Canon PIXMA MP490 Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer (3745B002)

by Canon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 13.2 x 6.1 inches ; 13 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 15 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00291O7A2
• Item model number: 3745B002
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 8, 2009

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Do you need a compact, high-quality, stylish and versatile printer that will print great borderless photos, documents and more? The PIXMA MP490 Photo All-In-One delivers 4800 x 1200 maximum color dpi¹, 2pl and the PG-210 Black and CL-211 Color FINE Ink Cartridge System for superb overall print quality.

Print from anywhere in the house quickly and easily! View larger

Another key component the PIXMA MP490 prides itself on is ease of use so you can conveniently get the photo lab quality you want. The new Auto Photo Fix II software is built right into the machine and automatically corrects your images while easy viewing and editing can be done right on the 1.8” LCD. Plus, its QuickStart feature gives you faster access to printer operations once the products is on. If you want to start scanning, Auto Scan Mode automatically recognizes the type of original you are scanning and saves it with the appropriate settings. Oh, need some copies - No problem. Dual Color Gamut Processing Technology enables your copies to maintain the integrity of the original whether a document or photo copy-after-copy. Don’t forget, for added printing versatility enjoy computer-free photo printing options via compatible memory cards2.

Speed & Quality Terrific Resolution: This level of quality is achieved by 4800 x 1200 maximum color dpi1 thanks to Canon Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE) with a patented print head firing ink droplets as small as 2pl. This delivers superb quality and detail in both your business documents and photos. High Performance Ink Cartridges: These two genuine Canon ink cartridges contain specially formulated inks for great document and photo quality. One is a Black cartridge for laser-quality text and one is a multi-color cartridge for pictures. Both are easy to use and replace. ChromaLife100+:This system combines enhanced FINE print head technology with select new Canon photo papers for beautiful borderless photos that will last up to 300 years3 when stored in an archival-quality photo album.

Sleek design. View larger

Ease of Use 1.8” LCD Screen:Easily view, select and edit your images for simple computer-free printing. No downloading needed, just pick your pic and print! Auto Photo Fix II:This built-in technology automatically categorizes your images into one of five types - Portrait, Scenery, Night Scenery, Snapshot with Scenery, and Snapshot with Night Scenery - then applies optimal image and multi-zone exposure correction. So, unexposed areas of the photo will be optimized, area by area and faces that are backlit and under-exposed will automatically be brightened with correct color cast to help ensure more accurate skin tones for gorgeous images. Beautiful & Borderless4: Print photo lab quality from 4” x 6” up to 8.5” x 11”. QuickStart: Powering up your printer is now faster than ever. After pressing the power button you can begin inputting commands in approximately 2 seconds. So, full operation is possible in much shorter time. Auto Scan Mode: Automatically recognizes the type of original you are scanning and saves it the appropriate settings. Dual Color Gamut Technology:Copy photos and documents with confidence as this built-in technology automatically optimizes your originals so copies stay true to it time after time, copy after copy.

1.8" color LCD lets you view and select images. View larger

Connectivity Memory Cards2:Don’t feel like using a computer? No problem. Just insert compatible memory card into the built-in card slot, select images on the LCD display, and print! USB 2.0 Hi-Speed: Plug the cable into your computer for a super-fast connection for your data transfers.

Print and scan wirelessly even when you're in another room! View larger

Features

 

What's in the Box?

PIXMA MP490 Inkjet Photo All-In-One

Document Kit: Cross Sell Sheet, Getting Started, Important Information Sheet, Network Troubleshooting Guide, Safety Environment Information, Setup Software & User's Guide CD-ROM, Warrenty Card

Ink Tanks: PGI-220 Pigment Black, CLI-221 (Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black)

Power Cord

Print Head

Sample Media (4” x 6”/5 sheets)

 

 

Consumables

The MP490 is compatible with the following consumables: PG-210XL (optional), PG-210, CL-211XL (optional), and CL-211.
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Disclaimers
1. Based on accelerated dark storage testing by Canon under controlled lighting, temperature and humidity conditions, Canon cannot guarantee the longevity of the prints; results may vary depending on printed images, display/storage conditions and environmental factors.

