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The printer is AirPrint-compatible, using the Maxify Cloud ink interface, which lets you access various cloud-based services. This means you can upload scanned documents directly to your Evernote, Google Drive, and Dropbo, among others. For avid Google users, the MFP also supports Google Cloud Print, allowing the user to send documents to the printer from any Web-enabled smartphone, mobile device or computer. By just simply installing the Maxify Printing Solutions app onto any iOS, Android or Windows RT device, you can print documents and photos from your device, or even scan them to your device. The MFP can be connected to a network through WiFi or Ethernet, as well as directly through a computer using USB.
When it comes to output, the MFP's performance is satisfactory, but inconsistent across mediums. Text seems to be its strongest suit, although tiny fonts seem to show decreasing quality. Photo print quality is average, while graphics show below-average printing. Keeping this all in mind, the printer is still good for business use for companies not looking to create and print large graphics or photos. As it is, graphics and photo printing are good enough for businesses not looking to place a large emphasis on them in their day-to-day operations.
As the MB5320 isn't a photo printer, it uses basic four-color (CMYK) ink, available in standard and high-capacity cartridges. As part of the Maxify series, the MB5320 contains a new ink system, Dual Resistant High Density, which, according to Canon, can drive larger yields than what you may even find with a Pixma model, and the inks are design to produce graphs with vivid colors, as well as sharp, optical density and crisp text.
As compared to other printers in the Maxify series, like the MB5020, there is similar speed and output quality from the MB5320, although it boasts double the MB5020's paper capacity and single-pass scanning of double-sided documents. The scanner has an optical resolution of 1200x1200 dpi, lower than many less-expensive all-in-one printer options, but still provides sufficient faxing, scanning, and copying capabilities.
At $399.99, the MB5320 is at the high-end of the SOHO market, which can hinder price-conscious small business owners.
We liked
This printer looks sleek for a business machine and delivers relatively fast printing at a high volume with good quality on documents essential for the SOHO market. Scanning is especially convenient with double-sided scanning in one-pass, eliminating the tedious need to re-feed documents. The connectivity to the Cloud is great because, hey, who doesn't love all their documents floated to all of their mobile devices?
We disliked
The price is a bit steep for the target market (small businesses). For users looking to get high-quality graphic and photo creation, they might be disappointed by the quality.
Final verdict
The Canon Maxify MB5320 multifunction printer would be a sound addition to any small or home office looking for an efficient printer that can handle large volumes of paper. This seems to validate Canon's concept for their Maxify inkjets, which seems to be gunning for the small business or prosumer.
