Customer Reviews

Canon PIXMA MP495 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One (4499B026)

5 star:		(144)
4 star:		(116)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(51)

 

 

The PIXMA MP495 is a fine printer with all-in-one features and WiFi capabilities. The driver and software installation, however, did not go so smoothly (Windows 7 x64). I can't imagine a layman going through the difficulty I went through getting WiFi working with this printer. But once it's configured, it works quite well.

Document Printing:
Funny enough, this is probably the least interesting part of the all-in-one. There's not much that can be said in this category. The MP495 is a very competent document printer with all the features you'd find in any inkjet printer. Paper loads from the back, so it's a bit more intuitive which side of the paper will be printed on, but it also means you need more space heightwise.

Photo Printing:
As a photo printer, the MP495 is both fast and high quality. I found that the supplied 'Photo Paper Plus Glossy II' sample paper outperformed some HP photo paper I had. And the MP495 outperformed another HP photosmart 385 printer I have in both speed and quality. So I am quite pleased with the performance here as I find this to be one of the major draws of this device. Canon claims about 86 photos from one Color ink cartridge. I have not owned the printer long enough to verify the accuracy of their claim.

Scanning:
I don't scan very often, but it's a very useful feature to have when you need it. In a scanner I look for speed, image quality and usable software. I'm quite pleased with the MP495's scanner capabilities. My test involved a sheet from a notepad that had a light gray watermark-like background. The scanner picked it up no problem. From initialization to scan completion took approx. 20 seconds, which I find adequate. There's a scan button on the printer, but pressing it doesn't do anything if the printer is hooked up via WiFi.

WiFi:
One of the main draws of this printer is its wifi capabilities. But since the printer has no controls on the device itself for configuring the connection to your likely secured WiFi access point, it must be configured through software installed on one of the computers on the network. Configuring the WiFi was a bit tricky. After repeated failed attempts, I figured out that the trick is to plug the USB cable (which they call a WiFi configuration cable) in at precicely the right point during setup -- during the detection phase. Plugging it in too soon seems to cause it to fail -- and I waited the first few times too. Regardless, this will no doubt be a hurdle for novices trying to configure this printer. I suggest having a competent computer person around while configuring the WiFi connection on this printer. With that being said, not having to have the printer close enough to my computer for the USB cable to reach is fantastic.

Software:
The software is not very impressive but adequate. There's a utility for managing your scans and OCR text conversion and all that good stuff. Canon boasts an automatic scanning feature that automatically detects the type of document being scanned. I tested it out and it seems to work well as far as being convenient. The software however lacks ability to open the file location in Explorer or even open the file using the default application. So that's quite annoying.
Included with the software is "MyPrinter" utility that allows you to connect to the printer and configure various options. It seems like nothing more than a shortcut to the printer properties utility included with windows. There's no options for configuring the WiFi connection in this utility. You must use the Setup program to do that -- something I find rather annoying since this is something you should easily be able to access without having to pop in the driver disc or dig up the setup utility.
If you decide to go with the Easy install instead of the custom install, the setup utility will dump some annoying shortcut toolbar application called Menu something or other. I removed it right quick.
There's also something Canon calls "Web Print Ex" which allows you to change the layout of web pages to print them out better. I didn't test this software out.

Cost:
At around $80, half the cost of this printer is in the ink. On Amazon, the ink for this printer seems to run around $17 for Black and $18 for Color. Canon reveals the following for ink life:
Black Ink Tank Life Black: 220 pages (PG-510), 401 pages (optional PG-512)¹
Black: 2955 photos* (PG-510), 7275 photos* (optional PG-512)²
* Estimated supplemental yield
Colour Ink Tank Life Colour: 244 pages (CL-511), 349 pages (optional CL-513)¹
Colour: 83 photos (CL-511), 122 photos (optional CL-513)²
Note that I found this info on Canon's European site. The actual cartridge models are PG-210 and CL-211.

So even with those numbers, which are probably the upper bound, you're looking at around 19 cents per photo plus cost of paper. While the photo quality is excellent, I've ordered prints online for around 5 cents per photo. So the ink here is certainly expensive.