2. Compatible memory cards include SD™ Memory Card, miniSD Card, SDHC™ Memory Card, miniSDHC™ Card, MultiMediaCard®, MMCplus Card, MMCmobile Card, HC MMCplus Card, RS-MMC™, CompactFlash® Card, Microdrive®, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO™, Memory Stick® Duo™ and Memory Stick® PRO Duo™. The following can be used with the addition of a special adapter sold separately: microSD™ Card, microSDHC™ Card, MMCmicro Card, xD-Picture Card® and Memory Stick Micro™.

3. Requires mobile phone (or other device) equipped with Bluetooth v.2.0 and optional Canon Bluetooth Unit BU-30. Bluetooth operation depends on the device and software version used. Operating distance is approx. 10 meters but may vary due to obstacles, radio signals, locations where radio interference occurs, magnetic fields from microwave ovens, device sensitivity and/or antenna performance.
4. Print speed obtained using compatible Canon compact digital camera incorporating DIGIC II (other camera models may vary).

5. Requires mobile phone with IrDA port and support for IrMC version 1.1 protocol, with phone positioned no more than 7.9 inches from printer.

6. Requires mobile phone equipped with PictBridge technology and a USB cable.

Product Description

Compact and Stylish Photo All-In-One with 1.8-Inch LCD & Memory Card Slots.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lower operating cost than most, December 7, 2009

By 

E. Swope (Kaneohe, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Canon PIXMA MP490 Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer (3745B002) (Office Product)

This is the third Canon Pixma printer we have owned. The first two were blown out by power surges (we have extraordinarily unreliable and variable power in the islands).
The first Pixma printer we bought is something of a legend for it's inexpensive cartridges which could be purchased retail (OEM) for less than $10 apiece. When we bought that, we already had several other printers in the house, at least 1 unused. The issue we had with each of the others (a Dell, an HP and an Epson) was that the printer cartridges cost as much as, or more than, the printer itself. If you already have a printer, you know that the manufacturers are using the Gillette razor model; pricing the printers low, and gauging on the ink. The cost for a replacement cartridge for my HP laser was around $200, the Epson, around $100, and the Dell (which came free with the computer) cost over $100. Since this is a home printer we cared less about print quality, and more aboiut reasonable operating cost. i have not yet printed any photos and so can not comment on print quality in that regard, though Canon claims it is a high point.
I will say that the print quality on our first 2 Pixmas was somewhat less than ideal. I was able to remedy that by printing on high (photo quality). On our new printer, the MP 490, the print quality is better, BUT, unfortunately the cartridges cost more. They still cost at least 1/3 less than those for comparable printers, but are not as reasonable as on prior models. This is what took a star off in my rating.
In terms of features and ease of use:
this printer fixes an annoying issue we had with the other 2 pixmas. the cartridges are easier to change. You no longer have to hold the door up or have it hover at an awkward angle.
My kids like the digital read out, and, I will note for those new to the line; Canon printers keep track of ink use. The software logs cartridge changes and lets you know when you are running low on either (black or multi-color) ink. Often this is a bit off. that is, you can get a few more prints after it tells you it is out. This is a nice feature. I have had the experience of running out of ink while printing a 100 page document on my HP, only finding out that half the pages came up blank after the entire document ran.
On wimdows machines, set up is very easy: plug & play. It will work without loading extra printer drivers. I can not comment on this with regard to macs, since w do not have one.
You can switch to scan or print with the touch of a button. Both of these functions work flawlessly.
The other feature this machine offers over our old pixmas is a card reader. You can take a card out of your camera and print direct from the machine without going through a computer. (Most of the newer printers offer this feature, so this will set it apart in comparison to last gen. printers, rather than other brands).
It also has a very small footprint; not much larger than is required for a letter size scanner. It is not as small as a portable, but very compact for a desk top printer.
All in all it is a VERY nice printer for the money. We got it for an insanely low price during Amazon's 'black friday week" sale. Even at full retail it costs roughly the same or less than comparable printers. The primary reason we bought this was for the lower price ink cartridges. In that regard, the saving are not quite what they were on older models of the Pixma, but are still less costly than for other brands. We have owned Pixma printers for more than 10 years now and have been very happy with them overall, or I would not have purchased a third.

