I had been putting off getting rid of my PIXMA MX870 for a while as I did not like the thought of a new all-in-one printer not having a rear tray which the newer PIXMAs did not seem to have until this one came along. I am no network expert but had no problem getting this printer set up and installed on my home network and it now can be seen by any device on the network and they can print wirelessly to it.
I have always been a fan of Canon for their photo quality and have been hesitant to stray because of that. I'm glad to report that this one does have the photo quality I need but it also has a lot of features that make it an excellent home printer. I just finished printing over 100 Christmas cards and had it address the (smallish) envelopes. No jams, excellent color, and very fast printing.
The size of the unit is deceptive. It has a small footprint but still does everything an all-in-one should be able to do. I've done a fair amount of scanning using both the feeder and the flatbed and both worked well. The touch screen is much easier to navigate than my old MX870 which was quite confusing. Have not tried to fax yet but I did hook up a phone line.
I had issues setting up the printer using the instructions that came with the "quick start" guide to print from my two Macs. As instructed I downloaded the setup software from Canon's website, and no matter what I tried the software would not find my printer.
Here's what I ended up doing. (1) connected to my wifi network using the printer’s control panel. The printer had no issues connecting to my network. I reran the setup software: no luck finding my printer.
(2) I used the printer control panel to check for a firmware update and waited as the firmware was downloaded and installed over my wifi network. Tried the setup again, no dice.
(3) I went to System Preferences, Printers and Scanners on each of my Macs, and the Canon printer was available to be added as an "AirPrint" printer. I added them to each of my Macs and was able to print wirelessly.
I also tried AirPrint from my iPhone, and it had no issues printing.
It’s too soon to tell how I like the printer, but so far it’s working fine.
Great printer. Easy to set up, including the wireless options. Have been using it for weeks and love it. Copies are crisp, colors are true. Speed is fine for a home printer for single copies of most things. Ink is no more expensive than for HP printers, maybe even cheaper. My only complaints are minor ones - 1) you have to turn it on manually if it shuts itself off after a certain period of time (it's supposed to turn itself on when a copy is demanded by your computer, but this feature doesn't seem to work) and 2) The paper tray only holds about 40-50 sheets of paper. Scanner works great. Haven't used the fax option.
I haven't put this thing through the card stock/ shipping label rigors yet, but I'm already impressed with it. The size is perfect. The old PIXMA MX922 took up an entire end table, this little jewel fits on a shelf in my bookcase/ closet. With plenty of room leftover for spare paper. The look of it is splendid, I leave the control panel out at an angle that you can read from above, it just looks great, even with the paper support tongue sticking out at you. The MX922 looked like a crash landed spaceship, flashing little tiny messages that you have to squint to read. Not anymore, I can stand back and easily see what it is demanding of me. The laptop setup was super easy, load the CD (or download the files) and just follow the prompts. The phone, with the Canon app and bluetooth, was even easier. Don't be intimidated! I even entered the Eco menu from the touch screen while I was waiting for the files to set up on the laptop, and cured the "I have to turn it on every time I use it!!" problem. Real simple, choose between "auto power on" or "auto power off." (Yes, I read every review I could find, I don't just up and buy something that I rely on in my business and personal life as much as I do a good printer. Nothing is more frustrating than desperately needing something the printer refuses to spit out.) Another common complaint I immediately got over is the flimsy plastic construction. I'm actually glad Canon didn't load up on the extras to turn this into a battle implement and it shows in the price. If you want something you can jump up and down on, then come off your hip with it. Open your purse wide. (Griping about an $89 all in one, really.) Yes, this bad boy probably drinks ink but don't they all? Would you prefer going back in time to the pharmacy, dropping off a roll of film and waiting a couple of days? There are probably more ink efficient printers but there is also trade offs, such as photo quality. I've owned every brand and nothing compares to the exquisite photos that most Canons can produce, especially coming from an all in one.
Now, if I had only gotten this free in exchange for my honest review, I would be totally enraptured. I guess we can settle with completely satisfied.
Great printer. I can scan and print super easily from my Mac OS X and iPhone right out of the box, no driver installation necessary. I bought this to replace my Canon MX860, which has been a workhorse for the last 12 or more years. It still works great, but there are only very basic Mac OS X drivers available for the MX860, and no iOS support, although Windows support is still full featured. Kind of a shame to get rid of a printer that still works perfectly, but the new features of the TR8520 are just so much more convenient.
