- Advanced Media Handling allows you to print on CDs and DVDs as well as load plain and photo paper right into the front of the printer at the same time so you are always ready to print
- AirPrint Enabled! Print wirelessly from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch directly to your MG5420, no drivers needed
- My Image Garden software makes organizing and printing your photos fun and easy with great facial recognition, Fun Filters, Calendar Organization, Automatic Layout Suggestions and so much more!
- Quickly and easily replace your inks with the new Snap Edge feature
First let me start off by saying I was a die-hard HP printer guy for the better part of 20 years. I had a horrible experience with my last HP and decided to look in to a new multifunction. By chance I happened to see this Canon MG5420 at Best Buy. I loved the design, very low profile if not a little wide but that''s not a big deal. It''s almost "elegant" looking. As much as a printer can be I suppose anyway. I took a look on Amazon to check pricing and more importantly, reviews. None! Did a search for other reviews and they proved to be very hard to find as this is a new product. I took a chance and ordered it anyway, couldn''t be any worse than my HP I was replacing.
Can I describe this in one word? Yup...WOW! This is by far the best printer I''ve ever owned...and for $110? You''ve got to be kidding me! My biggest areas of importance were the scanning and obviously the print quality.
Scanning: Fast and great quality. Scanning a 4x6 photo is completed in a very short period of time, 20-30 seconds would be my guess from hitting the scan button to complete. The photos were clear, color was pretty accurate and detail was crisp. I''m very happy with the scanning abilities of this machine! Set up to a default of 600 DPI for photos it does a fantastic job. Far better than the 3 year old HP it replaced.
Printing...Can you say fast? Photo printing of all sizes is QUICK! Doesn''t matter if it''s a 4x6, 5x7 or 8x10. Under a minute and BOOM, it''s done. The colors are gorgeous and the detail is pro quality. As a reference, I printed a copy of a photo I had printed at a local shop. You can''t tell a difference. Seriously, the MG5420 is that good. I also tested this with a photo of one of our cats, who happens to be black. Black cats are hard to photograph, let alone print...I can see virtually every hair on her. The clarity and detail is exceptional and impressed me beyond expectations. Oh, if printing photos is something you''ll be doing I''d also try the Pro Platinum paper. I got the 8x10 pack and my prints are absolutely stunning. There are two paper trays to use, one for normal every day 8.5x11 and another for photo paper and envelopes. Not really a huge selling point but it is pretty convenient to be able to keep two different kinds of paper loaded at all times.
Ink usage: This is the one area that left me disgusted with the old HP. This Canon however, from my experience so far, is excellent. I''ve printed 11 4x6 photos, 2 5x7 photos and 4 8x10 photos and three of the cartridges still register as full and two show only a small decrease in usage. If this is the norm for this printer then this ink will last me a long, long time.
Ease of use: While not a touch screen (wish it was but it''s a minor complaint), the menu system is very easy to navigate. You get 3 rows of 3 options (9 menu options total) and use the hard keys to choose and go deeper in to the selected menu. It''s no-nonsense, straight forward and easy as pie to get around. Couldn''t be happier. The output tray folds in to the machine when not in use and automatically pops out when needed. That''s a nice feature since you can just tuck everything back in to the printer for a really clean look.
Set up: Super easy to install the included software and drivers. Took about 10 minutes or so and I was up and running with no issues at all. I am NOT using the wireless feature so I can''t say how that works but via USB it is flawless.
In conclusion, I would recommend this print/scan/copy machine to anyone. The quality it puts out, combined with the price, make this little baby a real winner. Being this was a first experience with Canon printers, they''ve sold me. I couldn''t be happier. If I left anything of importance to you out or you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment. I always try to help out where I can. And again, this little gem deserves very strong consideration.
Buy Canon Office Products MG5420 Wireless Color Photo Printer Now
I have to say I''m a little disappointed with this printer. I had a Canon MP610 for a few years and last week the print head went out. Based on several recommendations,but against my better judgement, I decided to get another Canon. The MG5420 was on sale so I decided to get it.
This printer is very noisy. You turn it on and there''s about 50 sec of whirring and grinding and shaking. To print something there is another minute of the same noises. It takes a good couple of minutes before the printer actually starts printing! When you turn the printer off, there''s another minute of whirring and shaking. The other thing is the use of ink. No lie, I have printed 3 4x6 pictures and a flyer and already two of the cartridges have have gone down one level. Not a good sign.
On the positive, the prints are very good with great colors and it''s really nice to make a print directly from my phone and from my tablet.
