Brother MFC-490CW
Manufacturer: Brother International Part number: MFC-490CW
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Brother MFC-490CW is an improvement over the more expensive MFC-5890CN, but that still doesn't excuse its drudging print speeds and mechanical issues under the hood. Instead of dealing with these headaches, we recommend you look toward the Canon Pixma MX330, which will give you consistent performance and a variety of extra features for the same price.
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Where to buy
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| Amazon.com Marketplace | | In stock | as of 12/02/2009 | |
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CNET editors' review
Brother MFC-490CW price range: $109.76 - $143.81
- Reviewed by: Justin Yu
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 07/21/2009
The good: Triple-interface connectivity includes USB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet LAN; inexpensive; small and stylish.
The bad: Taxing print head produces slow-moving prints; suffers the same mechanical errors affecting other Brother printers; photo quality can use improvement.
The bottom line: The Brother MFC-490CW is an improvement over the more expensive MFC-5890CN, but that still doesn't excuse its drudging print speeds and mechanical issues under the hood. Instead of dealing with these headaches, we recommend you look toward the Canon Pixma MX330, which will give you consistent performance and a variety of extra features for the same price.
After giving the Brother MFC-5890CN a not-so-great review, we weren't breaking down doors with excitement over the step-down model. We expected another unstylish device marred by mechanical imperfections and unsuitable for any environment where productivity is a factor. Fortunately for Brother, this $130 all-in-one is actually a better printer than its pricier cousin. Higher-quality prints, a 3.3-inch wide-screen LCD for light photo editing and scrolling through menus, and a low cost to print put it in the same class as the Canon Pixma MX330 or the HP Officejet J4680, even though the Brother's print speeds still can't keep up with the competition. If you're hungry for extra features like Wi-Fi and convert-to-text, check out the MFC-5890CN, but we're still calling the Canon MX330 the most versatile and high-quality all-in-one printer for less than $150.
Design
We don't usually have much to say about the design of most Brother printers, but the MFC-490CW actually makes an effort to stand out. The chassis is small and maneuverable at 15.4 inches wide by 10 inches deep by 18.1 inches tall. After installing the parts, the MFC-490CW is still much less obtrusive than the 5890CN; you shouldn't have a problem fitting this into your workspace without clutter.
The control panel and the autodocument feeder are trimmed in a glossy, black finish that looks extra professional next to the matte, gray side paneling. The control panel in the center of the small multifunction pad has the mushy rubber buttons that we complained about on the MFC-5890CN, but the directional pad on this one gets the shiny, silver, plastic treatment that actually makes it easier to maneuver around the menus on the large 3.3-inch color LCD screen. The screen also swivels up and down at incremental notches to give you a variety of viewing angles.
Just to the left of the display, you'll see a complete numerical keypad, the on/off button, as well as redial and hook buttons for the standalone fax functions. Three function buttons for fax, scan, and copy sit just to the right of the LCD, with a fourth button labeled "photo capture" that opens a folder to display images on digital memory cards that you insert into the media reader about halfway down the front face of the printer. Acceptable formats include Compact Flash, SD, Memory Stick, and xD slots, and there's a PictBridge USB port as well to connect a digital camera directly.
The large drawer that pulls from the bottom of the device holds blank sheets of paper, and the top doubles as a landing on which finished prints come to rest. The glaring issue here is that the drawer sits flush in the printer and doesn't extend far enough out of the device, making it difficult to grab outbound prints from the output cavern. Brother forces you to squeeze your hand into this awkward, covered cave to retrieve smaller prints, so potential buyers with larger-than-average mitts should take this into consideration.