Conclusion:
Pros
- Wifi
- Quiet and fast scanner
- High quality and fast printing
- Reasonable purchase price
Cons
- Expensive ink
- Clunky software
- Lack of LCD for independent configuration

Rating the device itself on its merits alone, I give it 4 stars. Whether that ink cost is a major deterrent to you is really up to you.

I bought this unit as my laser printer was just too much wrt toner costs. I also wanted a wireless printer to share between all my computers (PC and Mac/iphone).

It is low cost (really low cost), and the print quality (at this price point) is great.

The reason that I'm not happy with this product, like I should be is just how poorly thought out the software is. During install, you basically are going to be loading up with a number of bloatware features (trying to not install these resulted in weird artifacts/or the software you need just not installing).

Also there's a little bubble that sit's on your desktop - really annoying. After all, I wanted a printer and a printer really should just work in the background without the need to be seen by me every time i use my computer.

Finally, the settings. The settings are crazy. First - no matter what I try, I can't get the printer to print in the proper order. Out of the box with all the defaults, I found that when I print a document - it prints in reverse order. Unacceptable. Going through the settings - I can't find the setting to lock this down. So I have to remember each time that I print to 'reverse' print order.

Also, there's a 'silent' feature. I haven't a clue what this does. It does make the printer a bit more silent, but it's not default. If there's some software to make the printer work just as well, but with less noise - shouldn't this be default?

Again, the install was a mess. Installing across computers (PC or Mac) was not fun. The fact that the settings were/are not correct out of the box, not fun. The bloatware/and the weird bubble that shows up on my desktops - really NOT fun. If the unit printed at lightening speed or completely silent, perhaps then I could overlook the poorly designed software - but it doesn't. The printer is just average.

I'm giving the OK rating because the print quality is average, the cost overall is great, and the software is poor. So it's just so/so.

Let me jump right into this. . .

1) Wi-Fi. Nuff said! Actually I was scared at first because the unit comes with an 2nd user guide simply to troubleshoot the wi-fi. BUT. . .all you have do to is follow the instructions when running the install disc, which say (if you read them) to plug the printer in via USB cable. You must do this step before you can setup the wi-fi.

2) USB cable provided. Finally a printer that doesn't make you buy this separately. Thank you Canon!

3) Photo printing was impressive. If you have actual photo paper vs. regular copy paper then you can get some very gorgeous pictures printed. It's amazing how the single multi-colored cartridge can perform to this level. Not the same quality as the 5 cartridge inkjets, but comparable to my 3yr old Canon MP520

4) Good and bad of the ink cartridge it uses a single multi-color cartridge for the blue-magenta-yellow. But since you have to replace the entire cartridge when one color goes out...not sure exactly if the cost in the end will be more or less than the multi-cartridge packs. I guess it depends on how efficient the printer will be over the long run in its use of the color cartridge vs. previous models.

Replacements:
Canon PG-210 XL Cartridge (Black) = about $17
Canon CL-211 XL Cartridge (Color) = about $22


5) Scanning = disappointed. Wi-fi can communicate in two directions, but they only set this up for sending to the printer. Thus you must plug the cable in to the computer to scan. If you want more control of your scans get a real scanning software packages that will recognize the printer, because the software the printer comes with is mediocre.

**update July 2011** - found you can scan wirelessly...but it was a chore for me to do and I didn't feel the instruction manual was clear on how to make this happen.

6) Speaking of software...when you look at the feature list above on this amazon product description page, most of the highlights are actually software based. Big deal. Other than needing the drivers for the printer, most of the tasks marketed can be done better and with more features from free download-able software. Also most of the software features seem to be a shortcut to the Control Panel > Printers & Devices section of Windows, not to mention no configuring of Wi-Fi anywhere other than upon initial setup. Guess you'll need to run the installer again to get to those features.

7) Copying is noisy, but pretty fast when doing a black & white copy. I did put a page of Consumer report in and selected the Color copy. The product images came out with good detail and the small ratings on the red bars were easy to read. Nice and clear copies!