Here''s a quick update on the ink usage. It''s not quite as bad as I thought. I moved the photo setting from "high" to "standard." The quality of the photos does not seem to be effected and the ink tanks are holding their own. Maybe it''s not an "ink hog" after all.
Read Best Reviews of Canon Office Products MG5420 Wireless Color Photo Printer Here
Canon PIXMA MG5420 Wireless Color Photo Printer with Scanner and Copier
OVERVIEW:
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If you don''t care about having GRAY or ETHERNET, but want great PHOTO QUALITY in an inexpensive all-in-one style (copier, scanner) ink jet printer, this can be a quality/value sweet spot for you in the Canon PIXMA line giving you a lot of bang for the buck. This is the new replacement for MG5320, only available since December 2012.
If this seems right for you, consider looking at the slightly more upscale Canon MG6320 features before committing as the cost difference isn''t that much.
PROS:
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A well regarded consumer magazine considers these MG5000/MG6000/MG8000 series printers the best photo quality for all-in-one (copier, scanner) ink jets. This model is the entry point into this line.
The new ink tanks for the MG5420 (and the new MG6320) now also come in an XL size which can reduce the page cost significantly. The inks themselves in the new tanks are the same formula. This was not available for the predecessor MG5320/MG6220 models.
The MG5420 (and the MG6320) has 2x the number of black ink nozzles as their predecessors MG5320/MG6220. This allows more efficient use of black ink and greater dot accuracy.
It is a bit shorter/squatter than its predecessor MG5320, which for some is a nicer form factor if on a desk, for example. I think they both look fine, but it is clear from reviews that the new look has gone over well.
Like the new MG6320 (and unlike the last generation MG5320/MG6220), this has the new handy separate 4"x6" and 5"x7" photo paper drawer at the front.
For copying/scanning the top comes off easily (unlike the previous generation MG5320/MG6220).
With 10+ years of having a number of their products I have always found Canon to have great customer service, which for U.S. customers appears to be based out of Maryland and Virginia.
LESSER PROS:
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5-15% faster printing than last generation depending on b&w vs. color, quality, etc.
Can print directly from CF memory cards unlike the last generation, if that is important to you.
Wider selection of devices that can print directly to it than the last generation.
CONS/WARNINGS:
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Like its predecessor (MG5320), this has one less color than the next step up MG6320/MG6220, it does NOT HAVE GRAY, which is for improved black and white art and photo results and to better darken colors. I can''t tell the difference gray makes with color pages, but some reviewers can.
Like its predecessor (MG5320), there is NO ETHERNET connection like the next step up MG6320/MG6220 has. Ethernet allows a solid, simple shared/network wired connection that stays up even when computers are down. I personally think getting this is worth the relatively small additional expense for a MG6320/MG6220 if you have more than one user on the network, but that is just me.
Does not have the option of coming in white, which the MG6320 does.
This is very new (end of last year) and as such can be expected to have more issues than after some time passes.
The inks for this new model (and the other new one, the MG6320) are different than for the last very recent generation (MG5320/MG6220) and thus are at this time (early 2013), hard to find readily available at stores or online.
For copying/scanning, the lid telescopes up for books only to the thickness of around a cellphone (like its predecessor the MG5320). On the other hand the top COMES OFF easily now with the MG5420, just like the new MG6320.
This doesn''t come with the MG6320''s touch screen content-sensitive interface which is getting rave reviews, however, I find this older interface style just as easy.
No built-in fax, if this is important to you in an all-in-one. Perhaps you want to get a dedicated one of your choosing near a phone line anyways, however if you are looking for a built-in fax the MX922/MX892 printers do. This comes at a cost of not getting the higher end scanning of the MG models, though this may only matter to you if you are scanning negatives, MX922/MX892 scanning meets most other needs including most graphics needs, just as well.
SUGGESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
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When doing text, choose the HIGH QUALITY setting (and perhaps set it as the default) in the printer page set-up, it really makes a difference.
See below consideration to select it not to automatically shut-off to reduce ink wastage.
Consider choosing to print black & white or grey scale when color isn''t necessary, otherwise the printer may choose to layer colors to get black instead. Canon feels the black is better with the color layering though, you decide :).
If you need something NOW that you will use a lot NOW, and the GRAY and ETHERNET is potentially useful you might consider looking at the older MG6220 since it uses inks that are easy to find at stores and online. The MG6220 is pretty cheap now, too, since it is being replaced.
If you need something NOW that you will use a lot NOW, and you don''t care enough about GRAY or ETHERNET, you might consider looking at the older MG5320 since it uses inks that are easy to find at stores and online. The MG5320 is pretty cheap now, too, since it is being replaced.
