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Canon Color MF656CDW Review

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Updated Feb 15, 2024 3:01 PM

True Score

87
88
2

Experts

86
3,310

Consumers

Product Awards

Top 10

GR Certified

Customer Favorite

Expert Rankings

The Canon Color ImageCLASS MF656Cdw is an excellent printer for business, owing to its great print quality, low printing cost, and automatic duplex scanning/printing abilities. However, this printer is not as fast as other multifunction laser printers.

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Table of Contents

Product Snapshot

Overview

The Canon Color MF656Cdw is a mid-range all-in-one LaserJet printer that was first released in 2020. Boasting scan, print, copy, and faxing capabilities. If you are looking for the best-rated printers, the Canon Color MF656Cdw is a solid contender. This printer has a 50-sheet ADF and boasts automatic two-sided one-pass scanning abilities.

It has a 250-sheet paper tray and a one-sheet multi-purpose tray. Wi-Fi Direct connection supports hassle-free connectivity. The Canon Print Business mobile app gives you control over the settings. Learn more about the MF656Cdw below and see how it compares to the best all-in-one printers.

Best For

  • Canon

Consensus

our Verdict

The Canon Color ImageCLASS MF656Cdw is a great printer for business. With a printing cost of just 2.9 cents per page, this device is remarkably affordable to operate. It prints at resolutions of up to 1200 × 1200 dpi, and the printing quality is good for text, but it struggles with bringing out fine details in graphics and photos.

Its color dE of 7.16 shows that the colors are fairly accurate, although there’s some oversaturation in some colors. This printer also connects via USB 2.0 and Ethernet, offering a wide variety of options. Scan resolutions of up to 600 dpi and color-accurate photos make this model a good all-around printer.

However, this printer only manages speeds of 11.8 ppm for black and 8.5 ppm for color, ranking in the bottom half of our certified tested printers. However, its mobile app, the Canon Print Business app, is feature-rich and easy to use. Consequently, configuring and using this printer is quite easy. However, if you prefer an inkjet printer with a better maximum print resolution, be sure to check out our Canon PIXMA TR8620a review.

ReasonS to Buy

  • Decent print quality
    • The Canon Color ImageCLASS MF656Cdw is great for office use, thanks to its decent print quality. It manages to print at resolutions of up to 1200 dpi, generating excellent text, although the graphics and photos lack fine details.

    • With a tested color accuracy dE of 7.16, this printer produces fairly color-accurate printed documents.

  • Duplex scanner
    • The MF656Cdw has a flatbed scanner with an ADF, and it supports single-pass automatic duplex scanning at resolutions of up to 600 dpi

  • Easy maintenance
    • Its running costs for the Canon Color ImageCLASS MF656Cdw average just 2.9 cents per page, making this printer a top 25% pick among our list of tested certified printers.

Reason to Avoid

  • So-so printing speed
    • The printing speeds of this Canon Color ImageCLASS MF656Cdw were clocked at 11.8 in black and 8.5 ppm in color, ranking in the bottom half of our list of certified, tested printers.

Canon Color MF656CDW Specs

Automatic Document FeederAutomatic Document FeederYes
Automatic Two-Sided PrintingAutomatic Two-Sided PrintingYes
Copier Resolution (B&W)Copier Resolution (B&W)Up to 1200 x 1200
Copier Resolution (Color)Copier Resolution (Color)1200 x 1200 dpi
DepthDepth18.2"
Duplex Scan FunctionDuplex Scan FunctionYes
Energy Star CertifiedEnergy Star CertifiedYes
HeightHeight16.3"
Integrated FaxIntegrated FaxYes
Max Number of CopiesMax Number of Copies
Max Paper WidthMax Paper Width
Mobile PrintingMobile PrintingYes
Number of Ink Cartridges RequiredNumber of Ink Cartridges Required4
Paper FeederPaper Feeder
Print Speed (B&W)Print Speed (B&W)22 ppm
Print Speed (Color)Print Speed (Color)22 ppm
Printer Resolution (B&W)Printer Resolution (B&W)
Printer Resolution (Color)Printer Resolution (Color)1200 x 1200 dpi
Printer TypePrinter TypeCopier, Fax, Printer, Scanner
Scanner ResolutionScanner Resolutionna
Scanner TypeScanner Typena
Tray CapacityTray Capacity250
WidthWidth17.8"
WirelessWirelessYes

