Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw Wireless Colour Multifunction Printer Review: The Small Office Workhorse We’ve Been Waiting For?

There’s a particular kind of frustration that only a failing office printer can induce. We’ve all been there: a crucial 50-page report is due in ten minutes, and the printer decides to stage a protest. It jams, the ink smears, the colours look faded, or worse, it disconnects from the network for the tenth time this week. For years, our small but growing team relied on a series of high-end inkjet printers that promised the world but delivered constant headaches. The cost of ink cartridges was staggering, and the print speed felt glacial when deadlines were looming. This constant unreliability wasn’t just an annoyance; it was a bottleneck, a drain on productivity that we simply couldn’t afford. We knew we needed to upgrade to something more serious, a machine built for the demands of a modern workplace—a true workhorse that could keep up with our pace without complaint. This search led us to the world of colour laser multifunction printers, a category where performance and reliability are paramount.

What to Consider Before Buying an All-In-One Printer

An All-In-One Printer is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for consolidating your office’s essential document-handling tasks. It serves as a central hub, seamlessly integrating high-quality printing, rapid copying, and detailed scanning into a single, space-saving device. The main benefit is efficiency. Instead of wrestling with three separate machines, their drivers, and their consumables, you have one streamlined workflow. This is crucial for small businesses, home offices, and busy workgroups where every square foot of desk space and every minute of the workday counts. A reliable multifunction printer eliminates clutter, simplifies supply management, and ensures that you can move from a digital draft to a physical copy or a scanned archive with just a few taps.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing a consistent, moderate-to-high volume of document production. Think small business owners preparing invoices and marketing materials, remote workers printing reports and presentations, or even students and researchers compiling extensive projects. They need speed, reliability, and crisp, professional-quality text. However, a robust office laser printer like this might not be suitable for those who primarily print high-resolution photographs, as specialized inkjet photo printers generally offer superior tonal range and vibrancy for that specific task. Likewise, a very casual home user who prints only a handful of pages per month might find the initial investment and physical size to be excessive for their needs. For them, a more compact and affordable inkjet model would be a more practical choice.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: Office-grade laser printers are substantial pieces of equipment. The Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw, for instance, weighs a hefty 18kg and has a significant footprint. Before you buy, measure your intended space carefully and ensure you have a sturdy desk or stand that can safely support its weight. You’ll also need to account for clearance around the machine for ventilation and for accessing paper trays and toner cartridges.
• Capacity/Performance: Look beyond the initial price and consider performance metrics that match your workload. Pages per minute (PPM) tells you how fast it prints, but also check the paper tray capacity—a 250-sheet tray like this one means less frequent refilling. For laser printers, the cost-per-page is often much lower than inkjets over the long term, making them more economical for high-volume printing.
• Materials & Durability: A printer designed for an office environment should be built to last. Look for a robust chassis made from high-quality plastics that can withstand the rigours of daily use. The internal mechanics of a laser printer are generally more durable and less prone to issues like clogged print heads that can plague infrequently used inkjet printers.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: A complicated printer can be a major source of frustration. An intuitive touchscreen interface, straightforward wireless setup, and simple toner replacement procedures are essential. Consider the mobile app experience and cloud integration features, as these can dramatically improve your workflow and how you interact with the device on a daily basis.

Keeping these factors in mind, the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw Wireless Colour Multifunction Printer stands out in several areas. You can explore its detailed specifications and features here.

While the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw Wireless Colour Multifunction Printer is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: A Serious Piece of Office Kit

The arrival of the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw Wireless Colour Multifunction Printer was an event in itself. The boxed weight of 24kg is no joke, and unboxing it immediately conveyed that this is a serious tool, not a flimsy consumer gadget. Inside the well-protected packaging, the printer itself sits securely, along with a set of starter toner cartridges, a power cord, and setup documentation. Lifting the 18kg unit into place requires care, but once situated, its solid, dense construction feels reassuringly durable.

The design is clean, professional, and functional, with a classic white finish that fits into any modern office environment. It’s certainly not small, but its cuboid shape is efficient. The focal point is the large, colour LCD touchscreen, which promises an intuitive user experience, a significant step up from the cryptic buttons and tiny monochrome screens of older printers. Getting it powered on and running through the initial setup via the touchscreen was surprisingly straightforward. The on-screen instructions for installing the toner cartridges were clear and easy to follow, and within about 20 minutes, we were ready to connect it to our network and begin our tests.

