PIXMA MX490

PG-245 / CL-246 Ink for the Canon PIXMA MX490

The PIXMA MX490 is an office all-in-one with fax and an automatic document feeder, built for paperwork as much as photos, and it runs on the PG-245 / CL-246 FINE family: PG-245 black (up to 180 pages, $27.74); PG-245XL black (up to 300 pages, $28.49); CL-246 tri-color (up to 180 pages, $29.24); CL-246XL tri-color (up to 300 pages, $29.99). Every cartridge listed here is a Clever Supplies compatible, filled to the genuine specification and covered by our Lifetime Warranty.

Parts first is the right way to think about the MX490’s lifespan. The printer itself — an office all-in-one with fax and an automatic document feeder, made for paperwork — holds no separate printhead to wear out. The head is part of each cartridge, so swapping in a fresh black or tri-color unit renews the piece most likely to streak, and a machine that has sat for a year typically needs that swap, not a repair. What it cannot accept is a near miss: other Canon families share the general shape but not the PG-245 / CL-246 code or chip, and they will not be recognized. Where a starter pair was fitted, it was the PG-243 / CL-244 at up to 100 pages each, a lower fill of this same family; no compatible starter is sold, so the standard and XL cartridges listed here are the service replacements, and they fit the same slots.

Which PG-245 / CL-246 should you buy?

When the black slot empties: the PG-245 Black Ink Cartridge ($27.74) swaps in for the PG-245 and nothing else — up to 180 pages from the pigment cartridge that prints the documents.
Black, with more pages aboard: the PG-245XL Black Ink Cartridge ($28.49) swaps in for the PG-245XL and nothing else — up to 300 pages from the pigment cartridge in its higher fill.
When the color slot empties: the CL-246 Tri-Color Ink Cartridge ($29.24) swaps in for the CL-246 and nothing else — up to 180 pages from the dye cartridge that prints the photos.
Color, with more pages aboard: the CL-246XL Tri-Color Ink Cartridge ($29.99) swaps in for the CL-246XL and nothing else — up to 300 pages from the dye cartridge in its higher fill.
Color pods for heavy use: the CL-246XL InkPods Refill Set of 3 ($59.99) is the heavy-use route on the color side — refill pods supplied with a fresh original Canon printhead.
Black pods for heavy use: the PG-245XL InkPods Refill Set of 4 ($59.99) is the heavy-use route on the black side — refill pods supplied with a fresh original Canon printhead.
Stock the shelf in one box: the PG-245XL CL-246XL Ink Cartridges Set of 5 ($138.75) puts the black-heavy mix these printers actually use on the shelf at once — five cartridges waiting for their turn in the slots.
When both lights come on: the PG-245XL CL-246XL Ink Cartridges Set of 2 ($56.97) renews the black and the color position together — one swap for the day both lights are showing.

Chip, ink and everyday use

Storage is the last step of the parts logic: keep spares sealed, upright and out of sunlight, and open the pack only when the MX490 asks for the cartridge. Each cartridge reports its levels normally through a new compatible chip. The ink split is the standard FINE recipe — pigment black for documents, dye tri-color for photos — and the maintenance dividend is built in, because the printhead is part of the cartridge rather than the printer. Every change therefore renews the head, and streaky output on this platform is a cartridge problem, not a service call.