Like many of the other Brother printers, we still have complaints about the internal cable guide on the MFC-490CW; while the power port is easy to access on the left side of the rear panel, the USB and Ethernet ports sit inside the printer. For some reason, Brother forces you to open up the machine, prop up the lid with a plastic arm (similar to the arm on the hood of a car engine), snake the USB cable (not included in the box) through a small, plastic guide, and plug it directly into the internal components. Not only is this hassle unique to Brother, you also wind up losing more than a foot of cable slack as a result of the extensive internal looping. It feels counterintuitive to lift up the lid and expose the print head to serve no other purpose other than to plug in the USB cord. Thankfully, you can connect the printer to a desktop without wires at all using the built-in 802.11b/g wireless print server and the simple instructions on the driver.
The MFC-490CW uses a four-cartridge system with individual tanks for black, cyan, magenta, and yellow that load into the front bay. Brother offers standard- and high-yield cartridges on its Web site. However, we'll use the high-capacity price points and page yields for a cost-per-page analysis: color cartridges cost $17 for 750 pages and a black cartridge that'll last approximately 900 pages costs $32, according to Brother, which factors out to 2.2 cents per page of color and 3.5 cents for black. Those prices are just shy of the average cost to print on a $150 printer, but the Canon Pixma MX330 offers better print quality for the same price.
Features
The drivers on the MFC-490CW installation disc give you the option to adjust the printer's quality settings from normal to fine, fast, or fast normal. In addition, you get a box to check natural versus vivid photo prints, and a unique "True2life" color enhancement tool with customizable changes to color density, white balance, contrast, brightness, and other settings. Finally, the driver also installs a status monitor that pops up during job processing to monitor ink cartridge levels and quality control, but it doesn't indicate the status of the spooling or the job progress.
Brother also gives you the option to install a third-party imaging application called "Paperport" by ScanSoft. This program lets you edit photos in a file-browsing setup similar to Apple's iPhoto, with basic photo-editing solutions for auto-enhancement, blemish erasing, and red-eye elimination. We played around with the software for awhile and enjoyed its simplicity compared with iPhoto. Don't expect editing quality on par with Adobe suites, however. Paperport is geared more for light users and amateur photographers with limited time and editing resources.
The printer's scanning, copying, and fax features all performed adequately, especially in conjunction with the 50-sheet ADF that can function without a computer connection. Scanning options include routing images to a file folder, e-mail, or an optical character recognition text translator. You also get four customizable buttons on the virtual Control Center that you can program to any preference. As always, we complain about the lack of a hinged scanner lid that makes it much easier to scan thick books and documents. Copying also works as a standalone device--you can set the magnification from 25 percent up to 400 percent of the original size, but the only two options for pagination are two pages on one sheet of paper and four pages on one sheet. The competition usually offers many more, including up to four images on one page, thumbnails, and two-sided prints.
Performance
Just when you thought it couldn't get any slower than the MFC-5890, along comes the MFC-490CW to break the record. The printer suffers the most embarrassing loss in the photo and text speed benchmarks, with .64 photos per minute and 2.99 pages per minute, respectively. Surprisingly, the results aren't terrible for the presentation or color graphics speed tests, and it actually finished printing our 10-page graphics presentation at a higher page per minute than all of the other competitive products in the lineup. The opposing marks are a little atypical, but we suspect the slower print speeds are the fault of the slowly taxing print head under the hood.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Presentation Speed (PPM) | |
Photo Speed (1 Sheet) | |
Color Graphics Speed (PPM) | |
Text Speed (PPM) |
After analyzing the MFC-490CW's outbound prints, we're satisfied to report that the quality of our snapshots, text prints, and full graphic sheets are substantial improvements over Brother's previous models. Once again, we're surprised at these results, since we typically associate more money with better quality (in terms of printers), but in this case, the 490CW presents sharper lines and clearer, more defined letters in the black and color text samples. In addition, the color gamut on our graphics and text prints appears more evenly saturated and exempt from the blotchy color blends and white blocks that ruined the MFC-5890CW.
That being said, we're still not fully satisfied with these photos. We played around with several driver settings, like turning on the "vivid color" and "True2life" color settings, but the results still don't compare with evenly saturated photos produced by the Pixma MX330. The Brother can't seem to handle fine details like creases in clothing or light strands of hair. Finally, much of the 3-inch by 5-inch snapshots aren't as clearly defined as the MX330. In a dollar-to-dollar comparison, we much prefer the Canon's image quality to that of this Brother.