A Deep Dive into the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw’s Performance

A printer’s true worth is revealed not on its spec sheet, but in the heat of a busy workday. Over several weeks, we put the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw through its paces, treating it as the central hub for all our document needs. We tested everything from multi-page reports and colour presentations to quick scans and copies, evaluating its speed, quality, and overall usability. This is where the machine truly distinguished itself from the inkjets we had grown accustomed to tolerating.

Print Quality and Speed: The Heart of the Machine

The single most important function of an office printer is to produce consistently high-quality documents, and to do so quickly. This is where the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw Wireless Colour Multifunction Printer truly excels. We started with what we considered a torture test: a 100-page mixed-media document containing dense text, complex charts, and full-page colour graphics. The results were nothing short of spectacular. The monochrome text, rendered at a sharp 1200 x 1200 dpi, was impeccably crisp and clean, with no smudging or feathering, even on fine print. It’s the kind of professional quality you’d expect from a commercial print shop.

The colour performance was equally impressive for business applications. At 600 x 600 dpi, charts and logos were vibrant and bold, with solid, uniform colour fills that make presentations pop. While it won’t replace a dedicated photo printer for gallery-quality images, it handles embedded graphics in reports and marketing flyers with ease and professionalism. As one user aptly noted, the print quality is “impressive” and, crucially, “consistent, even under heavy printing loads.” We found this to be absolutely true; the 100th page looked identical to the first. The print speed of 18 ppm felt accurate in our tests. The first page out was quick, and the machine settled into a steady, reliable rhythm. The most transformative feature in our day-to-day work, however, was the automatic duplex printing. Being able to print double-sided documents effortlessly not only cut our paper consumption in half but also saved an immense amount of time and hassle, producing more professional, booklet-style reports without any manual intervention.

Seamless Connectivity and Workflow Integration

In today’s interconnected office, a printer that can’t easily talk to all your devices is practically useless. Canon has clearly put a great deal of thought into the connectivity of the MF641Cw. Setting it up on our Wi-Fi network was a breeze using the touchscreen wizard. Once connected, it was instantly discoverable by all our computers (a mix of Windows and Mac OS) without needing to manually install drivers on each one. Mobile printing is where it truly shines. Using Apple’s AirPrint and the Mopria standard for Android, we were able to print directly from our smartphones and tablets with zero setup. The Canon PRINT Business app provides even deeper control, allowing you to manage print jobs, check toner levels, and initiate scans directly from your phone.

Beyond basic printing, the printer’s workflow features are a genuine game-changer. The Scan to Cloud functionality is brilliant. We configured it to scan directly to our shared Google Drive and Dropbox folders. With a few taps on the screen, we could digitize a signed contract and have it appear in the correct cloud directory moments later, accessible to the entire team. This eliminates the tedious intermediate step of scanning to a PC and then manually uploading the file. The Application Library takes this a step further, allowing you to create custom, one-touch buttons for your most common tasks. We created a preset for “Scan Invoice to Email,” which automated the entire process, saving valuable minutes every time. This level of smart integration is what makes the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw a top contender for modern offices that value efficient workflows.

Usability, Security, and Long-Term Value

Powerful features mean little if the device is difficult to operate. Thankfully, the large colour LCD touchscreen on the MF641Cw is responsive, bright, and logically laid out. The menus are intuitive, making it easy to navigate through copy, scan, and print settings without consulting a manual. Everyday tasks, from loading paper into the generous 250-sheet tray to clearing a rare paper jam, are straightforward. Replacing the toner cartridges is also a simple, mess-free process thanks to a convenient front-access panel.

For any shared office environment, document security is a real concern. We were particularly impressed with the Secure PIN functionality. This feature allows you to send a sensitive document to the printer, but it won’t actually print until you walk over to the machine and enter a unique PIN code on the touchscreen. This prevents confidential information, like HR documents or financial reports, from being left unattended in the output tray for anyone to see. In terms of long-term value, the initial investment in a laser printer like this pays dividends over time. While the upfront cost is higher than a comparable inkjet, the cost-per-page with high-yield toner cartridges is significantly lower, especially for black-and-white text. Combined with its durable build and a 2-year manufacturer warranty, the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw is designed for longevity and represents a sound investment for any office that relies heavily on printing.

