A Surprisingly Competent & Affordable Wireless Multifunction Printer, November 3, 2010

Customer Video Review Length:: 1:35 Mins

I own an older develop PIXMA iP3000 that I’ve been very impressed with and the MG5220 doesn’t exchange my opinion. If anything, I am even more impressed with its point, features and performance. Out of the box it is attractively styled and has a compact footprint. Installing the software and setting up a wireless connection on my home network was a snap with both my iMac and Windows 7 laptop. The controls are intuitive and the adjustable color LCD show is gorgeous. I’ve yet to explore all of it’s features, but lacking cracking open the manual I was able to photocopy, scan, print ID and print photos on photo document. There is a brief warm-up period when rotary the printer on or waking from power saving mode, but if not printing, copying and scanning are brisk, if not super-quick.

Copy, print and scan quality all meet my high values. A copy is hard to characterize from the page it is copied from. Text is crisp and simple to read, and the duplex (double-sided) printing is a boon. Borderless photos are crisp and clear with excellent color infiltration and accurate tonality. Scan detail is superb and the reproduction very accurate. The decrease document cassette and rear feed both hold bounty of document. In fact, I am hard pushed to find anything not to like about this all-in-one. Sure, the cost to exchange all of the ink cartridges (with List approved versions) is more than half the cost of the printer, but that is sadly the norm the days. I can’t speak to it’s endurance or how it will run over time, but if it is anything like the IP3000, then I am hopeful.

For private use or a small home office that wants a compact all-in-one that copies, prints and scans quickly and with quality, then the Cannon PIXMA MG5220 should be on your small list.

EDIT(01/12/2011): After about 3 months of use, and printing a lot of photos for the holidays, the painted inks that came with the printer ran out. The blacks are subdue going strong, though it won’t print lacking the painted ones being replaced (even B&W).

EDIT(01/31/2011): I just wanted to clarify that while the colors are low, only one needed immediate replacing. The rest are hanging in there and the black ink levels subdue appear excellent