Photo and picture quality is excellent, print speed is good. Document feed and flatbed scanner are excellent.
The main paper tray is kind of chintzy. It is two pieces, so you can load letter as well as legal paper, but the two pieces come apart too easily, and then don't stay together so well. Overall the printer is lighter and smaller than the models it replaces, and the only thing I lose is the duplex scanner. The build quality feels cheaper than older printers, but it seems to do everything just as well. I expect it will hold up long term, it just doesn't feel as heavy and solid.
A duplex scanner would be nice on this top end model. Ink doesn't last very long. Ink is really expensive, and no aftermarket ink cartridges seem to be available yet, unless you want to refill it yourself. I would buy this again for the print quality and multi-platform support, which I have found lacking in other brands.
Feature Product
- Designed to meet all your needs, from scanning and faxing, a 5-color individual ink system for great-looking documents and photos and plenty of connectivity options - the PIXMA Tr8520 has you covered
- Connect your smartphone, tablet and all your favorite devices with ease! Print hassle free - whether from the Cloud4, through Bluetooth5, from social Media3 or on the go
- The PIXMA Tr8520 is the compact Wireless Office all-in-one that fits perfectly anywhere in the home or Office, is simple to use, and delivers outstanding results every time
- With intuitive features like the 4.3" LCD touchscreen, memory card Slot1 and 20 sheet ADF, it's clear to see why the PIXMA Tr8520 makes printing, copying, scanning and faxing quick and easy
- Memory Capacity:Approx. 250 pages
Description
The home office printer that's powerful, yet compact a home office should boost your efficiency at work, but should also handle all your home needs too. And the PIXMA TR8520 does just that. When you need a home office printer that can handle all your work needs like documents, reports, faxing and scanning to your home needs like printing homework assignments, concert tickets and family photos - the PIXMA TR8520 has you covered. With front and rear paper feeding, a 5-individual ink system, auto 2-sided printing, memory card Slot1, and lots of connectivity options, you'll be able to handle it all.
So I was having a bad day when the printer arrived. My caregiver had a ‘leave it to me’ attitude and in less than 30-minutes she had unboxed the printer, had it up and running, and had broken down the large box. All without use of a computer, tablet or phone. She did have my wireless router password, though.
Just now I’ve only an iPad Pro and an iPhone. I’ve yet to find anything that I can’t print. Faxing (sending and receiving) is first-rate, as is copying — I haven’t found a way to scan from my iPad but maybe I’ll find a way.
I’ve had PIXMA printers for a long while — the TR8520 is replacing an ancient MG8220 — and, no, I don’t find this printer cheaply manufactured or difficult to use and, yes, like all PIXMA printers, it drinks ink like Champagne at Sunday brunch. I recommend buying third-party XXL inks, suddenly available at ½ prices less than Canon cartridges. Available here, on Amazon.
I’ve had no trouble selecting one-or-double-sided printing, color or black-and-white. Photo prints are very good, certainly comparable to those from previous PIXMA printers.
Maybe I’ll have something to complain about later. Just now I’m incredibly satisfied.
I’m moving from a canon mx870 which I mostly loved. But it had a few glitches that, when it finally died, I’m hoping will be resolved in this newer printer.
I just set up the printer. First impressions:
• this feels much flimsier than my old canon. The fact that you have to have this control panel pulled out in order for it to operator feels like it’s an accident waiting to happen. The paper tray feels even more breakable than the one in the mx870. But the ink cartridges installed just as I’m used to, and so far, so good. And no, nothing broke.
• I told it to find my wireless lan and voila - it connected. This was far easier than with my old printer.
• Thanks to comments I found here, as soon as I got the printer connected on our wifi, I updated the firmware. Easy to do and I haven’t had any problems at all.
• The setup instructions say to go to a URL that no longer exists. I can’t use the CD because my laptop doesn’t have a CD drive. So I searched google on ‘Canon TR8520 install” , found the page to install it on windows 10, and voila – all went well.
Using via AirPrint. Yippee. This is my first AirPrint printer. One note - if I print a photo directly from my pictures library, only a blank page is printed. I have to use the Canon app to print a photo. But that worked fine too.