Service and support
Brother backs the MFC-5890CN with a two-year, limited warranty and offers access to its phone support from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific. We usually see one-year warranties bundled with printers, so we're sure buyers will appreciate and use the extra year of support. In addition to the hotline, Brother's online "Ask Us" program offers immediate e-mail replies for troubleshooting, and the company Web site provides more support by way of manuals, FAQs, service center locations, and software downloads.
Find out more about how we test printers.
User reviews
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AMAZING bang for your buck-it does it ALL! I LOVE it!
by ABucketOfSmiles on December 27, 2008
Pros: *Easy to use - fax, scan, copy, print, my favorite OCR scan (it takes text and converts it to a word document so you can edit it--SO USEFUL!) and the biggest deal it does TRULY WIRELESS PRINTING-Only plug in the power cord. Plus GREAT photo printing.
Cons: It was a MONSTER to set up WIRELESS printing. I am a tech. teacher, mid 20s and computer literate--but it took a few hours w/ manual and on the phone with my router's customer service to get it working. It connects EASILY with a USB cord though.
Summary: I had the Brother 290 then upgraded to the 460 and now the 490. I LOVE these machines....they have all been great and I didn't replace them for ...
Summary: I had the Brother 290 then upgraded to the 460 and now the 490. I LOVE these machines....they have all been great and I didn't replace them for any other reason than I wanted to upgrade. I gave my old ones to family and they are still working awesome!! BROTHER is TOTALLY worth it --- I cannot believe for all it does at $129.00 -- fax, scan, print, photos, copy, OCR etc. But look for it on sale. I got mine at an office store for $79.00. I bought it online for $79.00 and it came with FREE shipping to my door!! Also, it is an ABSOLUTE MUST for laptop owners. I LOVE the ability to print for any room in my house or scan to the computer without hooking anything up. Also saves you on the $20.00 USB cord!! =) LOVE IT, SO HAPPY!
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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10 prints and broke. Mechanical dog!
by rodger68 on September 23, 2009
Pros: Starts well for short period of time.
Cons: Brother service is terrible. Print quality drops quickly. Too many ink cartridges and need for changing constantly due to drying out. Difficult setup with too many options. Brother MFC-490cw looked great for a month. Then horrible.
Summary: Brother needs to learn how to build a mechanically stable printer, fax, copier, scanner (AIO). Current products are poor quality and expensive to maintain (ink cartridges).
Updated on Sep 23, ...Summary: Brother needs to learn how to build a mechanically stable printer, fax, copier, scanner (AIO). Current products are poor quality and expensive to maintain (ink cartridges).
Brother service center said, "sorry, we can review the product to determine the problem. That will take 2 weeks." Gee, thanks.
Updated on Sep 23, 20091 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Its good and all...
by Ioke on August 31, 2009
Pros: Small, light weight
Cons: Nearly impossible to connect to print
Summary: This looks good and all, hey wait! You actually want this to printt. That feature is not available at the current moment!!!!
I've spent the last hour trying to ...Summary: This looks good and all, hey wait! You actually want this to printt. That feature is not available at the current moment!!!!
I've spent the last hour trying to print from this device and have failed.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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BROTHER what a Brother!
by squirtsdawgamber on December 26, 2008
Pros: Easy wired and wireless set up, even when using a wireless laptop PC, wired desktop PC and wireless MacBook. Small footprint and good print quality
Cons: Concerned about the ease of finding the individual ink cartridges at places like Wallyworld. Cartridges seem a little pricey but they are suppose to put out about 20% more than my old HP all-in-one before running out.
Summary: I find myself pleasantly pleased with my recent purchase. We have a wired and wireless arrangement in my house with a desktop PC wired, laptop PC wireless, and MacBook laptop ...
