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Decked out in black and computer grey, the PIXMA MP190 weighs 5.8kg and has dimensions of 451 x 353 x 189mm (W x D x H).  Although of a substantial size and weight, Canon has made some effort to add a touch of style to the PIXMA MP190 with rounded edges and sculptured corners.  Paper entry is from the rear with the tray having a capacity of 100 sheets while the exit bay is located at the front of the printer unit.  Following the normal pattern, actually there is very little choice in this respect, the flatbed scanner is positioned on top of the printer.

Alongside the scanner lid is the unit’s control panel.  The control panel has buttons for power on/off; selecting scans and copying in either monochrome or colour; switching paper size; and adjusting the number of copies to be produced.  As this is an entry-level model and presumably to keep costs down, Canon has opted not to include either a PictBridge connection or any memory card slots.

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Setting up the unit is fairly straightforward.  Although having said that I have come across easier methods on inserting the two ink cartridges for black and colour required by this device.  I also found that the USB port, tucked away on the side of a protrudence on the rear of the PIXMA MP190, was hardly positioned conveniently for attaching the necessary lead (not supplied).  Before actually connecting the unit to a computer, you will need to install the software that is supplied with both Windows and Mac versions available.  This software includes the drivers, Easy Photo Print EX and a Solution Menu.

Often there is a discrepancy between the quoted print speeds and those achieved when using a printer in anger.  My tests produced figures that were close to or even the same as those advertised by Canon.  When printing my normal 101 word document, I achieved 17ppm in Fast mode; 14ppm with Standard print; and 6ppm when using the High print mode.  While you would not want to use Fast mode for important documents and letters, it was fine for many other purposes such as draft and work copies.  Standard and High print modes produced text of a high standard.

A full A4 page with a mixture of text and graphics with colour took 35 seconds to complete.  Scanning and printing an A4 page with mixed content required 58 seconds to complete the operation.  Switching to photo mode resulted in a borderless 10 x 15cm photo being completed in 69 seconds (one second quicker than the speed quoted by Canon) while a borderless A4 photographic image took 2 minutes 37 seconds.  Image quality was of a reasonable standard using a series of different images.

Canon has priced the PIXMA MP190 at £49.99.  Replacement cartridges are listed at £10.99 for black and £14.99 for colour.  Canon estimates that you should get 219 pages from the black cartridge and 207 pages from the colour cartridge.  While hardly a heavy duty workhorse, the PIXMA MP190 should suit a home uses who needs to print a mixture of documents and print occasional photos stored on their computer.

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Multifunctionals/Inkjet/PIXMA_MP190/index.asp