Troubleshooting Canon MP Navigator EX with Canon PIXMA MP190

Best Settings for Canon MP Navigator EX on PIXMA MP190 ScanningThe Canon PIXMA MP190 is an affordable all-in-one inkjet with a flatbed scanner that, when paired with Canon MP Navigator EX, can deliver surprisingly good scanned documents and images. This guide walks through the optimal MP Navigator EX settings and scanning workflow to maximize quality, speed, and file efficiency for common tasks: color photo scanning, black-and-white documents, OCR/text scanning, and batch scanning for multiple pages.

Quick setup and driver checklist

• Install the latest Canon MP Navigator EX compatible with your OS version.
• Install PIXMA MP190 drivers (printer/scanner driver) so the scanner is recognized by the software.
• Ensure the scanner glass is clean and free of dust or smudges.
• Warm up the scanner for a minute if it’s been cold to avoid color shifts.

General scanning tips before settings

• Place originals face-down on the flatbed, aligning with the reference marks.
• For photos, remove any dust or fingerprints and use a lint-free cloth.
• If scanning a document with folds or creases, press it flat (carefully) to reduce shadows.
• Prefer natural, indirect lighting when previewing placement; avoid direct bright light on the glass.

Recommended MP Navigator EX settings by use case

1) Scanning color photos (archive-quality)

• Mode: Photo Mode (or Full Auto with manual adjustments off).
• Resolution: 300–600 dpi for typical prints; 1200 dpi for small details or enlargements.
• Image Type / Color Mode: 24-bit Color (RGB).
• File Format: TIFF for archival (lossless); JPEG for general use with Quality set to High/90–95%.
• Color Correction: Manual — enable, then adjust brightness/contrast and color balance as needed; use automatic only if results are acceptable.
• Descreen: On for scans from printed halftones (magazines/newspapers).
• Sharpening: Apply minimally in MP Navigator EX or later in dedicated image editor.
• Scan Preview: Use to crop and straighten before final scan.

Example workflow: Preview → Crop to photo edges → Set 300–600 dpi and TIFF → Disable aggressive sharpening → Scan → Save.

2) Scanning color documents (reports, brochures)

• Mode: Document Mode.
• Resolution: 300 dpi (sufficient for readability and OCR); 600 dpi for small fonts or detailed graphics.
• Color Mode: 24-bit Color for documents with images; Grayscale (8-bit) if only text with shaded elements.
• File Format: PDF for multi-page documents; PDF (image) if no OCR, or PDF (searchable) if MP Navigator EX OCR is available and reliable.
• Compression/Quality: Moderate — aim for balance between file size and appearance. Use JPEG compression within PDFs at high quality.

3) Scanning black-and-white text (books, contracts)

• Mode: Text / Document Mode.
• Resolution: 300 dpi (standard for readable text and acceptable OCR accuracy); 400–600 dpi if OCR accuracy on small fonts is critical.
• Color Mode: Black & White (1-bit) for simple text (smallest file size); Grayscale if shading or faint text exists.
• File Format: PDF (searchable) if you need editable/searchable text; otherwise PDF or TIFF for archiving.
• Noise Removal / Despeckle: Enable to remove scanner dust specks if present.
• Thresholding: Adjust threshold carefully in preview to avoid chopping thin serifs.

4) OCR / Searchable PDFs

• Use MP Navigator EX’s OCR options (if available for your OS). If built-in OCR is unreliable, use a dedicated OCR tool (ABBYY FineReader, Tesseract).
• Resolution: 300–400 dpi is ideal for OCR.
• Color Mode: Grayscale or Color (grayscale often produces smaller files and good OCR results).
• Language: Set the correct OCR language(s).
• Preprocess: Despeckle and straighten pages in preview to improve recognition.
• Output: Searchable PDF (embedded text) — check OCR output for errors, especially with unusual fonts or poor originals.

Advanced and batch-scanning tips

• Batch scanning multipage documents: Use the MP Navigator EX “Scan to PDF (multi-page)” feature and choose searchable PDF if OCR is needed. Preview and combine pages before saving.
• For repeated batch jobs, save a profile/preset in MP Navigator EX with chosen settings (mode, resolution, file type) to speed workflow.
• If scanning photos with multiple items per bed, use the “Auto Crop” or “Multi-Image” feature to create separate files in one pass.
• When scanning negatives/film: MP Navigator EX on MP190 does not support film holders — use a dedicated film scanner for best results.

File size vs. quality — practical guidance

• Documents (text-only) at 300 dpi, black & white: very small files (tens to hundreds KB per page).
• Color documents at 300 dpi, JPEG: ~500 KB–2 MB per page depending on compression.
• Photos at 300–600 dpi: 5–25+ MB in TIFF or high-quality JPEG.
• If file size matters (email, cloud storage), reduce dpi to 200–300 for documents or use JPEG with Quality ≈ 85% for photos.

Troubleshooting common scan issues

• Soft/blurry scans: Increase dpi, clean glass, ensure original is flat, and disable unnecessary smoothing/low-pass filters.
• Color casts: Calibrate monitor, use manual color correction in MP Navigator EX, or scan in 24-bit color and correct in an editor.
• Skewed pages: Use the preview to straighten or enable auto deskew if available.
• Large PDFs: Reduce resolution for non-essential pages, convert images inside PDF to JPEG with medium compression, or split into multiple PDFs.

Sample recommended presets

• Photo Archive: Photo Mode — 600 dpi — 24-bit TIFF — No strong sharpening.
• Office Prints (color): Document Mode — 300 dpi — 24-bit PDF — High JPEG quality.
• OCR Documents: Document Mode — 300 dpi — Grayscale — Searchable PDF — OCR language set.
• Contracts/Legal (archive): Document Mode — 600 dpi — Black & White or Grayscale TIFF — Despeckle enabled.

Final checklist before scanning

1. Clean glass and originals.
2. Choose correct mode (Photo / Document / Text).
3. Set dpi according to use (300 default for most).
4. Select file format for purpose (PDF for docs, TIFF for archive photos).
5. Preview, crop, and adjust color/threshold.
6. Save a preset for repeated tasks.

Optimal scanning with Canon MP Navigator EX on the PIXMA MP190 balances resolution, color mode, and file format against your purpose (archive, OCR, sharing). Use 300 dpi as a baseline for most document needs, bump to 600 dpi for photo archiving or detailed text, choose TIFF for lossless storage and PDF/JPEG for general use, and save presets to speed repetitive jobs.