Summary: I find myself pleasantly pleased with my recent purchase. We have a wired and wireless arrangement in my house with a desktop PC wired, laptop PC wireless, and MacBook laptop wireless all inputting data to the Brother. It's a quiet, very compact design which prints well and most of all gets along well others. =) I am a little worried about the availability of the individual print cartridges at "regular" places like Wallyworld but we'll see how that works out. I've been an "HP" printer man for years now and this was my first "Brother" purchase, but, BROTHER so far so good, =)
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great all-in-one printer, small footprint.
Pros: Wireless printing works great!
Easy setup, good print quality.
Great feature set at a low price.
4-cartridge CMYK system much better and more cost efficient.
All-in-all a great value for a quality printer/fax/scanner/copier.Cons: USB cable not included for those who need it.
Can't print larger than 11x14Summary: Just bought the Brother MFC-490cw to replace my dead Lexmark X83. Simply stated, this is an awesome all-in-one printer! Setup was quick and easy. The printer found my wireless router ...
Summary: Just bought the Brother MFC-490cw to replace my dead Lexmark X83. Simply stated, this is an awesome all-in-one printer! Setup was quick and easy. The printer found my wireless router in seconds. I loaded the proper drivers in the various laptops and BAM! we were printing without wires!
The print quality for both text and color images is very good. the 3.3" color screen is a very nice feature. Having true CMYK print cartridges (meaning 4 different cartridges) means you only have to replace the color that is empty. It also has slots for memory cards and flash drives so that you can fax/scan straight to those when you don't have a PC handy. All things considered, I couldn't be happier with this printer. At $79.99 it was a steal of a deal!! Wi-Fi printing, the only way to print!!!!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Print text - great. Print photos - FAIL
by bcrook04 on October 24, 2009
Pros: Very fast and convenient for printing text.
Cons: Want photos. Forget it. Absolutely horrible results!!!
Summary: I wouldn't waste my money.
Summary: I wouldn't waste my money.
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Works well as home office/personal print/fax/scanner
by weimerrj on October 3, 2009
Pros: Inexpensive.
Quiet.
Small.
Reasonably fast.Cons: Small paper tray capacity.
No dedicated envelope slot/tray (you must pull tray, remove paper, and replace with envelope).
Smallish ink cartridges,Summary: Contrary to the CNET review, it does have a hinged scanner lid for laying flat sheets or books on it; the handle is the the indented portion of the lid ...
Summary: Contrary to the CNET review, it does have a hinged scanner lid for laying flat sheets or books on it; the handle is the the indented portion of the lid behind the LCD display. In fact it has TWO scanners; one for the flat bed and one for the autofeeder. It also has a 15 page autofeeder instead of 50 page as the review states.
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ink cartridge detection problems make this unusable
by jfredj on October 2, 2009
Pros: has scanner and wireless printer
Cons: Cannot keep it running, errors
Summary: I dont print much, but started getting cartridge low errors early on, and low indicators, even though the cartridges had plenty of ink as seen through the windows. The unit ...
Summary: I dont print much, but started getting cartridge low errors early on, and low indicators, even though the cartridges had plenty of ink as seen through the windows. The unit cleaned itself all the time, and appparently ran the cartridges out. Cant just print black, must have all the cartridges full (I only printed 6 color pages before the yellow 'ran out'). This appears to me to be a bogus way to sell more ink cartridges, and I see no way to bypass. I just threw the unit away and will never buy Brother again. An expensive lesson to learn.
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One of the best investments I've made so far
by markredf150 on September 13, 2009
Pros: I love how it works! Setup (Wi-Fi) was a breeze, ADF is a feature that is unheard of in a printer at this price point, individual ink tanks really are economical, scanning and copying are crisp. This printer was worth every penny!
Cons: The only thing it doesn't do is duplex, but I didn't really need it.
Summary: I just love the freedom of printing wirelessly from anywhere at home. And scanning using the ADF is so convenient. I'm in the process of scanning some cooking recipes ...