If the color GRAY or ETHERNET connectivity (they come with MG6320/MG6220) is potentially useful to you, you might consider looking into the MG6320/MG6220, which are otherwise somewhat similar.
Use Canon paper when you need optimal results with their ink, and test matte vs. glossy. Matte is much less expensive and may meet most of your needs. Let me know in comments if anyone finds a comparable quality and yet significantly less costly photo paper for this printer, I''d like to test it out.
The Canon site has lots of easy to find product comparison information for these inkjets, you might consider reviewing it before committing on a model.
As soon as you can after getting your printer, print samples of full color, b&w, borderless photos, print on a DVD if that''s important to you, etc. Determine if you have a lemon before you get too busy with other things so you can exchange for a good one while it is easy to do. These are complicated machines with lots of parts.
INK USAGE:
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Anyone researching the Canon Photo Printers will likely be concerned about ink costs. Here are 5 things you can do to mitigate this with the MG5420:
Buy the XL versions of the ink, this is supposed to reduce the cost per color page to a very competitive 13-14 cents per page (vs. 16-19 cents).
As noted above, choose to print black and white or grey scale when that will do just fine to avoid black made from layers of colors. Canon feels the black mixed from colors is better, you be the judge.
Turn off the automatic shut-off. Standby mode uses 0.9W, so on standby even all year uses around 8kWh/yr., so around $1/yr depending on where you live. This can help lessen the number of the longer cleaning routines after start-up and often at shutdown. It runs the cleaning other times, too, which is good as it keeps things from clogging.
Avoid printing pages with solid or heavily colored background in color when possible.
Some fonts use 20-40% less ink than others. According to a leading consumer magazine, Times uses much less than Arial which uses much less than Calibri, for example.
NOTE #1: If there is no printing or cleaning routine at least once a month or so, select it to run a cleaning routine (easy to do) or turn it off and on to force it to once a month or so to keep the nozzles unclogged. If they clog talk to Canon support for what is often an easy solution.
NOTE #2: The MG6220, which is in the same family of products as this MG5420 (though part of an earlier model line up), has a low ink early warning bug. For example, when I take ink from a MG5320 and put it in a MG6220, the low ink warning bars show the ink as vastly lower. This helps exaggerate the appearance of high ink usage. Actual ink usage is high enough that this bug is pretty unwelcome. If it wasn''t for a leading consumer magazine''s highest photo quality rating for all-in-ones and their estimated page cost that wasn''t crazy, and lots of other favorable reviews, I think this bug could have been much worse for MG6220 sales and other models in the family. This might make you feel a little better about ink usage in the model family 5000/6000 after reading the ink comments for the 6220.
NOTE #3: Just an informative, probably not very useful factoid :). This model range of Canon inkjet doesn''t do a big cleaning/purging after it prints, you are usually hearing head realignment. However, it does quietly "prime the head" to keep the heat from ink clogging the print head and this uses a little ink (even for B&W). This is much less ink than with the big cleaning/purging routine that is much rarer if you set the printer not to auto shut-off.
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INK USAGE CANON DATASHEET:
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As it is pretty difficult to find, here below is Canon''s published Page Yield per Document numbers (I rounded a little) for MG5420.
I''m not sure how much of the difference between these numbers and users experience is due to the cleaning routine, difference between test and real world usage, etc.
Here at least you can see real world expected usage ratio between standard and XL cartridges and compare to costs to determine the better value.
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Mixed Text/Graphics, A4/Letter, Plain Paper, Adobe Reader 10
ISO/IEC24711 Test Method, ISO/IEC24712 Test Pattern:
PGI-250 __ 300 pages
CLI-251 BK 1800
CLI-251 C_ 330
CLI-251 M_ 320
CLI-251 Y_ 340
PGI-250 XL __ 500 pages
CLI-251 XL BK 5500
CLI-251 XL C_ 700
CLI-251 XL M_ 680
CLI-251 XL Y_ 700
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Color Photos, 4"x6":
PGI-250 __ 2400 pages
CLI-251 BK 380
CLI-251 C_ 120
CLI-251 M_ 130
CLI-251 Y_ 130
PGI-250 XL __ 5600 pages
CLI-251 XL BK 1130
CLI-251 XL C_ 260
CLI-251 XL M_ 310
CLI-251 XL Y_ 270
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OTHER PRINTERS:
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For folks not as familiar with printers, I created this section to help delineate when you CLEARLY DON''T want a Canon ink jet printer in the popular 5320/5420/6210/6220/6320/82XX model range at all. Perhaps it may help you find a good starting point to meet your needs.
