Canon Pixma MP490

The Pixma MP490 produced mixed results on our performance tests. It pumped out plain-text pages at a rate of 8.7 pages per minute (ppm), and graphics at 2.3 ppm--both slightly below average. Text and landscape photos looked nice, but photos of people suffered from orangey skin tones. Scans happened very quickly, but the images showed muted colors and rough textures.

As with most low-priced MFPs, Canon makes its real money by charging more for the ink. The Pixma MP490 ships with standard-size cartridges. The 220-page replacement costs $16 or a costly 7.3 cents per page. The 401-page, high-yield black cartridge costs $22 or 5.5 cents per page--better, but still no bargain. Color inks are more reasonable: High-yield cyan, magenta, and yellow each cost $17 and last 750 pages (2.3 cents per color, per page), while the standard-size cartridges cost $10.49 and last 325 pages (3.2 cents per color, per page).

The $100 price range of this MFP means tradeoffs. The high ink costs are bearable if you print infrequently; otherwise, look for a model with lower-cost inks (and a higher purchase price), such as HP's OfficeJet 6500 Wireless ($199 as tested; $150 without Wi-Fi).

--Susan Silvius