother one gave me a weird error message every time I wanted to use it "front door is open", so I was sick of that. I actually only really wanted this printer for the copying capability. I am one of those people who really likes to be able to make a copy when I need it. Sure I print to it once in a while just to use it, but it is in a room across the house, so I have to remember to turn it on first... I set this printer up all by myself, as usual. It did seem to take a bit to get it to work on my network, but I figured it out within 30 minutes. The commands seem to be intuitive. It does enlarge and reduce, and you can control the percentage with the numeric pad. The only thing I would say is a bit odd is when something prints, it sits in the dark opening in the middle without any part of the paper sticking out. It is not easy to see that there is anything there, I actually have to walk right up to it to see if my print job is there. Not a huge deal, but different than my old one. I like this Canon laser printer because I don't have to have a subscription for the toner, and I didn't want to pay a lot of money for color toner. Sure a color laser printer sounds cool but the reality is that I don't need it.

This Canon MF284dw was purchased as a replacement for a MF229dw that lasted 9 years before the hinges broke. This new all-in-one (but without fax capability) seems flimsier, even though it is bulky and heavy. This device lacks a manual feed for envelopes and card stock and the non-touch display screen is small. Reviews on the Canon website comment on ease of setup (probably for Windows computers). This was not true in my case for an iMac, OS 12.7.2. I first tried connecting with a USB cable - the scan function worked from my computer but the print function did not despite replacing the printer driver several times. I then changed to a LAN wireless hookup. It was not intuitive to figure out how to do that and the online user manual was overly complex and ultimately of minimal help. Finally I was successful when I entered my network’s passcode where “Encrypt Key” was asked for. However, while the print function now works wirelessly, the scan function does not (even after replacing the scan driver). Meaning that I can print wirelessly but scanning requires the USB connection. In all, a less satisfactory product than my old ImageCLASS all-in-one.

Absolutely the worst printer to try and install. Manual tells you to push buttons that aren't on the panel. After hacking for half an hour I finally got it connected and printed a test page. Today when I cut it on the "common" message that appears wants to to subscribe for cartridges. Won't print at all. If I can't find a solution soon it will be returned. Maybe you will have better luck.

Work great. Easy to install. Best Buy had a better price