The Canon MegaTank Pixma G3270 offers a compelling combination of features for home users at a surprisingly low price. As one of the most affordable tank printers on the market, it delivers excellent value without compromising on essential aspects like reliability and print quality. While not perfect, the Pixma G3270 stands out as a top contender for the best home printer.
Design and Features
The Canon MegaTank Pixma G3270 looks good in black.The Canon MegaTank Pixma G3270 boasts a sleek, compact design.
Available in black or white, the compact Canon MegaTank Pixma G3270 easily fits into any home office setup. With dimensions of 16.4 inches wide, 13.3 inches deep, and a height of 7 inches (12 inches with the rear paper tray loaded), it’s relatively easy to move and position. The printer weighs just 13.2 pounds and can hold up to 100 sheets of paper or 20 4×6 photo cards.
Canon’s attention to detail is evident in the printer’s design, with clearly marked adjustments and easy-to-use controls. The 1.4-inch monochrome display, while not adjustable and angled for seated viewing, is complemented by large, color-coded buttons that simplify operation. The transparent ink tanks allow for easy monitoring of ink levels, a key advantage of tank printers.
Printing Performance and Quality
MegaTank Pixma G3270 photo prints on glossy paper look great.The MegaTank Pixma G3270 produces impressive photo prints on glossy paper.
Despite its budget-friendly price, the MegaTank Pixma G3270 delivers impressive print quality. Photos printed on glossy paper exhibit vibrant colors and sharp details, while matte paper also yields excellent results. While some images might benefit from slight contrast adjustments, color accuracy is generally good with a slightly warm bias.
Printing speed is respectable, with borderless full-page photos taking approximately one minute to print. Document printing speeds align with Canon’s estimated 11 pages per minute for black and white and 6 pages per minute for color. Text documents printed on plain paper appear crisp and clear. While printing photos on standard paper can result in washed-out images, selecting the photo matte paper setting in the printer driver produces surprisingly good results even on plain paper.
Additional Features and Functionality
The Canon MegaTank Pixma G3270The MegaTank Pixma G3270’s flatbed scanner offers good quality, although it’s a bit slow.
The MegaTank Pixma G3270 includes a flatbed scanner, providing convenient scanning and copying capabilities at home. While the scanner is a bit slow, it produces high-quality scans and copies with accurate color reproduction and dynamic range. Simple one-touch buttons on the control panel streamline the copying process. It’s important to note that the printer lacks features like duplex scanning, automatic document feeding, and duplex printing, making it less suitable for high-volume office use.
Software, Compatibility, and Setup
Using the MegaTank Pixma G3270Connecting the MegaTank Pixma G3270 to a smartphone is simple and straightforward.
The MegaTank Pixma G3270 offers broad compatibility with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and ChromeOS. Setup is quick and easy, guided by a clear three-step quick start guide. The process involves installing the printheads, filling the ink tanks, and connecting the printer to Wi-Fi. The Canon Print mobile app provides convenient wireless printing and scanning functionality. While the app experienced minor issues with envelope printing, this can be easily bypassed using AirPrint.
Cost and Value
CanonThe MegaTank Pixma G3270 comes with a generous supply of ink, minimizing running costs.
The Canon MegaTank Pixma G3270 offers exceptional value with a retail price of $230, often available on sale for even less. The included ink bottles provide a high page yield, estimated at 6,000 black and white pages and 7,700 color pages, significantly reducing ink costs over time. Replacement ink bottles are also affordably priced.
Conclusion
The Canon MegaTank Pixma G3270 is an excellent choice for home users seeking a reliable and affordable printing solution. Its impressive print quality, ease of use, and low running costs make it a compelling option. While it might not be the fastest printer or offer advanced features like duplex printing, its overall performance and value proposition are hard to beat for casual home printing and light home office tasks.
