Canon PIXMA MX410 Driver

Canon PIXMA MX410 Driver is the software package for the MX410 series all-in-one, an inkjet with a scanner, a 30-sheet document feeder, a fax modem and wireless networking. The package installs the printer driver, the ScanGear scanner driver, the fax driver and the network tool.

It is the difference between a machine that prints through a generic driver and one whose scanner and feeder and fax actually work from the computer.

The MX410 is an older design, and that shapes the advice. The package covers current systems and installs without fuss, but the utilities of its era differ from the ones that came later. The MX490 series package for the machine that replaced it will not drive this one.

Canon PIXMA MX410 Driver is the package for this cabinet and no other, and the scanning utility it expects is MP Navigator EX rather than the newer IJ Scan Utility.

What the printer driver adds

The generic driver prints single pages at default quality. This one adds the settings the hardware was built for. Paper type profiles for photo papers, the full quality scale to 4800 by 1200 dpi, borderless printing on photo sizes, and the page layout options in the print dialog. Auto Photo Fix corrects exposure and colour on photo prints, and the template print options put calendars and lined paper on the page.

The Maintenance tab is where a streaky print gets fixed. Nozzle check, print head alignment and both cleaning routines are run from here, along with the bottom plate cleaning routine for ink smears on the back of pages. Ink levels for the PG-210 black and CL-211 colour cartridges, including the XL variants, are shown on the same tab.

There is no automatic two-sided printing on this machine. The duplex option in the dialog prints odd pages, prompts you to turn the stack, and prints the even ones.

Scanning with the feeder

ScanGear, installed by Canon PIXMA MX410 Driver, is the driver every scanning program talks to, with a preview, resolution up to the 1200 dpi optical limit, colour or grayscale and a crop. The 30-sheet automatic document feeder appears as a source, so a stack of pages scans in one run.

MP Navigator EX, the utility from this machine’s era, handles the everyday jobs. Scan a document to a searchable PDF, stack the pages from the feeder into one file, scan a photo with automatic edge detection. Then send the result to email or a folder.

Scanning over wireless needs the printer selected in the utility’s settings first, or it reports no scanner found. And the feeder scans one side only, so a double-sided document goes through twice.

For a scanning front end with better file naming and OCR languages, a scanner application that batches pages into PDFs drives the same ScanGear driver and can replace the utility.

Wireless setup and the offline printer

The network tool in Canon PIXMA MX410 Driver finds the printer on the wireless network and configures it. A USB-assisted method covers the first setup when the router hides its name, and a WPS button method covers the rest. The radio is 802.11b/g/n on 2.4 GHz only, so a network broadcasting only on 5 GHz never sees the printer.

When the printer drops offline after a router change, the same tool rediscovers it and repairs the port. A fixed address in the router prevents the whole episode.

The fax driver

The fax driver in Canon PIXMA MX410 Driver turns the 33.6 kbps modem into a printer you can pick from any program. A Speed Dial Utility manages the stored numbers from the computer instead of the front panel.

Received faxes arrive on paper or in the machine’s memory. It is the feature nobody buys the machine for and the one a small office still uses.

Conclusion

Canon PIXMA MX410 Driver is for anyone still running one of these all-in-ones who wants the feeder, the scanner and the fax working rather than a printer that merely prints. Small offices that scan receipts by the stack and send the occasional fax get everything the hardware can do from one installer.

If the machine only prints single pages over a cable, the generic driver is enough. The moment you load the feeder or reach for the scan button, install this package and make sure MP Navigator EX came with it.