All Specs

Test Results

B&W Print Speed (ppm)11.8
Color Print Speed (ppm)8.5
B&W Printing Costs (¢ per page)2.9
Color Printing Costs (¢ per page)14.55
Color Accuracy (dE)7.16

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Product Comparison

Canon Color MF656CDW Review

True Score

87
89
90
68

Ranking

#

6

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26

#

4

/

26

#

1

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26

#

26

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26

Market Context

The Canon Color MF656Cdw is a mid-range all-in-one LaserJet printer that was first released in 2020. Boasting scan, print, copy, and faxing capabilities. If you…

The Canon Color MF656Cdw is a mid-range all-in-one LaserJet printer that was first released in 2020. Boasting scan, print, copy, and faxing capabilities. If you are looking for the best-rated printers, the Canon Color MF656Cdw is a solid contender. This printer has a 50-sheet ADF and boasts automatic two-sided one-pass scanning abilities.

It has a 250-sheet paper tray and a one-sheet multi-purpose tray. Wi-Fi Direct connection supports hassle-free connectivity. The Canon Print Business mobile app gives you control over the settings. Learn more about the MF656Cdw below and see how it compares to the best all-in-one printers.

Considering that the Canon Color ImageCLASS MF656Cdw is a multifunction printer with scanning, faxing, and copying capabilities, it’s better than Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300, which is…

Considering that the Canon Color ImageCLASS MF656Cdw is a multifunction printer with scanning, faxing, and copying capabilities, it’s better than Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300, which is a print-only unit. The Canon imagePROGRAF is also much faster and costs less per page to run. On the other hand, the ImagePROGRAF PRO-300 is designed for photo printing, so it produces more vibrant photos with more accurate colors. Learn more about the dedicated photo printer by reading our Canon ImagePROGRAF PRO-300 review.

The Canon Color ImageCLASS MF656Cdw is more affordable than the Brother MFC-L8905Cdw, which is also a LaserJet multifunction printer with an ADF and automatic duplex…

The Canon Color ImageCLASS MF656Cdw is more affordable than the Brother MFC-L8905Cdw, which is also a LaserJet multifunction printer with an ADF and automatic duplex scanning. The Brother printer produces higher-resolution photos with better color accuracy and lower printing costs. It also printers faster than the Canon. Our Brother MFC-L8905Cdw review analyzes the Brother printer at length.

As a multifunction printer that scans, prints, copies, and faxes, the Canon Color MF656Cdw is more versatile than the Pantum P2502W, a print-only model. While…

As a multifunction printer that scans, prints, copies, and faxes, the Canon Color MF656Cdw is more versatile than the Pantum P2502W, a print-only model. While the Canon printer prints in color, the Pantum printer can only print in monochrome. The Pantum printer is much more affordable, prints faster, and has a slightly lower printing cost per page. Check out our Pantum P2502W review for details.

Automatic Document Feeder

Yes

No

Yes

Automatic Two-Sided Printing

Yes

No

Yes

Copier Resolution (B&W)

Up to 1200 x 1200

1200 x 600 dpi

Copier Resolution (Color)

1200 x 1200 dpi

Depth

18.2"

15"

20.7"

8.6"

Duplex Scan Function

Yes

na

na

Energy Star Certified

Yes

Yes

n/a

n/a

Height

16.3"

7.9"

21.6"

7"

Dig Deeper

Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 Review →

Brother MFC-L8905CDW Review →

Pantum P2502W Review →

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Score Card

E

Expert Score

88

*.75

We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

C

Customer Score

86

*.25

We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

True Score

87

Expert Scores

  • Rtings
    94.6

    Category Trust Rating

    88
    The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw is great for family use. It offers low ownership costs,… Read More

    By:

    Olivier Martin
  • Consumer Reports
    71.6

    Category Trust Rating

    NR

    By:

    Unknown