Canon MF656Cdw All In One: In-Depth Review and User Opinions

The Canon MF656Cdw is a multifunctional monochrome printer that has print, copy, scan and fax capabilities. It is marketed as a small office and home office (SOHO) printer with features like wireless connectivity, automatic two-sided printing, a 50 sheet document feeder and mobile device printing.

This all-in-one printer is designed to be compact but still have robust functionality. It would be a suitable choice for individuals, home offices or small businesses looking for an affordable monochrome printer that can handle everyday document printing and scanning needs. The toner is separate from the print drum, allowing you to replace only the toner and save money when it runs out.

Overall, the Canon MF656Cdw delivers solid performance in a space-saving package. This review will provide a more in-depth look at the key features and capabilities of this AIO printer. Keep reading to learn about the design, print quality, connectivity and other details that make this Canon printer a practical option for basic home or office tasks.

Design and Build Quality

The Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw is a compact and robust multifunction printer with dimensions of 15.7 x 15.2 x 12.9 inches and weighing around 31.5 lbs. Despite its small footprint, the printer has a sturdy plastic build that can withstand the rigors of everyday office use.

Some key aspects of its design and build quality:

• Constructed from high-quality plastics with a matte black finish that resists smudges and fingerprints. The exterior casing feels solidly built.

• Surprisingly compact and lightweight for a multifunction printer, making it easy to situate in small offices or desktop spaces.

• Internally, the printer uses steel frames and hardened parts that add durability. The duplexing automatic document feeder sits firmly when closed.

• Canon rates the printer's duty cycle at up to 30,000 pages per month, suitable for moderate to high-volume office use.

• The paper trays feel sturdy when handled and have markings to indicate paper size and capacity.

Overall, while made mostly of plastic, the Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw feels robustly built for an office workhorse. The thoughtful design allows it to have a small footprint without compromising on durability.

Print Speed and Quality

The Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw delivers fast black and white print speeds up to 22 pages per minute for A4 paper, while color speeds reach up to 14 pages per minute with A4 paper. The printer utilizes a 1200 x 600 dots per inch (dpi) print resolution for both monochrome and color prints. This resolution produces crisp text and sharp graphics in all documents printed.

The MF656Cdw also has an impressive first-page-out time of just 6.9 seconds for black and white prints and 8.9 seconds for color prints. This allows you to quickly get started on print jobs without having to wait around.

Overall, the print speed and quality of the MF656Cdw are sufficient for home office and small business use. It can handle moderate print workloads without slowing down, and the 1200 x 600 dpi resolution ensures professional looking documents. The fast first page print times are an added convenience.

Scan and Copy Features

The Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw comes with robust scan and copy capabilities suitable for home and small office use.

For scanning, it offers up to 600 x 600 dpi optical scan resolution for capturing fine details and text. Scanning is fairly quick at 26 ipm (images per minute) for black and white and 10 ipm for color. It can scan to various destinations including email, network folders, USB drive, mobile devices, and cloud storage services.

The copier function allows you to make copies rapidly at a speed of 22 ppm for black and white and color. You can reduce or enlarge copies from 25% to 400% using the adjustable zoom. The copier also supports 2-sided copying for convenient duplex prints. Other useful copy features include ID card copy to capture both sides of an ID onto one page, and collate copy to assemble multi-page documents sequentially. Overall the Canon MF656Cdw provides versatile scan and copy tools for home office and small business environments.

Connectivity and Mobile Printing

The Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw offers excellent wired and wireless connectivity options. It has built-in WiFi, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth, and Ethernet network connectivity.

Connecting the printer to your wireless network is straightforward using the setup wizard on the LCD control panel. It supports wireless printing from iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices. Canon offers the Canon Print app for mobile printing from smartphones and tablets. You can print documents, photos, emails, and web pages using the app.

For wired networks, the printer has fast Ethernet connectivity and works with print servers. It's also compatible with popular wireless print protocols like Apple AirPrint, Mopria Print Service, and Google Cloud Print.

Overall the MF656Cdw provides versatile connectivity choices with dual band WiFi, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, and Ethernet. This allows you to easily print from PCs, Macs, mobile devices, and over wired or wireless networks out-of-the-box. The printer is compatible with all major computing platforms for seamless integration into any home or office environment.

Paper Handling

The Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw has excellent paper handling capabilities. It comes with a 250-sheet paper tray that can hold letter or legal sized paper. There is also a 100-sheet multipurpose tray that supports a wide variety of paper types and sizes including envelopes, photo paper, and index cards up to 5 x 7" in size.

