Canon holds roughly one in every five inkjet printer sales in North America — a dominance built largely on the PIXMA line, which has shipped more than 400 million units worldwide since its debut. If you've spent any time shopping for a home or small-office printer in 2026, you've almost certainly landed on a PIXMA model. The lineup is wide, though, spanning compact portables, budget basics, photo-focused MegaTank machines, and full-featured all-in-ones that fax, scan, and copy. Picking the wrong one is easy, and the wrong pick tends to sit in a closet after three months.
This guide cuts through the noise. We tested and evaluated seven current PIXMA models across different use cases — from the road warrior who needs a bag-sized printer to the home-office user who prints contracts and school photos every week. Each review covers real-world performance, not just spec-sheet numbers. You'll find honest trade-offs, clear use-case guidance, and a buying section that explains what actually matters when you're spending your money. For a broader look at the category, our best all-in-one printer for home use guide covers options beyond Canon if you want comparison context. And if duplex printing is high on your list, check our best duplex printer 2026 roundup as well.
Canon PIXMA printers fall into a few distinct families: the TR series (office-focused, with fax and ADF), the TS series (streamlined home all-in-ones), the G and G-series MegaTank models (high-volume, refillable ink), the portable TR160, and the entry-level MG series. Understanding which family matches your workflow is the first step — everything else flows from there. According to Wikipedia's overview of inkjet printing technology, modern inkjet heads have become precise enough to rival laser for everyday documents, making today's PIXMA models genuinely competitive for mixed text-and-photo households.
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The TR8620a is Canon's most capable home-office PIXMA in 2026, and it earns that title through a combination of features that most users actually reach for daily. You get print, copy, scan, and fax in one footprint, plus an auto document feeder (ADF) that takes the tedium out of multi-page scans. The ADF handles up to 20 sheets automatically, which means you're not standing at the machine flipping pages one at a time — a genuine time-saver if you regularly digitize paperwork or contracts.
Print quality is impressive across both documents and photos. The five-ink system (PGBK, C, M, Y, GY) produces accurate skin tones and deep blacks that hold their own against dedicated photo printers. On plain paper, text comes out crisp and professional at default settings. Speed sits at around 15 ipm for black and 10 ipm for color — not laser-fast, but more than adequate for typical home-office output. Connectivity covers Wi-Fi, USB, Bluetooth, AirPrint, and Alexa integration, so virtually any device in your home can send a job to it without configuration headaches.
The Alexa ink-monitoring feature is genuinely useful rather than gimmicky. When you enable smart reorders, Alexa tracks your ink levels and can place a replenishment order before you hit empty. There's no subscription required — you just enroll once and let it run. The TR8620a does cost more than the TR4720 sitting further down this list, but the ADF, five-ink system, and build quality justify the gap if your workflow includes anything beyond occasional document printing. If AirPrint compatibility matters to you, our best AirPrint printers 2026 guide covers how this model stacks up against competing brands.
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The TS7720 occupies an interesting position in the PIXMA lineup — it's a streamlined all-in-one (print, copy, scan, no fax) that prioritizes speed and ease of use over raw feature count. The 2.7-inch touchscreen makes navigating menus noticeably more intuitive than the button-and-LCD combos on older PIXMA models. Setup really does take only a few minutes out of the box, which matters more than you might think if you've ever spent an afternoon wrestling with printer drivers.
Print speeds of 15 ipm black and 10 ipm color put it at the upper end of the home inkjet category. For a household that prints school projects, boarding passes, and the occasional photo, those speeds translate into real convenience — you send a job and it's done before you've refilled your coffee. Auto duplex printing is built in, saving paper on two-sided documents without any manual page-flipping.
The TS7720 doesn't include a fax function or ADF, which is a deliberate trade-off. Canon stripped those features to keep the footprint compact and the price reasonable. If you've already decided you don't need fax — and most home users in 2026 genuinely don't — that's not a loss. But if you scan multi-page documents regularly, the lack of an ADF will frustrate you. For those users, the TR8620a above is the better call. For everyone else who wants a fast, clean, easy printer that doesn't dominate your desk, the TS7720 is hard to argue with.
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If you print a lot of photos, the G620 reframes the economics entirely. The MegaTank system uses refillable ink reservoirs instead of cartridges — you can print up to 3,800 4×6 color photos on a single set of ink. That's not a typo. For a household that regularly prints family photos, school portraits, or creative projects, the per-print cost drops to fractions of a cent compared to cartridge-based alternatives. The upfront price is higher, but the math flips quickly once you factor in ink costs over a year.
Photo quality from the G620 is genuinely impressive for a consumer inkjet. The six-color dye ink system (including a dedicated gray ink) produces smooth gradients, accurate skin tones, and gallery-worthy detail at 4800×1200 dpi. Borderless printing goes up to 8.5×11 inches, so you're not locked into small formats. The all-in-one functionality covers print, copy, and scan — no fax, but that's a fair trade for photo users who care more about color accuracy than office utility.