What Other Users Are Saying

Our positive experience with the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw is strongly echoed in feedback from other users. A recurring theme is the initial surprise at the printer’s sheer size and weight. As one user commented, “it’s worth noting how heavy this printer is… This is a serious laser printer for people who need to get a lot of good quality printing done.” This observation aligns perfectly with our own, confirming that its substantial build is a direct reflection of its robust, office-grade purpose.

The praise is almost universal when it comes to the core functions of print quality and speed. Feedback consistently highlights its ability to deliver “crisp text and detailed graphics without any blurring” and emphasizes that this quality remains steadfast even during large print jobs. The speed is frequently cited as a “major advantage.” While the feedback is overwhelmingly positive, a few nuanced points emerge. Some users note that for those whose primary need is printing high-resolution, borderless photos for framing, a specialized inkjet printer would still be the better tool for the job. Additionally, while the toner cartridges last a very long time, their replacement cost is a consideration to factor into the long-term budget.

How Does It Compare? Alternatives to the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw

The Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw is a formidable office printer, but it exists in a competitive market. Depending on your specific needs and budget, one of these alternatives might be a better fit.

1. Epson WorkForce WF-7840DTW A3+ 4-in-1 Printer

The Epson WorkForce WF-7840DTW is the clear choice if your work extends beyond the standard A4 format. Its ability to print, scan, and copy up to A3+ size makes it invaluable for architects, designers, or anyone creating large-format spreadsheets and posters. As an inkjet printer, it also boasts excellent colour and photo printing quality, potentially surpassing the Canon for vibrant marketing materials. It’s a true 4-in-1, including fax capabilities, which may still be essential for some businesses. However, for high-volume text document printing, the cost-per-page with ink cartridges may be higher than the Canon’s laser toner, and its overall footprint is even larger.

2. Canon PIXMA TS5350 Multifunctional Wifi Printer

If the i-SENSYS feels like overkill for your needs, the Canon PIXMA TS5350 represents the other end of the spectrum. This is a compact, stylish, and affordable inkjet printer designed for home use, students, or very small home offices with light printing demands. It excels at printing high-quality photos and handling occasional schoolwork or document printing. However, it cannot compete with the i-SENSYS on speed, paper capacity, or durability. It lacks features like an automatic document feeder and the robust workflow integrations, making it unsuitable for a busy office environment that relies on consistent, high-volume output.

3. HP Envy 6120e All-in-One Printer

The HP Envy 6120e is another strong contender in the home and light home office space. It’s a thermal inkjet printer that often pairs with HP’s Instant Ink subscription service, which can be a cost-effective model for users with predictable monthly print volumes. It offers good quality for everyday tasks like printing documents, photos, and creative projects. While it features solid wireless connectivity and a user-friendly app, it shares the same limitations as the PIXMA when compared to the i-SENSYS. Its speed, paper handling, and overall build are designed for domestic use, not the relentless demands of a productive small business.

Our Final Verdict on the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw Wireless Colour Multifunction Printer

After weeks of rigorous testing, we can confidently say that the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw Wireless Colour Multifunction Printer is an outstanding machine that delivers on its promise of professional-grade performance and reliability. It is the perfect solution for small businesses, busy home offices, and workgroups that have outgrown the limitations of inkjet printers. Its superb print quality, brisk speed, and robust feature set—particularly the automatic duplexing and advanced scanning workflows—can genuinely enhance productivity.

Yes, it’s a significant investment with a large physical presence, and it’s not the right choice for professional photo printing. But for its intended purpose—churning out flawless business documents day after day—it is an absolute workhorse. It replaces frustration with reliability and transforms a common office bottleneck into a streamlined asset. For any small office looking to make a serious upgrade to their document handling capabilities, the MF641Cw earns our strongest recommendation.

If you’ve decided the Canon i-SENSYS MF641Cw Wireless Colour Multifunction Printer is the right fit, you can check its current price and purchase it here.