8) Nice full black color aesthetics. My old printer (MP520) is mostly a flat grey silver, but this nice high glossy printer looks sleek.

OVERALL:
- Much of the "features" highlighted are so-so software driven enhancements.
- I love how it's wireless!
- I don't see why scanning couldn't be made wireless too, but with the right 3rd party software the quality and manipulation of the scan are good.
- Only time will tell if the move to a single color cartridge will be less or more expensive.
- I'm overall happy with the speed and quality.

1) Choosing a printer:
Need a new printer, one to replace my HP D1660 that has been nothing but problems, you get what you pay for. Shopping around and reading consumer reviews, and Consumer Reports gave both Canon and Epson printers high marks. Cheap ink price with Canon was the selling point, see the ** at the bottom of review. While I do shop a lot for electronics online, and got most of my stuff through Amazon, Amazon did not have the lowest price for the printer, Wal Mart priced in at $59.99. For its price, even if you pay the six dollar's more with Amazon, you still get a great deal for what this printer can do.

2) Setting up printer:
Setting up the printer was easy for me, and there are two ways to set it up to use on you Wireless Network. The faster way is using the USB cable that comes with the printer by plugging it in to your computer. When you start installing the driver for the printer, asks you if you would like to us it on WLAN Network. If you choose yes the driver install does the rest, grabbing the PSK from your computer. The other way is to much work if you ask me, and that involves WPA using thing maintenance button on the printer.

3) Using printer
Copying using the printer, while it is not the kind of copier you find in an office, it does however copy every well. The only choose you have for enlarging the document is the Fit to Page button: In my opinion that is all that is needed for home use and most office use. You can choose the number of copies to make, with the number being displayed on the LED display. A plus when copying with the printer, it auto detects the right shade level to use. Scanning with the printer, takes a bit more work when setup for Wireless use, and there are a few ways to scan documents and/or pictures. One: Is the Scan button on the Printer, (Note this feature does not work if you have the printer setup via the WLAN). Two: Using the auto scan via Canon Solution Menu EX located in the Taskbar. Three: Using scanners driver via the MP Navigator EX 4.0 and using the scanners driver you can set the scanning dpi resolution higher. Using the Auto Scan feature does yelled good scans, and the only time that I have found that I needed to use the scanners drive, was when scanning older pictures. *Note; if you using the print via the WLAN then you will need the scanning software that comes with the printer, otherwise Windows Live Photo Gallery can be used to scan. Other thing is, if you scan other things then photo then you will like the scanning software for the printer, lettered and graphic documents can be converted to PDF, which I find very handy. Printing with the printer, yields good results better than any printer I have had mostly due to the fact that page comes out evenly, and it does use about one cent extra ink. Documents that have simple graphics, printer very well under fast mode, the only time that I have a need to set it higher is when printer multi-color documents that need to have a higher dpi. Photo printing with the printer, is what makes this printer a great buy; and best thing about this printer is how photo's come out looking like photo lab pictures. You can print with or without borders, though I find without borders to look the best. The software that comes with the printer is a bit clucky, and is unneeded if you are already using a program to organize you photo's. If you do not do any hardcore photo editing, other than getting read of redeye, or gray scaling, then Windows Live Photo Gallery is all you need. Picasa is another great program for organize you photo's, that does a little more; and it is free. One thing that I found with printing great looking photo's, is picking the right kind of photo paper, and using the right photo print settings. I use HP Glossy Premium Photo Paper, and have great results.

4) Pros:
a) Wireless printing
b) One touch Auto Scanning, (does not work when printer is setup on a WLAN Network.
c) Photo Printing
d) iPhone and Android printing by way of a printer app for the phones.
e) Cheap in price, but not in quality, $59.99 at Wal Mart.
f) *Low ink indicator LED for both color and black ink on printer.
g) **Low ink cost.
h) WPA and WPA2 and 802.11b/g/n

5) Cons:
a) Auto Scan via the printer does not work when printer is setup to work on WLAN.
b) Clunky software for photo printing and scanning.
c) ***Ink not refillable.
d) Scanning default set at 300dpi.

