The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw is an all-in-one color laser printer designed mainly for business use. It's compatible with Canon 067 standard-format and 067H high-yield toner cartridges. The ADF-equipped scanner offers automatic single-pass duplex scanning. Its connectivity options include USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct, allowing printing from external devices such as USB flash drives, as well as support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. It's compatible with the Canon PRINT Business app, which enables tasks such as printing, scanning, and executing remote maintenance tasks, among others.
There are several variants of the Canon Color imageCLASS MF65XCdw series, each with slightly different feature sets. See the Differences Between Variants section below for more details.
Our Verdict
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw is very good for home use. It offers low ownership costs, incurs few maintenance requirements, and features a scanner with a height-adjustable lid to accommodate items such as books or magazines. Printed text documents are sharp and legible, but like most laser printers, it isn't the best option for printing photos. Color reproduction isn't all that accurate, and fine details tend to look blocky and grainy. It's also a fairly large printer, so finding a suitable spot for it in your home may not be easy.
- Fantastic document printing quality in color and black-and-white.
- Full-featured scanner.
- Undemanding maintenance requirements.
- Wide range of connectivity options.
Low recurring costs.
- Struggles with reproducing fine details in photos.
- Can't print on glossy paper.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw is an excellent printer for small offices. It prints excellent quality documents and has a fantastic page yield with a low cost-per-print. Its feature-rich scanner is equipped with an ADF capable of single-pass duplex scanning, making it easy to process multi-page and double-sided documents. It also offers many connectivity options, making it convenient to access.
- Fantastic document printing quality in color and black-and-white.
- Full-featured scanner.
- High page yield.
- Undemanding maintenance requirements.
- Wide range of connectivity options.
Low recurring costs.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw is a fantastic choice if you're looking for a dependable printer that requires minimal maintenance and performs reliably whenever you press "print." Since it's a laser printer, you know it won't ever clog, even if you leave it unused for a long time. Its cartridges can yield thousands of pages before needing replacement, and they include the drum unit, which also simplifies maintenance. This printer also supports various connectivity options, making it easy to print from pretty much any device.
- High page yield.
- Undemanding maintenance requirements.
- Wide range of connectivity options.
Fast overall print speed.
Like most laser printers, the Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cd offers sub-par photo printing performance. It has a narrow color gamut and only passable color accuracy; printed photos look fairly different from the source material. It also struggles to resolve small details and can't print on glossy photo paper. On the upside, its color toner cartridges have a substantial page yield, so you won't need to replace them often, even if you print photos regularly.
Narrow color gamut.
- Struggles with reproducing fine details in photos.
- Can't print on glossy paper.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw can print thousands of pages before needing a cartridge replacement. High-yield cartridges are also available; these can virtually double the page yields, according to Canon's estimates.
- High page yield.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw produces outstanding-quality scans. Text looks clear, fine details are well-resolved, and the scanner reproduces colors accurately; however, there's a slight graininess to the overall image. The feature-rich scanner includes adjustable flatbed hinges for accommodating larger items like textbooks and an ADF capable of single-pass duplex scanning for processing multi- and double-sided documents.
- Full-featured scanner.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Jul 02, 2026: We've updated this review to Test Bench 1.4, which adds new usages and performance usages, as well as reorganizes several other tests throughout the review. You can read more about the changes in detail in the Changelog.
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Updated Dec 16, 2025:
We've updated text throughout the review after converting to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Dec 16, 2025: We've updated the review to Test Bench 1.3, which adds a number of test boxes including Risk of Clogging and Ease of Unclogging. We also updated the Usage and Performance boxes at the top of the review to better integrate the new aspects covered. See the changelog.
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Updated Nov 20, 2025:
This printer previously reached full speed only when connected through USB or Ethernet, but a firmware update appears to have fixed the issue. We adjusted the text to remove mentions of this issue throughout the review.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw. There are several variants of the Canon Color imageCLASS MF65XCdw series.
| Model | ADF | Duplex Scanning | Two-Sided Printing | Fax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon Color imageCLASS MF652Cdw | N | N | N | N |
| Canon Color imageCLASS MF653Cdw | N | N | Y | N |
| Canon Color imageCLASS MF654Cdw | Y | N | Y | N |
| Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw | Y | Y | Y | Y |
See this unit's label.
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw is a color laser all-in-one printer designed for small office use. It outperforms many other printers in its class, offering high page yields, superb document printing quality, and a wide range of scanner features. It also offers support for a wide range of wired and wireless connectivity options. It's also relatively quick, with speeds of around 22 pages per minute for both color and black-and-white prints.
If you're looking for alternatives, check out our recommendations for the best home printers, the best laser printers, and the best office printers.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw/MF654Cdw represents a better value than the Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw/MF751Cdw, though the two printers are similar overall. The MF656Cdw/MF654Cdw takes up a little less room and has a similar range of scanner features, though the MF753Cdw/MF751Cdw offers slightly better print quality. The biggest differences come in the form of their toner cartridges: the 067 cartridges used by the MF65XCdw lineup have a substantially higher yield than the 069 cartridges found in MF75XCdw models, resulting in a considerably lower cost-per-print.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw/MF654Cdw and the Epson EcoTank ET-3950 both offer full-featured scanners with automatic document feeders and duplex scanning. The Canon also includes fax capability. It's quicker overall, making it better for frequent, high-volume scanning and printing, and it produces more detailed scans and prints. The Epson, however, provides lower long-term printing costs because of its high-yield, refillable supertank system. It also handles photo printing well, unlike the Canon, which uses laser technology and isn’t intended for that use.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw is the successor to the Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw. Both printers are very similar in terms of performance and feature set. The newer imageCLASS MF665Cdw does slightly improve print quality with marginally crisper results. It's also quicker at 26 pages per minute compared to 22 PPM. However, if you can find the MF656Cdw at a slightly lower price, it may be a better deal.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw/MF654Cdw is better than the Brother MFC-L3770CDW Laser. The Canon has fewer maintenance requirements, uses toner cartridges with a noticeably greater page yield and offers superior scan quality. While neither is intended as a dedicated photo printer, the Canon has a wider color gamut and marginally better color accuracy. Meanwhile, the Brother has a slightly faster max printing speed and scans faster.
Test Results
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