Canon FAXPHONE L100 review

A fax-centered device with a separate USB printing role

The Canon FAXPHONE L100, U.S. brochure item 5258B001AA, combines monochrome laser printing, copying and telephone fax. It is an earlier model whose maker shop record says it is no longer available. Its useful role is a small fax installation that also needs occasional computer output, with a handset included.

The document feeder is simplex. Its internal image capture serves copying and fax, while the read originals do not establish a workflow for saving scanned files to a computer. A bundled-software description or a generic USB footnote using the word scanner does not supply that missing operation.

Start with the actual native printing sequence

Connect the computer through USB and install the exact supported FAX L driver. Open the document’s print window, choose that driver, enter Preferences or Properties, set the desired output options and submit the job. The USB cable is not included.

The guide provides scaling, multiple pages on one sheet, poster layout and watermarks. Multiple-pages-per-sheet printing puts reduced pages on one face; it does not establish automatic duplex output. Automatic two-sided printing remains unestablished here.

Canon declares up to 19 one-sided Letter ppm. The U.S. shop record separately lists 12.4 Letter copies per minute, while the older brochure rounds that copy figure to 12. Neither copy number should be substituted for print throughput or described as a duplex rate.

The feeder requires ordinary, prepared originals

The feeder takes up to 30 originals, with a documented size range through 8.5 by 14 inches. Pull out its tray, fan and align the stack, place the originals face down and bring the guides against the edges. Guides that are too loose or too tight can cause misfeeds.

Do not add or remove originals during capture. Remove completed originals from the return tray, and keep staples, clips, damp correction fluid, creases and unsuitable thin material out of the path. The guide warns that repeatedly feeding the same page can damage it.

For a copy, switch to Copy mode, enter the count and start. Density, document type and copy ratio can be adjusted to suit the original. This feeder-based routine is not a verified flatbed or computer-export arrangement.

Choose a fax receive mode that matches the telephone setup

The telephone line, handset and external-device connections have distinct purposes. Auto mode suits fax-only use. Fax/Tel Auto Switch separates fax tones from voice calls, Answer expects an answering machine, and Manual leaves the user to answer and initiate fax reception when appropriate.

To send, load originals, switch to Fax mode, enter or select the recipient and press Start. If destination confirmation is enabled, verify the displayed recipient before continuing. Calling the recipient first uses the handset or external telephone and requires starting transmission when the receiving fax is ready.

The advertised 512-page memory uses the ITU-T No. 1 Chart in Standard mode. It is a memory test basis, not a 512-sheet feeder. Actual content and settings affect how much can be stored.

Memory Lock is a received-fax control

Memory Lock can keep incoming faxes in memory and protect its settings with a PIN. It is different from submitting a computer document with a release code. The actual guide says disabling memory reception prints all stored faxes; it does not support choosing individual fax documents to print.

Review and delete unnecessary received documents before releasing the stored set. This distinction matters in a shared office: a fax-memory setting should not be treated as a promise of native secured-job printing from the computer.

Paper, toner and working clearance set the practical limits

The cassette holds 150 normal sheets at 20 lb Bond, while envelopes have a separate ten-envelope limit. Load output stock print side up, adjust both guides and match the machine’s Paper Settings to the actual size and type. Original loading and output-paper loading face in different directions.

The package contains a Starter Cartridge 128. Its separate yield is unestablished in the read originals; the replacement 128’s approximately 2,100-page ISO/IEC declaration should not be assigned to that starter. The 8,000-page maximum monthly volume is also not a recommended routine workload.

The closed body measures 14.7 by 12 by 12 inches and weighs about 19.5 lb with cartridge. Leave additional room for trays, the handset and service access. A small closed-body footprint does not remove the operating clearance shown in the original installation instructions.