Canon imageCLASS LBP122dw review

A compact monochrome printer with several real connection choices

The Canon imageCLASS LBP122dw suits a home or small office that needs black document output, automatic print duplex and a choice of USB or network access. It is explicitly print-only, so none of those connections provides original capture, copying or fax.

The useful workload reference is Canon’s recommended range of 200 to 2,000 monthly pages. That gives a more meaningful sustained-volume boundary than inventing a recommendation from its thirty-page-per-minute headline. Its single 150-sheet drawer also makes paper replenishment part of the fit.

Choose one LAN arrangement and prepare its queue

The exact model supports USB, Fast Ethernet and infrastructure Wi-Fi. Wired and wireless LAN cannot operate at the same time. Choose the intended LAN type at the panel with administrator access, then complete that connection.

The manual calls for uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers when switching between wired and wireless LAN. A network change therefore affects the computer setup as well as the cable or router. Use the exact supported UFR II package and verify the intended operating system rather than transferring the capabilities of an LBP122dw II revision.

For Windows output, select the machine and open Preferences or Properties. Set Page Size for the document and Output Size for the physical sheet. If they differ, the driver scales the content. Configure two-sided output and any other job settings before confirming the print command.

Paper registration connects the drawer to the driver

Open the front cover, move the guides, fan and align the stack, then load it face up against the drawer’s rear edge. Keep it below the limit line, align both length and width guides, close the paper cover and raise the stopper.

The default drawer settings are Letter and Plain 2. After changing the stock, select the actual size and type through Paper Settings and Drawer 1. A custom size requires its dimensions; a size hidden from the first screen remains available through the additional-size selection.

The Free settings reduce repeated selections, but they also change mismatch behavior. In particular, a free paper type allows output despite a difference between the driver’s type setting and the physical medium. An operator using heavier stock benefits from an explicit, checked selection.

Automatic duplex has a defined paper subset

The exact U.S. table positively marks Letter, Legal and A4 for automatic two-sided printing. It also distinguishes the eligible thin, plain and other supported categories from heavier paper, labels and envelopes that cannot use that path.

A sheet fitting the drawer is therefore not enough to establish duplex eligibility. Supported envelopes can be printed through their separate loading routine, but they remain one-sided media in the documented table. The nominal 150-sheet quantity uses the stated normal-paper basis and is not assigned to every exact size.

Mobile and Mac USB AirPrint have their own routines

The exact network specifications support AirPrint and Mopria. The AirPrint instructions also explicitly allow a Mac connected through the rear USB computer port after registering the appropriate queue. That is a documented exception to treating every AirPrint route as network-only.

For mobile direct connection, enable the feature, open Mobile Portal and select Connect. Join the displayed SSID with its network key within the waiting period. The default supports one mobile device; configuring a fixed SSID and key allows up to five. Disconnect when finished.

AirPrint’s available settings and paper sizes depend on the application. The native driver’s detailed duplex controls are therefore kept separate from mobile-plan claims. A system-manager PIN also protects administration; it does not establish secure release of an individual print job.

Compare supplies and space on matching bases

The supplied 071 starter is declared at approximately 700 pages. Replacement 071 and 071H are declared at 1,200 and 2,500 pages under ISO/IEC 19752 using A4 plain paper and default density. These declarations do not establish current running costs.

The operating manual gives a 14 by 11⅛ by 8⅜-inch body, with substantially more space needed for operation and surrounding clearance. Its unloaded weight conflicts with the smaller U.S. web figure, so a loaded weight is left unknown. The remaining fit is clear: a compact duplex output desk within the stated recommended range, with a separately documented multifunction device required for paper originals.