Canon PIXMA MX392 — Features, Specs, Performance & Business Use

The Canon PIXMA MX392 is a compact, cost-conscious color inkjet all-in-one designed for home offices, micro-businesses and small branch environments that need printing, copying, scanning and faxing in a single, space-efficient device. It sits at the intersection of consumer photo quality and practical office functionality: an ADF for multi-page capture, wireless connectivity for mobile workers, and Canon’s FINE cartridge system for reasonably good colour output — all in a footprint small enough for a desk. This article gives a feature-by-feature tour, explains real-world performance, evaluates running costs and finishes with recommendations for business buyers. 

Quick specs at a glance

• Functions: Print, Copy, Scan, Fax (all-in-one).

• Print resolution: Up to 4,800 × 1,200 dpi (colour), Black up to 600 × 600 dpi. 

• Rated print speeds (ESAT): Black ≈ 8.7 ipm, Colour ≈ 5.0 ipm (ISO/ESAT).

• Scan resolution: Up to 1,200 × 2,400 dpi (flatbed). 

• ADF: Built-in 30-sheet automatic document feeder for multi-page scanning/faxing. 

• Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), and mobile printing support (AirPrint/Canon mobile app).

• Ink cartridges: Uses Canon PG-240 (black) and CL-241 (colour) with XL and XXL high-yield variants available. Typical high-yield options include PG-240XL and CL-241XL.

These core numbers frame what to expect: a device that emphasises convenience and decent colour/photo capability rather than high throughput or enterprise fleet features.

Design and usability — built for small spaces

The MX392 is thoughtfully compact. It offers a simple, sensible control layout: a small LCD and push-button keys for copy/fax functions and easy access to the scanner glass and ADF. Paper handling is split between a front cassette for everyday paper and a rear/top feed for specialty sheets and envelopes — a practical arrangement for small offices that print both documents and occasional flyers or photos. The 30-sheet ADF is a standout at this price/size point, enabling straightforward multi-page capture without a separate document scanner.

From a deployment perspective, it’s light to set up: wireless setup utilities and the Canon mobile app make it straightforward for non-IT staff to get phones and laptops printing and scanning in a few minutes.

Print quality — what it does well

Text and business documents

For text and standard office documents the MX392 produces clean, legible output. While inkjets generally don’t match laser contrast for pure text, Canon’s combination of a black pigment/dye system and the FINE droplet control delivers acceptable sharpness for invoices, contracts and administrative forms. Expect crisp fonts at normal sizes and solid greyscale reproduction for charts and tables.

Colour, photos and marketing bits

Where the MX392 distinguishes itself from monochrome lasers is colour. With a quoted maximum colour resolution up to 4,800 × 1,200 dpi and Canon’s FINE print head, the unit produces attractive snapshots, colourful handouts and one-off promotional pieces (postcards, menus, product photos) that look better than typical office lasers. Colour fidelity for critical proofs won’t rival pro proofing devices, but for marketing mockups, client samples and internal collateral the output is more than serviceable. 

Media & borderless printing

The MX392 supports borderless printing on common photo sizes and accepts heavier specialty media via the rear feed, making it a flexible choice for businesses that occasionally need printed signage, labels or photo prints without outsourcing. citeturn0search0

Scanning, copying & faxing — practical capture features

A major practical advantage is the 30-sheet ADF — uncommon on many very small inkjets — which speeds multi-page scanning and faxing tasks (useful for invoices, signed contracts and mailroom throughput). The flatbed scanner’s high optical resolution (up to 1,200 × 2,400 dpi) provides good fidelity for archiving documents and images, and Canon’s bundled scanning utilities let you create PDFs, email scans or push content to desktop apps for OCR processing. Faxing features include standard transmission and broadcast functions, making the MX392 usable in environments where fax remains necessary. 

For businesses that digitize a lot of paper daily (hundreds of pages), a dedicated document scanner with a larger ADF or duplex single-pass scanning may be preferable — but for occasional to moderate scanning volumes the MX392’s ADF is a big productivity boost.

