The MultiPASS C100 is a matured version of the C75 yet still manages to keep its price low. Many of the features in the C75 have been kicked up a notch, and the improvements make the C100 more productive and better value for money.
Under the bonnet, the C100 has a sturdy set of features to provide the functions necessary for most home or office tasks. The most notable improvements over the C75 lie in the fax and printing specifications. Fax capability has increased with the addition of a 33.6Kb/s modem and a large 416-page memory. Printing resolution has effectively doubled from 720 x 360dpi to 1,440 x 720, and RAM has been upgraded to 6MB. Although these improvements in printer specifications translate to better printing and speed results over the C75, the C100 has average performance overall. Text was printed in pure black with only slight feathering, and retained its detail against a solid grey background. Grey tones were slightly off with visible cyan and magenta in the gradient, although there was a smooth tonal transition from white to pure black.

The same cant be said for scan quality; like the similarly specified C75, it produced excellent results. Colour detail was one of the finest, and although blurry in parts, it produced accurate colour representation.

This is surprising, as both Canon devices contain a maximum optical scan resolution of 300ppi, interpolated to a relatively low 600ppi with only 24-bit colour. Although it is unlikely that a high optical or interpolated resolution would be required in a multifunction device at this price, this also supports the notion that scan quality is not absolutely dependent on pixels per inch; rather, the scan hardware as a whole is a better indicator. If a comparison were to be drawn solely on specifications, then our awards would be allocated very differently than they are here, missing out on crucial performance comparisons.
All our Labs reviews are based on a strict testing methodology, which in this case allows us to give the seemingly unlikely C100 our PC Authority Value Award.