Alexa integration appears here too, with the same smart reorder capability as the TR8620a. Since MegaTank bottles last far longer than cartridges, you'll be ordering ink much less frequently anyway — but knowing Alexa will flag low levels before you run dry mid-print-session is reassuring. If photography is a serious hobby and you want to understand how this compares to specialized options, our guide on the best printer for photographers 2026 digs into alternatives including dedicated photo printers and wide-format options.
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The G7020 is built for volume. While most home inkjet users are thinking in hundreds of pages a month, the G7020 is designed for offices and households that measure output in thousands. A single set of inks yields up to 6,000 black-and-white or 7,700 color pages — figures that are nearly impossible to match with cartridge-based printers without spending a fortune on replacement ink. Canon estimates that the included ink at purchase covers roughly two years of average printing (200 pages per month), which makes the economics straightforward.
Feature-wise, the G7020 is a full four-function all-in-one: wireless print, copy, scan, and fax. An auto document feeder handles multi-page originals without manual feeding. Alexa integration covers ink level monitoring. The wireless setup works with iOS, Android, and most desktop operating systems, and Mopria certification means it plays nicely with Android devices out of the box. For a small business or home office that churns through documents regularly, this machine removes the constant friction of low-ink warnings and emergency cartridge runs.
The trade-off with MegaTank models like the G7020 is upfront cost and physical size — these printers are larger and heavier than cartridge-based counterparts. They're also primarily optimized for documents rather than photos; if you want the MegaTank cost efficiency specifically for photo printing, the G620 above is the better match. But for a mixed-use environment where document volume is the primary driver, the G7020 is one of the most cost-effective printers Canon makes.
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The TR4720 answers a specific question: what's the most capable PIXMA printer you can buy without spending a lot of money? The answer involves some trade-offs, but they're the right ones. You get wireless printing, copying, scanning, and faxing — all four functions — in a compact machine with an auto document feeder. The ADF handles multi-page originals automatically, which is genuinely surprising at this price point. Most entry-level printers omit the ADF entirely.
Print speeds are modest at 8.8 ipm black and 4.4 ipm color, and the resolution caps at 4800×1200 dpi for photos (sufficient, not exceptional). Power consumption is low — 7W during printing, 0.8W on standby — so it's not adding meaningfully to your electricity bill even if it sits on 24/7. Ink cartridge installation is designed to be straightforward, with a slot design that guides you in correctly and prevents mis-seating.
This is a solid choice if you need the full all-in-one feature set but aren't printing in high volume and don't need the fastest speeds. Students, occasional home users, and anyone who needs fax capability on a tight budget will find the TR4720 checks more boxes than anything near its price. Where it falls short is ink cost over time — if you're printing more than 200 pages a month, the per-page economics will push you toward a MegaTank model.
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The TR160 is for a completely different buyer than every other printer on this list. This is a printer you put in a bag. It's lightweight, fits alongside a laptop without taking over your backpack, and prints full 8.5×11-inch documents and photos wherever you have power. The five-color hybrid ink system (including both dye and pigment inks) delivers sharp black text and vibrant color on the same machine — a hybrid capability that most portable printers skip in favor of simplicity.
The 50-sheet paper tray and 1.44-inch display are conveniences that distinguish the TR160 from even more minimalist portable options. You can load enough paper for a meeting's worth of handouts and navigate print settings without reaching for your phone. Connectivity works through the Canon PRINT app, Apple AirPrint, and Mopria Print Service — so whether you're on iOS, Android, or a laptop, you have a path to print. Borderless printing is supported, which matters for anyone printing photos away from home.
The limitations are inherent to portability. There's no scanning, no copying, no fax. The print speed is slower than desktop models, and the paper capacity of 50 sheets means frequent reloading for longer print jobs. This is a print-only device, and it makes no apologies for that. If your workflow genuinely requires printing on the go — sales reps, traveling professionals, photographers delivering prints on location — the TR160 is a capable, well-designed answer. For buyers who want to understand portable printing in a broader context, our buying guide covers considerations across printer categories.
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The MG2522 is the most affordable printer on this list by a meaningful margin, and it earns its place by doing one thing well: printing documents reliably without complexity. The setup is as minimal as inkjet printers get — two ink cartridges (black and color), a USB cable connection, and you're printing. There's no wireless, no touchscreen, no app ecosystem. Plug it in, install the driver, and it works. For users who've been frustrated by connectivity issues on "smarter" printers, that simplicity is genuinely appealing.
The MG2522 handles print, copy, and scan — a useful trio even without wireless. Optional XL ink cartridges let you reduce replacement frequency, which matters if you print enough to find yourself running to the store regularly. Print quality is adequate for documents, homework, and basic home use. It's not a photo printer and shouldn't be evaluated as one, but for plain-paper output it performs exactly as advertised.
The wireless omission is the biggest limitation. In 2026, most households print from phones and tablets as often as from computers, and USB-only connectivity is a genuine constraint. If one family member owns the USB-connected desktop and others want to print from their own devices, the MG2522 creates friction. For a single-user setup — a student with one laptop, a home office where the printer lives next to the computer — it's a perfectly sensible choice that costs very little to buy and operate. Don't overthink it if this is all you need.