YOU ARE ALL ABOUT PHOTOS, CAN
SPEND HUNDREDS MORE, AND DON''T
CARE ABOUT COPY, SCAN, ETC:
Consider checking these:
(per a leading consumer magazine and reviews)
Canon Pixma Pro9000 Mark II
Canon Pixma Pro1
Canon Pixma Pro100
Epson Stylus R2000
YOU DON''T CARE ABOUT PHOTO QUALITY,
YOU WANT ETHERNET AND GREAT B&W
Consider checking out this laser:
(per a leading consumer magazine and reviews)
HP LaserJet Pro 400 M401dw
YOU CARE ABOUT PHOTO QUALITY, DON''T
CARE ABOUT GRAY, WANT ETHERNET, AND
MUST HAVE FAX BUILT-IN
Canon MX922
Canon MX892
Hope that helps someone :).
Want Canon Office Products MG5420 Wireless Color Photo Printer Discount?
I bought this printer specifically for a small business I run printing my own artwork and cards. Even though it is not a back-feeding printer, it has handled 100 lb cardstock and bristol board decently well, but not 130 lb paper. The rollers need to be cleaned occasionally or they leave rub marks on the paper, but in my experience, this is a problem for every printer.
The print quality has been excellent, comparable to photo prints I''ve ordered from costco and other printing services. I printed roughly 45 pages of full color full page photos before the color ink ran out, the two black inks are still around 50%, I''d estimate the cost to print per page is about 1$ USD. Keep printing after the printer says the inks are out, there is still lots left! Also because this printer series is so new, there are no refill services or off-brand cartridges available! I was counting on this to make my business more profitable but no dice.. so beware!
It does make a moderate amount of noise and seems to do some maintenance functions after printing for a few minutes, so if you need a silent printer this is not the one.
Overall I''m happy with this printer, but I''ll be happier from off brand cartridges become available.
Save 34% off
First, this unit is noisy, VERY NOISY. While the actual printing is quick, (much quicker than my old MP470), it is s-l-o-w to begin printing, and noisy. On each startup, be prepared to listen to a lengthy, LOUD, prep routine of running rollers and carriage transits. And before printing, be sure to open the paper output panel manually. If not, the printer will open it for you with a sudden, violent, crash I can''t imagine anyone ever getting used to.
Worst of all has been my experience trying to scan documents or photos. The unit is designed to work with Canon''s interface application called "My Image Garden". (The name alone should give one warning.) This is a huge, bloated, S-L-O-W, uber-app which wants to manage, and control, any and everything you might want to do with an image on your computer. And it will ferret out every single image on your computer, so be prepared wait while it sorts out all your images each time it launches. Not just what you''ve scanned. Everything.
Do you prefer to use other applications for manipulating or tweaking your photos or such.... too bad. My Image Garden now expects you''ll want to use it. Even the "Quick Menu" is intrusive planting itself on your desktop obscuring icons and such. You can work around it to an extent by adjusting its settings, but be prepared to invest the time to find and reset each instance this app is set to launch by default.
Canon support did recommend one could use thier smaller IJ Scan Utility as an alternative, but they neglect to mention here again, you will have to ferret out and adjust multiple settings to redirect that app from directing output to My Image Garden. Worse, they do not mention that many of the features of the IJ Scan Utility will only work if My Image Garden is installed.
My computer is not that old, about 4 years. Nor is it limited for memory or hard drive space. But I do run Windows XP which is listed as supported by this printer. When I contacted Canon tech support they indicated that the MG5420 is a new printer, and that My Image Garden may "run a bit slower" on XP units. (Of course, when I spoke with them before my purchase they gave me no such warning.) My Image Garden is NOT "a bit slower", it is GLACIAL. You''ll regularly be waiting minutes for your scanning output.
I bought this unit to replace my MP470 which I liked very much. I found that printer to be a solid, reliable unit. My experience with this unit, however, has been very different. I could hardly be more disappointed.
Perhaps, if you have a brand new high-end computer running Windows 7 or 8, and don''t mind listening to the noisy, roller dance on each startup, and if you don''t mind handing off all your image activities to Canon''s bloated app, you might like this unit. For me... I could not be more disappointed and less happy with what I bought.
I would NOT recommend buying this printer/scanner. In fact, I would not recommend buying ANY Canon unit that includes the resource hogging, and difficult to use, My Image Garden app. I recommend you keep shopping.