You can expand the paper capacity with an optional 250 or 550 sheet paper cassette. With all trays filled, the maximum paper capacity is 850 sheets, which is substantial for a printer in this class. Even at full capacity, the trays are easy to load and don't feel flimsy or cheap.

Between the multipurpose tray and optional cassettes, you can print on plain paper, photo paper, envelopes and various other media types. This gives you tremendous flexibility for both office documents and more creative printing projects. You don't need a separate photo printer, as the MF656Cdw can handle glossy photo paper up to 8.5 x 11" in size.

With its high capacity paper handling, support for various media types, and expandable trays, the Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw is ideal for high volume printing in a small office or workgroup. You can load it up with enough paper to avoid constant refilling of the trays.

Ink and Toner

The Canon MF656Cdw uses replaceable toner cartridges. It comes with a starter toner cartridge that can print approximately 1,000 pages.

Replacement high yield toner cartridges can print up to 6,000 pages and have an estimated cost per page of around $0.03. This makes the cost of printing quite affordable with the MF656Cdw.

The printer monitors toner levels and will notify you via the LCD screen when a cartridge is getting low. Replacing the cartridges is a quick and clean process, with clear instructions provided in the user manual.

Overall, the generous page yields from the Canon toner cartridges, along with the low cost per page, means you can print thousands of pages before needing to replace them. This is ideal for high volume home office or small business printing needs.

Special Features

The Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw has several useful special features that make it stand out.

Duplex Printing

The printer comes equipped with automatic duplex printing, allowing you to easily print on both sides of the paper to save paper. It can print double-sided documents at speeds up to 19 pages per minute. The duplexer supports media sizes up to 8.5 x 14" for two-sided prints.

NFC Connectivity

With built-in NFC (Near Field Communication) connectivity, you can easily connect your mobile device to the printer by just tapping it on the NFC icon on the printer. This allows for quick setup and printing directly from your phone or tablet.

Security Features

To help keep your data and documents secure, the MF656Cdw has several key security features:

• Secure Print - Documents are held in the printer until you enter your PIN code on the printer's control panel. This prevents sensitive documents from being left in the output tray.

• Department ID Management - You can set ID numbers and PIN codes to restrict access to the printer on a departmental basis.

• Private Print - Like Secure Print, but you enter the PIN code on your computer instead of the printer.

• IPsec - Encrypts data sent over the network for secure transfer and printing of documents.

These security measures ensure only authorized users can access print jobs, keeping your business's or home's documents safe.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Compact, space-saving design
• Fast print speeds up to 28 ppm black/white and 22 ppm color
• Duplex printing capability
• Crisp, high-quality print output
• 50-sheet auto document feeder for scanning and copying
• Built-in flatbed scanner scans up to legal size
• 3.5" color touchscreen for easy navigation
• Wireless, Ethernet, USB connectivity
• Mobile device printing via Canon PRINT app
• Voice-activated printing with Alexa and Google Assistant
• 250-sheet front cassette tray, 100-sheet rear tray
• Automatic two-sided printing to save paper
• Separate toner and drum for lower long-term costs
• Above-average toner page yields

Cons

• Manual feed slot limited to one sheet at a time
• Only one paper tray plus rear tray
• No option to add additional paper trays
• Mediocre scan and copy speeds
• No fax capability
• No NFC tap-to-print from mobile devices
• Maximum monthly duty cycle of 45,000 pages

Conclusion

The Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw is an excellent all-in-one printer suitable for home offices and small businesses. It offers fast print speeds, high-quality output, robust scanning and copying capabilities, plus flexible wireless connectivity options.

Overall, the MF656Cdw delivers reliable performance across the board. It can print up to 22 pages per minute in both color and black. Print quality is superb, producing sharp text and vibrant graphics. The automatic document feeder can scan and copy stacks of originals efficiently.

Connecting the printer to devices is easy via built-in WiFi, WiFi Direct, USB, and mobile app support. Paper handling is versatile, with a 250-sheet main tray and 50-sheet rear tray. Toner cartridges yield up to 1,500 pages for black and 1,300 for color. Useful features like 2-sided printing, NFC tap-to-pair, and Canon's intuitive touchscreen interface further enhance usability.

The Canon MF656Cdw suits home offices, small businesses, and workgroups that need a fast, high-quality AIO printer. It's easy to set up, use, and maintain. The printer delivers professional-looking documents at an affordable price point. For those needing a reliable, feature-rich color AIO printer, the Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw is highly recommended.