PRINTING. The Canon imageCLASS MF242dw prints using laser technology, which picks up powdered 'toner' on a roller and fuses it to the paper with heat. It has Very Good text quality, though not quite as good as other laser printers. Text printing was reasonably fast, 18.8 pages per minute, costing 2.9 cents per page. It prints black-and-white graphics with some obvious defects, but OK for casual use, at 6 pages per minute, costing 8 cents per page. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page, with no loss of quality. The capacity of the main paper tray is 250 sheets, a generous size. There's a second single-sheet input tray for full-size paper, in case you just need a printout on letterhead, for instance.
SCANNING and COPYING. Scanning performance was Good, but had a few noticeable flaws. It can scan or copy an area up to 11.6 x 8.5 inches (letter size). Copying performance was Good, but had a few noticeable flaws.
CONTROLS and DISPLAY. The printer has a 2.8-inch (diagonal size) monochrome display screen.
CONNECTIVITY and NETWORKING. You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router either wirelessly with WiFi or with an Ethernet cable. Apple AirPrint is built in, to print wirelessly from Apple devices via your local network. You can also install an app on your smartphone or tablet, as another option for printing over your WiFi network.
COST OF OWNERSHIP AND TONER. When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $100, cheap for an all-in-one black and white laser printer. Printing uses up toner. Over time, as you print, the costs add up. This printer uses one cartridge. The Canon toner cartridge used in testing was the 137. At the time, its price was $74. We estimate the toner cartridge to last an extraordinarily long time — over 5 years — following a typical printing schedule. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total equivalent cost to be $123, very low for a mono laser. The estimated yearly cost is $12, typical for this printer type. So the 3-, 4- and 5-year estimates are $135, $146 and $158 respectively.
PRINTER FIRMWARE. Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing. The firmware version of the Canon imageCLASS MF242dw was 22.06.
SOFTWARE. The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual, (and for all-in-ones:) scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a Windows 10 PC using the latest version of printer driver and printer support apps available at the time of testing.
ABOUT THE TONER CARTRIDGE, SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE. Our test results are valid only for the Canon-brand toner cartridge, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the Canon printer-update app installed on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Canon's website for further guidance. Try searching online.
