Canon Pixma MX490

Canon's Pixma MX490 shade inkjet multifunction printer (MFP) has a superlow

price ($100 at this writing) and a simple-to-use layout that should appeal to

house and student users. If you publish a great deal, however, look in other

places, as its ink costs are high.

I do not anticipate much from a device this affordable, so to its credit

scores, the Pixma MX490 has actually some thoughtfully created attributes. A

tiny, front swing-out door shields the 3 media ports. When you elevate the

flatbed scanner device, an upright support bar automatically props it up, and

a computer animation appears on the color LCD revealing you how to change the

ink cartridges snuggled inside. Lifting a little leading lid exposes the 1.8-

inch shade LCD as well as the control board, which sports a compass-style

navigation wheel and clearly labeled buttons.

Other design elements are much less effective. The scanner cover is held in

location by plastic adapters that are not strongly attached, so it clatters

when lifted. The 100-sheet upright input tray has a rickety plastic

assistance panel that stands out off also quickly. The page-orientation label

on the input tray is puzzling. Not remarkably for such a cost-effective

equipment, it does not have ethernet or automatic duplexing.

The Pixma MX490 created mixed outcomes on our performance tests. It drained

plain-text web pages at a rate of 8.7 pages per min (ppm), and also graphics

at 2.3 ppm-- both somewhat low-grade. Text and landscape photos looked good,

yet photos of people experienced orangey complexion. Scans took place

extremely rapidly, but the pictures showed low-key colors and harsh textures.

Similar to a lot of inexpensive MFPs, Canon makes its real cash by charging

extra for the ink. The Pixma MX490 ships with standard-size cartridges. The

220-page substitute expenses $16 or an expensive 7.3 cents per page. The 401-

page, high-yield black cartridge costs $22 or 5.5 cents per page-- much

better, but still no bargain. Color inks are extra affordable: High-yield

cyan, magenta, and also yellow each expense $17 and also last 750 pages (2.3

cents per color, per web page), while the standard-size cartridges cost

$10.49 and last 325 pages (3.2 cents per color, per web page).

The $100 cost series of this MFP suggests tradeoffs. The high ink costs are

bearable if you publish occasionally; or else, search for a design with

lower-cost inks (as well as a greater acquisition price), such as HP's

OfficeJet 6500 Wireless ($199 as tested; $150 without Wi-Fi).