Connectivity & mobile workflows

The MX392 supports wired USB and Wi-Fi network connections and works with common mobile printing standards such as AirPrint and Canon’s own mobile app. That makes it a good fit for today’s hybrid work patterns: staff can print from a laptop, tablet or phone without complex driver installs. Wi-Fi Direct and simplified wireless setup tools reduce friction for BYOD (bring-your-own-device) environments. 

On the management side, however, the MX392 is light. It lacks enterprise lifecycle and fleet-management features (advanced accounting, secure print release, SNMP telemetry) available on higher-end office MFPs. If device tracking, billing by user or advanced security audits are necessary, larger Canon i-Series or third-party MPS solutions are recommended.

Performance & reliability — real-world expectations

• Daily throughput: With ISO speeds of roughly 8.7 ipm (black) and 5.0 ipm (colour), the MX392 feels appropriately responsive for one or a few users. It is not built for heavy print farms or continuous multi-hour jobs. 

• Responsiveness: First photo prints and short documents come back quickly; large, image-heavy PDFs or borderless photos take longer to process and print.

• Reliability: Owners report steady, predictable operation when used within the intended duty cycle. As with all inkjets, occasional head-cleaning cycles or maintenance is normal — these are more noticeable under heavy, sustained use. User reviews historically show the MX392 to be a dependable small-office performer. 

Consumables, yields & running costs

Ink cost is a crucial factor. The MX392 uses Canon’s PG-240 / CL-241 cartridge family. Canon and resellers publish yield figures: PG-240 standard black ≈ 180 pages, CL-241 standard colour ≈ 180 pages; high-yield PG-240XL ≈ 300 pages, CL-241XL ≈ 400 pages; and a PG-240XXL XXL black option can be around 600 pages. Choosing XL/XXL cartridges reduces per-page cost at the expense of higher upfront cartridge prices. 

For budgeting:

• Use high-yield cartridges if monthly volumes justify the higher capital outlay.

• Factor in paper, occasional head cleaning (extra ink consumption) and possible replacement of rollers over a multi-year life.

• For consistently high monthly volumes, a small colour laser MFP or managed print service may deliver lower per-page costs.

Third-party/refill cartridges are widely available and cheaper, but can vary in quality and sometimes cause additional maintenance cycles. Using OEM cartridges gives the most predictable quality and support coverage. 

Who should buy the MX392 — ideal business fits

Good fits

• Home-office professionals and freelancers who need occasional colour prints, photo output and multi-page scanning.

• Small retail shops, salons or boutiques that print promotional leaflets, receipts or client photos on-demand.

• Micro-offices (1–5 users) needing an all-in-one with ADF and wireless printing in a small footprint. 

Not recommended

• Workgroups printing heavy, daily mono loads (hundreds to thousands of pages), where a mono laser is typically cheaper per page.

• Environments requiring enterprise security, accounting or centralized fleet management without third-party tools.

• Colour-critical proofing workflows that require calibrated RIPs and pro-level printers.

Practical deployment tips

1. Buy XL/XXL cartridges if monthly pages justify them — this lowers per-page costs. 

2. Set driver defaults to duplex where possible to save paper and cost.

3. Use the ADF for routine batch scans to avoid repeated flatbed workloads.

4. Keep a spare black cartridge on hand for small teams to avoid downtime.

5. If fleet control or secure release is needed, plan third-party software or step up to Canon business lines.

Final verdict

The Canon PIXMA MX392 is a pragmatic all-in-one that blends photo-capable colour printing with useful office functions (30-sheet ADF, wireless, fax) in a compact package. It’s an excellent match for micro-businesses, home offices and retail environments that need flexible media handling and moderate scanning capability without the cost or footprint of a departmental MFP. For businesses whose monthly monochrome volumes are heavy or whose workflows demand enterprise-grade management and security, a dedicated laser MFP is a better long-term choice. But for one-to-five-user environments where colour, photo prints and occasional batch scanning matter, the MX392 offers strong value and convenience.