Summary: I just love the freedom of printing wirelessly from anywhere at home. And scanning using the ADF is so convenient. I'm in the process of scanning some cooking recipes I have on paper into my computer and the 490 makes quick work of it when I use the ADF. The fact that this printer uses individual ink tanks makes much more economical sense than having a printer where you have to replace the whole 40 dollar color cartridge, which could potentially still have some ink from one or two of the other colors still left in it. The 61 series cartridges are only 10 bucks at Officemax for each color, 23 for the black (has more ink than each color). Photo printing is great. Yes, you have to take the paper tray out, slide the top part forward in order for it to print on 4x6 but it'll print borderless so it's like you had it professionally printed at a photo lab. This printer is great. But now the 495 is about to hit store shelves. Don't know if theres much difference between it and the outgoing 490, but you can probably get the 490 for a great deal now. If you need a wireless printer that is versatile and inexpensive, Brother is the way to go!
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Horrible All-In-One
by usafhooty on September 2, 2009
Pros: It sounds like a great printer until you set it up
Cons: Constantly jams. About 5% of the time I can print 1 page without a problem, more than that and forget it. You'd be lucky if it took you less than 15 minutes to print 1 page most of the time.
Summary: It only works when it feels like it and that is pretty much never. Hands down THE worst all-in-one I have ever come across. Scanning takes forever and is usually ...
Summary: It only works when it feels like it and that is pretty much never. Hands down THE worst all-in-one I have ever come across. Scanning takes forever and is usually very distorted. Copies as well as it prints....which is horrible. Haven't tried the fax option.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Brother International
- Part number: MFC-490CW
- Description: This compact and stylish color inkjet all-in-one comes with up to 15-page auto document feeder for convenient unattended fax, copy or scan. It also offers the flexibility to share with multiple users using wireless or wired network connection. The user-friendly widescreen 3.3" color LCD display provides help menus and photo enhancement. Also, easily print photos on demand from the media card slots, USB direct or PictBridge interface. You can print rich, vibrant photos on demand at up to 6000 x 1200 dpi. It prints at up to 33ppm black and 27ppm color and includes a high-speed super G3 33.6Kbps fax modem. Plus, with the 4-separate ink cartridges, only replace the cartridge that needs to be replaced.
General
- Width 15.4 in
- Depth 14.8 in
- Height 7.1 in
- Weight 17.9 lbs
Printer
- Ink Palette (Colors) 4-ink - Cyan, magenta, yellow, black
- Nozzle Configuration 94 nozzles (black), 3 x 94 nozzles (cyan, magenta, yellow)
- Ink Cartridge Configuration 4 cartridges (1 each: cyan, magenta, yellow, black)
- Ink Type Brother Innobella ink
- Direct Printing Specifications DPOF, PictBridge
Miscellaneous
- Consumables Included 1 ( Black ) - Brother Innobella LC61-BK, 1 ( Cyan ) - Brother Innobella LC61-C, 1 ( Magenta ) - Brother Innobella LC61-M, 1 ( Yellow ) - Brother Innobella LC61-Y
- Microsoft Certifications Compatible with Windows 7
Environmental Standards
- EPA Energy Star Compliant Yes
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Express exchange - 1 year
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 50 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 95 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 20 - 80%
- Sound Emission (Operating) 50 dB
Accessories
- Brother LC 61-C - print cartridge (33176128)3.19 - 15.31
- Brother LC 61-Y - print cartridge (33176149)3.19 - 18.42
- Brother BP71GLTR Premium Plus - glossy photo paper - 20 sheet(s) (33721808)6.62 - 15.88
- Brother BP - glossy photo paper - 20 sheet(s) (33461565)4.99 - 11.18
- Brother LC 612PKS - print cartridge (33361344)27.85 - 44.89
Manufacturer info
- Brother International
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Brother International products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.brother.com/
- Address:
100 Somerset Corporate Blvd.
Bridgewater, NJ 08807 - Phone: 908/704-1700
