Cloud Printing from a Chromebook: We try it out on 8 inkjet all-in-ones

Canon Pixma MX925

This is the top model in Canon’s MX range of home office all-in-ones. It’s a big beast of a machine, even given its feature set, but feels solid and easy to use. A 75mm colour LCD is supported by an array of 16 push-buttons with context-sensitive legends.

Twin paper trays for plain and photo paper are supplemented by a DVD/CD slot for direct printing, and a 35-sheet duplex ADF set into the top enables two-sided copies and faxes, as well as prints.

Cloud Print results were good, with a fast 5-page document print and a good time on the photo print, too. This printer managed to direct our 15 x 10cm photo to the photo tray, so it can be done.

The five ink cartridges, with plain and photo black, give a low mono page cost, thanks to a 1,000 page XXL cartridge option. Colour costs are a bit on the high side, but, overall, the printer is capable and good value.

Epson WorkForce WF-2650

Epson’s mid-range SoHo all-in-one looks a little as though it’s from the previous generation. Its all-black case has a fixed control panel with physical buttons throughout and a 56mm mono LCD – the only printer in the group without colour.

Paper feeds from a 150-sheet tray at the front to quite a long output tray above; the desktop footprint is large for a small machine. A 30-page ADF makes copies easier and the four separate cartridges plug in once you’ve raised the scanner section.

This machine was a surprise winner in our Cloud Print speed tests, completing the five-page task in 42 seconds and the photo in 46 seconds. The photo print came out very small, though. Print costs are good for mono print, but a bit high for colour. Overall, this is a surprisingly good printer for using with a CloudBook and won’t break the bank.