Update:
After 6 months of usi9ng this printer I needed to replace the ink. (note: this printer is attached to my childrens' machine and hence does not get as much use as mu own). i am now substantially less happy with the printer and probably would not buy another. If I were writing the review now, I'd give it 3 instead of 4 stars. Why?
1) Replacing the ink cost more than the printer.
2) When the black ink ran out we were unable to use the printer evewn though there was still ink in the color cartridge.

While the ink may cost less than some it should not cost as much as the printer!
Canon has been advertising that they were the solution to overpriced ink. Instead, it seems, they've decided that this is a pretty good way to make money.

This is Way far from the perfect printer.
I'm now shopping for another OLD Canon for my kids. My old Canon is still running on $10 cartridges (less if I use generic!)
I do not want to buy ink which costs as much as a new printer every 6 months! I hope Canon hears this. they have just lost a heretofore loyal customer.

114 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Multi Function Printer, October 5, 2009

By 

Papillon (St Lucia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Canon PIXMA MP490 Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer (3745B002) (Office Product)

UPDATE: This multi function printer will not scan if the ink catridges are low or empty!

I just bought this printer and I LOVE it. It's the perfect all in one printer for home/ small office use. I am a student and wanted an all in one so i could print, copy and scan documents without the stress of using the school's facilities every time. This printer is exactly what I needed. The print quality is superb. Even photos printed with this printer come out looking just as good as lab quality photos. The colours are vibrant and rich and borderless printing is excellent. Photocopying and scanning quality is really good too. However, printing speed is not the fastest but it doesn't detract from the beauty of this machine. The printer itself has a small footprint and I love the way everything folds into one compact design and eliminates dust getting trapped inside the printer. Overall, this is a great printer for the price. Note that a usb cord is not included in the package.

62 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Canon MP490-perfect for light use at home, October 11, 2009

By 

Frank Burton "Larynxx" (High Point, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Canon PIXMA MP490 Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer (3745B002) (Office Product)

I'm using the Canon MP490 at home with a Mac Book Pro Intel Core Duo OSX 10.5.8. I found the set up very straightforward and encountered no problems. As mentioned in another review, the USB cord is not included. Print quality/tone was very good for both photos and plain documents. Color ran a bit to the green end. Scanning and copying were also uncomplicated. Inserting the SD card from my digital camera into the printer immediately brought up the image on the LCD screen, ready to print. iPhoto also started up automatically on my laptop, ready to import the images from the SD card in the printer-very slick. Controls were fairly intuitive as was the menu on the compass control. Print speed was on the slow side, so if your needs require high volume printing, this is probably not the right printer for you. The included software loaded easily and works fairly well. Ink costs are high for OEM replacement cartridge. There are ink refill kits on the web for this model to reduce costs considerably-I have no experience refilling these particular cartridges, but have found it to be very economical in my other Canon and HP printers. I have had the printer for only three days so I cannot speak to its long-term dependability. My initial impression is that the MP490 is an inexpensive, very good quality printer with easy set-up and helpful software. It is ideal for low-volume home use.

Addendum 10/3/2010- about two months ago I began having problems with the printer shutting down during long (more than 3 or 4 page) jobs. This happens intermittently, but is quite annoying when it does-you have to re-print the whole job. Refilling the ink cartridges is fairly simple initially, but failed to work after 2 or 3 fills. I would no longer recommend this printer.