In terms of performance, Canon's estimated print speeds are the same for both models, with a slight improvement in printing borderless 4x6 photos (Canon estimates 55 seconds for the MP450 and 52 seconds for the MP460). This was more or less borne out in our Labs-based tests. The MP460 posted text print speeds of 5.8ppm and photo print speeds of 1.36ppm for a 4x6 photo. The MP450 scored a 6.78ppm and a 0.58ppm, respectively (the MP450 photo test speed is for an 8x10 print). The Pixma MP460's scan speeds are on a par with those of the MP450: 5.68ppm for black-and-white and 5.6ppm for color. The MP450 scored 5.19ppm and 4.88ppm, respectively.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Print quality is on a par between the two models, as well. Like the MP450, the MP460 handled text beautifully for an inkjet printer. When viewing the results under a loupe, we noticed minor imperfections and jagged edges--problems that are inescapable for an inkjet printer. But to the naked eye, the characters were clean, well formed, and legible down to very small point sizes. The color graphic prints revealed clean, sharp edges; excellent color handling (with only some minor banding in color gradients); smooth curves; and well-rendered photo elements. The photo prints showed sharp detail, great color, and realistic flesh tones. We liked the scans from the MP450 better, though. The MP460's color scans were overly dark and a bit muddy, though they had excellent detail. The same criticism applies to the black-and-white scan: compression on the dark ends resulted in lost details in the shadows.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 | Copy speed | Â Â | | Color scan speed | Â Â | | Grayscale scan speed | Â Â | | Photo speed | Â Â | | Text speed | Â Â |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
| Color scan | Â Â | | Grayscale scan | Â Â | | Photo | Â Â | | Graphics on inkjet paper | Â Â | | Text on inkjet paper | Â Â |
Canon provides a one-year warranty for the MP460 all-in-one, as well as a year of free, toll-free phone support, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. You can extend the warranty to three years for $95. You can also get tech support via e-mail, and Canon says it will respond within 24 hours. Canon's site has FAQs, a troubleshooting tool, downloadable drivers and software, and PDFs of product and software manuals.