PIXMA TS6420a All-in-One Wireless Inkjet Printer [Print,Copy,Scan], White

Connectivity is straightforward, print quality is good, no gripes except for the startup time and it has had issues a couple times with the bottom feed tray, but these are minor gripes. I have not tried photo-quality printing yet on photo paper, so I can't vouch for that.

I was hesitant to buy this printer, due to some other reviews... it was on sale for around $60 for Prime Day, so I took a chance. We previously had an HP wireless printer that connected less than half of the time. The ease of setting this one up was a huge perk! It came with a QR code to scan for setup. I am a 48-year-old teacher who is somewhat tech savvy, but not the most. I found this extremely easy to follow the directions and set up. If you use your phone, the photo directions are a bit small to see, but overall good directions. It was a breeze to connect the printer to my phone. Then, I went into "My Printers" on my laptop, and there it was, ready to be discovered! So simple. The print quality is good so far. It pauses in between the front and back side of a back-to-back document, but is still decently zippy for an inexpensive printer.

Firstly, I've been using printers for media work regularly and have never come across something so faulty as this printer. Maybe I just got bad luck but what are the odds that the first printer I received did nothing but get stuck with paper jams and would not even try to print because of this. Thankfully, purchased here on Amazon so they sent a replacement that doesn't get stuck but will print only blank pages! These printers come with tiny test inks that I never got to try because the thing won't print and is still using up ink. I've inspected the printer inside and out, there's some foam that sits right under the print heads that could be the culprit because they don't specify to take that out and I didn't until after going through multiple attemps at deep cleans which didn't work because it says it got jammed or something was in the way. Took it out, made no difference. A printer should be easier to use than this. Plug and play too much to ask? Couldn't get the wireless connection from my phone or computer either not that it would matter but yeah, total bust. I guess that the low price tag means they don't have time to check if the printers actually work before they send them out! Roll the dice if you will but make sure not to be on a deadline and be ready to ship this back for a refund!

Is this a great printer? Absolutely not. The print quality isn't anything to write home about. Physically, it's a bit awkward. It was a PITA to set up wireless printing--the fancy install wizard failed multiple times. But it does work, I was able to manually install and get it set up wirelessly, and for an all-in-one, it's pretty compact. I'd have to say the scanning function is the highest quality compared to everything else this little machine can do. The UI is terribly outdated, but it works fine, and it can save as several different formats. This is not a printer to brag about, but it has saved my bacon several times in just the few months I've owned it. I can print out my college assignments at any time, I don't have to worry about my dorm's print room being on the fritz, or the on-campus printers being inaccessible or not taking my print account. I won't be using this printer for any kind of big project that needs to be visually appealing. But for basic homework and such? It gets the job done and I'm glad I got it.

Likes: Very good printing. Clean. Responds to just making copies, black or color. Responds to computer print commands, black, color, pages to print, orientation. Other commands. Not a lot of higher cost options, there are added steps, for black, color, but that’s not a challenge. Like a vehicle, with less options, so, use an extra step, push an extra button. Plain paper, photo paper. Scans good; follows the computer commands. Copies good. No top feeder, but if one does an amount of copying, then get the top feeder for the TS 6420a. Not much in dislikes. But one: Cartridge cost. Two XL’s, 260 and 261, That’s almost half the printer cost. A few months of normal printing, another round of cartridges; hence, the cost of the printer itself. A decision: How much printing one does. Individual choice, this printer or another, with three to four color carts, then the two blacks. Note: the amount of ink in the 260 black, standard or XL, is equal to or less than a black standard or XL cart for another printer that has multiple color carts, and two black carts. In the 261 tri-color cart: 3 spaces, three colors. Likely one third the ink, standard or XL, compared to separate color carts, standard or XL, of other printers. Cost: 260 standard or XL black, more than double cost of another black standard or XL for another printer (note: this one 260 black does double duty, compared to two separate black carts of other printer). Cost: 261 standard or XL tri-color, almost triple the cost compared to separate color standard or XL carts on another printer. The others: Replace only that color. The 261 standard or XL: One color empties first, the whole cart could be useless. Compares to pharmaceutical companies, their brand name drugs. Exorbitant prices. Generics? Cost so much less. Affordable. Every printer maker: The cost of their brand carts is sky high. Generic carts? Ink quality? For printing, photos? It’s a real guessing dilemma. Will it hurt the printer? Void the warranty? The bottom line: Every printer maker makes a fortune on the OEM carts; they know it. Huge after printer sales brand name ink cart profits. Free market, of course. No govt interference. But there is, for drug costs, rightly so. Back to the beginning: It’s a very good printer. Canon Tech support: A-1. No long lines waiting for assistance; answer in a minute. Knowledgeable people, they know their product. Like Apple tech support. No word gimmickry, no ‘awesome’, no ‘perfect’, none of the “I can definitely help”. They hear something once, they got it. No annoying parroting repetitions of a question. The way it was, in more competent times.