The Canon PC-860 is a high-quality monochrome laser copier and printer that straddles the line well between upper-end home use and entry-level business use. It doesn't provide multi-functionality beyond the copying, but it prints black and white text at a level of quality normally reserved for much pricier business machines. The Canon PC-860 has a warm-up time of 10 seconds as well as an instant-on feature and a power-saving idle state. It only prints at a maximum rate of 12 pages per minute, and it has a standard capacity of 250 sheets. The monthly duty cycle is 5,000 sheets, and Canon PC-860 toner generally has a high yield of 4,000 pages.
Design
For the PC-860, Canon uses a business white colour scheme and a squat, rectangular shape. The design allows the PC-860 to be sturdy and stable. It feels substantial when you're using it, and you won't easily knock it around by accident, but it's also not nearly as heavy as it looks. It's certainly too large as a portable option, but it's not a backbreaker to move, and you shouldn't have trouble finding a spot for it even in the smallest office. The output tray is on the left side, the easy-access draw is on the right side, and the lid and control panel are up top.
Advantages
The greatest advantage to the Canon PC-860 is the quality that it offers. This is the entry point into Canon's best business machines, and the quality is tremendous. One fear with a machine like this is that Canon would try to recoup their losses by overcharging on the toner, but that isn't the case. Not only are Canon PC-860 cartridges among the cheapest for printers in this class, they also have a much higher yield than is normal. Overall, it's tough to match the cost-per-page on this unit.
Disadvantages
The downside to the Canon PC-860 is that it doesn't have scan or fax functionality. Canon could not deliver these features well at this price point, so they opted not to deliver them at all. Another issue with the PC-860 is its speed; 12 pages per minute is quite slow in many business environments. So while this printer is perfect for home use and offices with light copying and printing duties, it isn't going to meet the demands of the small office that copies and prints frequently day in and day out. Lastly, the PC-860 has a 250 sheet capacity, which is reasonable, but unfortunately, is not upgradeable.