6) Overview:
When shopping around for a printer, found that Canon printers had happy users, and for the price this one is a must have if you looking for a multifunction (printer, scanner and copier). Even if you are in the market for just a printer, go ahead and get this one; you will not be disappointed.

* The My Printer program can also be used to indicate when ink is low, but the indicator LED's means one less program needs to be installed.
** Amazon has the Black PG-210XL at $16.99 and the CL-211XL at 21.99. Wal Marts price is $21.98 for the PG-210XL, and for the CL-211XL $28.84. Plus with Amazon the shipping for ink is free, and there is no tax.
*** Due to the ink level indicator of the ink cartridge of this type being unable to be rest, there is a high defect rate of refilled PG-210 and CL-211. However the cartridges can still be recycled at your local printer ink store.

I am a homeschooling mother of 3, and I print a lot! I decided when my Lexmark printer (was a gift) ran out of black ink I would buy a new printer because Lexmark ink is too expensive and runs out too quickly. I decided on this printer because it got decent reviews on print quality. I'm not concerned about photo printing, because I use another service for that. I like the ease of use of this printer, and I like that it prints fairly quickly. I was a little concerned about the wireless setup because of the reviews stating it was confusing to set up. I did not find this to be the case! I found that once I unwrapped the printer, installed the ink and put the cd in the drive that the on-screen directions were PERFECT! It told me what to do and when to do it. I just installed it today, so I can't comment on the ink life or quality over time, but the 20 pages I printed today were perfect.

EDIT: As for ink life, I print quite a bit in Black and White, and mostly I use the draft setting for the fastest print time and lowest ink consumption. I find that printing 15 - 30 pages per week I can get about 6 months on one black ink cartridge, which for me is great performance, and this is considering that when I use the copy function I can't get draft settings.

After having the printer for almost a year, I began to have problems with the print quality, I contacted Canon customer support, and after some troubleshooting determined that the unit was faulty. I was shipped a new unit, which works wonderfully, and I couldn't be happier.

Excellent Scanner. Highly detailed photo printing. Good supporting software. Ink is not cheap, but what inkjet ink isn't. I'm not sure if the cartridges can be refilled and you will have to stay posted for this one. Newer Canon cartridges also have a shelf life where the cartridge will not work after a certain date even if full so beware. The bundled software can be intrusive on your other software e.g. browsers so I suggest using the custom installation process. The printer works well with other programs e.g. printshop. In fact you can get by just installing the drivers. The best part of this printer is that it integrates well with your wireless network and does not require a cable to print. Overall I am highly satisfied with the product and strongly recommend it.

Recently I began searching for an inexpensive printer/scanner/photo printer, so I started right here on Amazon, reading different reviews and comparing products. Let's hope that my review helps you out.

Usually, I buy the top of the line everything. But this time, since I dont print 1000 documents a day, or 100 pictures a day, I deemed it unnecessary to spend hundreds. First of all, I dont think that I would consider this to be a "compact" printer. It definitely takes up some room. However, everything that is needed is in the box. The set-up was pretty much idiot proof, and the installation software worked flawlessly for me. I was up and running in less than 30 minutes.

The printer itself is somewhat noisy, but it does print clear, crisp lines. I dont like that page 1 ends up on the bottom of the stack when printing multiple pages though. It is just a minor annoyance to manually put the pages in order.

The scanner function worked perfectly, and I had to scan about 20 pages today. It is quick, and is easy for transferring over to your computer.

I have only used the photo printer once or twice, and for a printer of this economical value, you cant beat the quality of pictures. They dont have the appearance of the typical cheap printer. But, remember that photo paper quality does play a role in the clarity.

Overall, you cant beat this printer for the price. I would have easily paid over $100 and still been completely satisfied. If you are looking for small, compact, and quiet, this isnt the printer for you. If you are looking for inexpensive, great features, ease of use, and multiple functions, look no further.