Scanning: works great, but I miss scanning and saving the file onto a USB flash drive. Still, I can use an SD card ok. I just have to put it in VERY firmly to get it to register. I’ve scanned from the printer to put the file onto an sd card, and scanned directly to my pc using the included software. It has options to scan several resolutions (expected) and to do normal and ‘high’ compression of PDF files (unexpected and welcome).
Using ADF: Great. Works flawlessly. Just remember to put the paper in face up. I scanned a paper stack of mixed full pages and half pages with no hesitation.
Havent yet tried to see if this printer drops from our wifi system when unused for a few hours to a day (*sigh*). That was a pain with my MX870.
The one thing I dislike: I leave the printer all shut up rather than leave various trays and panels sticking out. When I printed to my old printer, the paper tray automatically opened and all was well. With this one I get an error message saying to ‘open the operation panel and pull out the output tray. Oh well, it’s simple enough.
this is an advanced, four-function (print/scan/copy/FAX) unit that packs a lot of technology into a relatively compact form factor. initial setup is done via an internet-driven guided assistant which covers the basics (only). sadly, the good documentation is in an "online" manual rather than a printed paper booklet. it really does behoove you to read the online documentation and explore the bundled software that is installed: this machine has a lot of capabilities and options. best features, IMHO: separate ink tanks for b/w and each color, and you can choose to use the standard, XL, or XXL tanks depending on your print volume/budget; easily shareable across multiple computers/mobiles on the same wireless network (or via bluetooth, from mobiles, if you enable that feature); two-sided printing/copying; automatic document feeder; economy power-saving features. the not-so-great: won't print unless the front panel containing the LCD panel is opened; noisy even in "quiet mode"; no included USB cable; real documentation is inconveniently "online" only and does take some time to digest; heavily dependent on an active wireless internet connection for full functionality.
First, I have a zillion Apple products and I like Canon printers. My last 3 printers were Canons. I have also had over the decades, HP as well, but prefer Canon, One big reason is I live in the US and Canon has support the US. In my book that's a big deal. I do not have communications issues. This printer is on the low-cost end, and while I had my last printer for maybe 7 years, Cannon finally decided not to support it with drivers anymore, so it is now relegated as a copier. Since the printer is on the low-cost end, they decided to no longer provide drivers and just use Apple's AirPrint instead, However, this printer does not allow for printing in draft mode, and that means using up more ink when printing from the computer. You can, however, copy in draft mode. That is a drawback. But all printer companies, treat the printer like the razor/razor blade business. In other words, the printer is sold for a very small profit margin or maybe at cost. Where they all make their money is in the ink cartridges, and the margins there must be huge. This printer will print 110# stock and it's a good little printer. The manual has a lot to be desired, but that can be made up for in calling support. As noted above, they have omitted the printer drivers and the software they have for scanning is a "lite" version and any of you that have had Canons previously might be expecting the Navigator scanning software to come with it, but no such luck here. My personal opinion is forget their "lite" scanning software and spend money for the VueScan software. I have used it for years, and in fact, a few years ago when the Navigator would no longer work with my iMac, I got longer life from the scanner with my VueScan (I have not been paid by VueScan, and purchased it with my hard-earned money. Size wise, the printer fits nicely for a home printer. if you do a lot of volume printing, I think you may wish to look at the more expensive models. But for me, this works nicely. Remember in all advertising and promotion, it's not always what is said about the product, but what is not said. They are all willing to tell you what it is, but not so willing to tell you what it isn't. Sill, for what it is, I like this printer (have had it for maybe a month, so ask in in 2 years. :-).
I was super upset when my older Pixma printer died the other day. After searching and comparing different all-in-one home office models, this was ultimately what I selected.
Pros:
- The printer arrived within the time Prime guaranteed.
- Once set up, the print quality is even better than the Pixma, even on photos.
- The scan quality is superb and saving to the cloud was easy once that was set up.
Cons:
- Connecting to the WiFi was overly complicated and not well explained in the included directions. I password protect my network and the digital instructions and booklet do not clearly explain how to do this. Only after my 6th or 7th time troubleshooting did it finally pop up with the option to input a password.
- You can not rename a document when you scan it to your cloud. It only allows for the generic numbers/letters sequence auto generated for it.
- It says you should be able to wake the printer from sleep mode when printing from your device, this is not true. I have to manually wake it before it will connect.
0 comments:
Post a Comment