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Canon PIXMA MP990 Review
Reviewer: Tim
Benson
Printer Type: All-in-One -
Wireless, Inkjet
Overall
Rating: 
Newer might not always mean better, but in the case of the Canon PIXMA MP990
Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer, just released, you really are getting a state of the art all-in-one
that benefits from the design and performance lessons of the past. While it falls short of being
absolutely perfect, the MP990 is clearly the best all-in-one in its price range and should serve any casual or
business user very well.
Buy The Discounted Canon
MP990 Printer Here
As with most Canon printers, the MP990 is well designed and offers great ease of
use. It’s a snap to set up, requires very little assembly, and its packaged software is easy to install
and pretty well foolproof from that point on as well. On top of that, Canon’s software suite is
reasonably useful, too, although there are some frustrating aspects of the scanning utility – this part of the
software isn’t as fully realized as it could have been, and it can be unnecessarily tricky to change the file
destinations.
The MP990’s ink cartridges are easier to replace than they were in earlier
models, which is nice, even though you probably won’t be replacing them all the time. However, there’s no
indication of an error in the cartridge insertion – say, if you put a cartridge in the wrong slot – until
you’ve closed the printer up again, which can be a bit of a time-waster.
The most noticeable feature of the MP990, of course, is the wonderful 3.6” LCD
screen, which rectifies the problems present in similar readouts in previous printers: it’s easy to read, even
from far away, and the controls are reasonably simple and easy to use. On the other hand, the MP990’s
face buttons don’t have back lights, which can be a problem when working in a dark room.
In terms of print quality and speed, the MP990 truly excels. Compared to
its competitors, the MP990’s print quality and speed are markedly better in all respects. Its text print
quality is even comparable to that of dedicated laser printers, while its scan quality is also as good as
anything else on the market currently. Finally, the MP990 even offers reasonably good cartridge life,
which is a serious point in its favor in a market filled with printers that seem designed to sap your resources
over time.
There are some minor quibbles against the MP990, of course. Its print
speeds can vary, even when printing exactly the same thing on separate occasions. The reason for this
isn’t exactly clear, and it can be a little bit frustrating. That being said, even its slow moments are
more than adequate, and easily equal to the competition’s best. There are some inconvenient aspects to
the MP990’s USB and infrared connections. The USB port won’t accommodate older USB keys, and the infrared
receiver is not ideally placed, forcing you to hold the communicating device at potentially difficult
angles. Also, the MP990 lacks an auto document feeder, which some of its competitors do have.
Don’t be fooled by the all-in-one tag on the MP990: not only does it do
everything, but it actually does everything exceptionally well. There’s no more well-rounded printer
on the market, and the wireless aspect of the MP990 is something that has been sorely missing from previous
units. If you’re in need of an all-in-one printer, you really can’t go wrong with the MP990, which
more than justifies its price tag with superb performance.
Click Here For Discount Canon MP990
Printer
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