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Seven printers, seven different profiles. The right question isn't which one is best overall — it's which one fits what you actually do. These four factors will narrow your choice faster than any spec comparison.
This is the decision most buyers get wrong. Cartridge-based PIXMA models (TR series, TS series, MG series) cost less upfront but significantly more per page over time. If you print more than 200 pages per month consistently, the math favors a MegaTank model — the G620 or G7020 — within the first year. If you print occasionally (fewer than 100 pages per month), a cartridge-based model costs less to own overall because the ink doesn't dry out as quickly between uses. Be honest with yourself about your actual volume, not your optimistic estimate.
All-in-one printers bundle print, copy, scan, and sometimes fax. But most households in 2026 use fax rarely if ever. If that's you, don't pay extra for a fax function. The more useful question is whether you need an auto document feeder (ADF). If you regularly scan or copy multi-page documents — contracts, school packets, tax forms — an ADF saves significant time. The TR8620a and TR4720 include an ADF; the TS7720 and G620 do not. Portable and entry-level models skip all secondary functions.
Wireless printing is essentially a requirement for any household with more than one person and more than one device. If everyone prints from phones, tablets, and laptops at different times, a USB-only printer creates unnecessary friction. AirPrint support is valuable for iOS and macOS users; Mopria certification covers Android. Alexa integration, available on the TR8620a, G620, and G7020, adds ink-level monitoring that prevents running out mid-job. Consider who in your household will use the printer and from which devices before deciding how much connectivity matters.
Canon PIXMA models divide fairly cleanly into photo-optimized and document-optimized machines. The G620 is the clear photo choice on this list, with its six-color system and MegaTank economics that make large photo batches affordable. The TR8620a handles photos well with its five-ink system but is primarily designed around office functionality. The MG2522 and TR4720 are document printers first. If photos are important to you, look at ink count (more is better for color accuracy) and maximum photo resolution. For an even deeper dive into photo-focused options across brands, the best printer for photographers 2026 guide covers the full landscape.
Cartridge-based PIXMA printers (such as the TR8620a, TS7720, TR4720, and MG2522) use replaceable ink cartridges that you swap out when empty. MegaTank models (the G620 and G7020) use refillable ink reservoirs that hold far more ink — hundreds of times more per fill than a standard cartridge. MegaTank printers cost more upfront but deliver a dramatically lower cost per page, making them better for high-volume users. Cartridge models are often the better choice for occasional printing, since the lower upfront cost and slower ink consumption make financial sense at low volumes.
Yes. Most current Canon PIXMA models support Apple AirPrint, which lets you print directly from iPhones and iPads without installing any apps or drivers. Simply make sure your printer and Apple device are on the same Wi-Fi network, select the print option in any app, and choose your Canon printer. The TR8620a, TS7720, G620, G7020, TR4720, and TR160 all support AirPrint. The MG2522 is USB-only and does not support wireless printing from any device.
The Canon PIXMA G620 can print up to 3,800 4×6 color photos or a proportional equivalent in documents from a full set of ink. The G7020 can yield up to 6,000 black-and-white or 7,700 color pages per ink set. Canon estimates the G7020's included ink at purchase covers approximately two years of printing at 200 pages per month. Actual yield varies based on print settings, coverage percentage, and media type, but both models offer dramatically more prints per dollar than cartridge alternatives.
The TR160 requires a power source — it does not have a built-in battery and cannot operate solely on battery power. You would need an AC outlet or a compatible power bank capable of powering a printer. It is designed for portability in the sense of physical size and weight (easy to carry in a bag), not fully off-grid operation. For airline use, you'd need access to a seat power outlet, which is available on many long-haul flights. Always verify power compatibility before traveling internationally, as voltage requirements can vary.
The Canon PIXMA TR8620a uses five individual ink cartridges: PGI-280XXL (pigment black), CLI-281XXL (cyan, magenta, yellow, and photo blue). The five-ink system — including a dedicated photo blue — is what enables the TR8620a's above-average photo quality compared to simpler four-ink PIXMA models. Individual cartridges mean you only replace the color that runs out rather than a combined cartridge. XL and XXL versions of these cartridges offer higher page yields and a lower cost per page than standard sizes.
The MG2522 can print photos, but it is not optimized for photo quality. It uses a two-cartridge system (black and tri-color) rather than the five or six-ink systems found in photo-focused PIXMA models. Color accuracy and tonal range are adequate for casual snapshot printing but fall short of what you'd expect from a dedicated photo printer. If photos are a meaningful part of your printing needs, the Canon PIXMA G620 offers far better results at a reasonable price. The MG2522 is best suited for households whose primary output is everyday documents and occasional color printing.
About Editorial Team
The DigiLabsPro editorial team covers cameras, lenses, photography gear, and creative technology with a focus on helping photographers make informed buying decisions. Our reviews and guides draw on hands-on testing and research across a wide range of equipment, from entry-level beginner kits to professional-grade systems.
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