UPDATE: As of today, 1/19/2011, I have used the photo printer more frequently to copy 4"x6" pictures, first scanning and then printing them, and it is almost hard to tell the original from the copy. Very impressed!!! Such a great buy, and if it lasts longer than a year or two, I will have definitely gotten my money's worth.

This does a great job of printing/scanning. It is easy to install. I have not used the wireless feature and can't comment. The single color cartridge probably means that the overall quality of color prints is not as professional as the multitank. But for my needs, this is fine. Color prints look excellent to me. I think this saves money, only having to buy one cartidge. If I did a lot of color printing though, it might cost more when any one color runs out.
I would suggest turning color printing off as a default to save money. Only turn it on when you need it.

I got this printer from my son as a Christmas gift. I set it up on December 26th - it didn't work. Amazon had sent a defective unit. I was really frustrated. I figured it would be weeks before I had a working printer again. I emailed Canon explaining the situation. Usually a company tells you it'll be two or three business days before they reply. This was a holiday weekend,so I didn't expect much.
The next morning I checked my email. There was a rather lengthy email from Canon explaining the steps I should take to get the machine going. I had already done all that they had told me, but I did it again anyway - all to no avail. The printer still didn't work.
The representative also said that I was eligible for a warranty exchange, that they would pay shipping charges both ways. I emailed Canon back saying I wanted an exchange. Still I didn't expect much. Maybe in a month I would get a new printer.
Well,was I surprised. The next day I got another email from Canon telling me my new printer was on its way. They gave me a tracking number. On December 30th, I had my replacement printer. It took me literally two minutes to set up the wireless conection.
The printer is fast and relatively quiet. I am very happy with it.
At this time I cannot comment on ink usage or how the machine will perform over time. Perhaps I'll write an addendum to this review in six months.
This printer replaced an Epson cx-4400, which suddenly stopped working after two and a half years of light use. The Epson was slow, very noisy, and seemed to thirst for ink. It was not wireless which in itself is a big advantage my Canon has.
Overall I have to give this printer five stars partly based on the exceptional customer service I got.

ADDENDUM 2/1/2011

Well, I've had this printer for a little over a month now,and I have some further observations.
First of all, my advice is NOT to read the confusing and frustrating booklet called "getting started". I had a few days to read over this booklet, and I still can't figure it out (all I can think of is that it was put together by a group of low-paid idiots). I would suggest that you just follow the on-screen instructions and your printer will be all set to go in a few minutes.
Second, learn from my experience. I print from a little netbook, so I do not have a disk drive. I downloaded the software from the Canon site. I first downloaded the drivers and ran the setup program. As I said, this took all of about two minutes. The printer printed a test page wirelessly. The print quality was great and the printer printed really fast.
I eventually wanted to scan documents, but I waited another few days before I downloaded and installed the scan program. I downloaded and installed the "MP Navigaor" program. The printer wouldn't work wirelessly. I reinstalled the drivers. That did the trick. The printer worked wirelessly again. Apparently, you have to install the Navigator program first and then the drivers.
Finally, one last observation. The software isn't too user friendly. I've had to jump through many superfluous hoops to get things done. Everything works, but I think Canon has to streamline the software for this printer to make it easier to use for the average user.
overall, I am happy with this machine. Just save the "getting started" for leisurely reading some night when you have nothing else to do.
See you in six months with another addendum.

I was nearly discouraged by other reviewers complaining about the complexity of the install. Do yourself a favor: glance through the read-me-first book, BEFORE you install.
You have to:
1. remove protective plastic wrap/tape
2. install 2 ink cartriges
3. plug in the printer
4. touch the search button on your wifi router
5. touch the maintenance button on your printer (so the router finds the printer)
6. on each computer that will be printing: insert the CDROM and keep clicking, "I agree," and, "next"
7. print a test document and photo and pat yourself on the back for choosing this printer

I'm a single mom of 3 who needed an inexpensive solution for teachers requiring printed homework. This printer is a great value, and I'm impressed with the quality of photos, and the speed of printed text.