Canon PIXMA TR4720 All In One: In-Depth Review and User Opinions

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 is an all-in-one wireless inkjet printer designed for home and home office use. This versatile machine can print, copy, scan, and fax giving you an "all-in-one" device to meet most of your home printing needs.

What makes the TR4720 stand out is its combination of useful features packed into an compact, sleek design. Measuring just 17.5 x 12.5 x 5.4 inches, the TR4720 has a small footprint that can fit into tight spaces. Despite its size, it delivers robust capabilities including wireless printing, auto 2-sided printing, a 20-page auto document feeder for scanning and copying, and dual paper trays. The TR4720 also supports mobile printing from smartphones and tablets via the Canon Print app. Its compact size and wireless connectivity make it easy to place and use anywhere in your home. With its all-in-one functionality, wireless capability, and space-saving design, the Canon PIXMA TR4720 aims to provide exceptional versatility and convenience for home use.

Sleek and Compact Design

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 has a sleek, compact design that doesn't take up much space. It measures 14.7 x 12.5 x 5.4 inches and weighs 15.4 pounds, making it easy to fit on a desk or shelf without dominating the space.

Despite its small footprint, the printer packs in quite a bit of functionality. The input tray is located at the top rear and can hold up to 100 sheets of plain paper. Just below the input tray is a 20-sheet rear specialty media feed for printing envelopes and other media types. At the front of the printer is a 150-sheet output tray with extensions that flip out when needed.

The control panel is located on the right side of the front. It features buttons for common functions like copy, scan, Wi-Fi setup, and printer information. There is also a 1.4-inch LCD screen that displays printer status information. Overall the control panel is neatly organized and simple to navigate.

One thing to note is that the printer has a mostly plastic construction, so it may not feel quite as sturdy or premium as models made with more metal. However, the matte black finish still looks sleek and modern. The relatively light weight also makes the printer easy to move around if needed.

Print Quality

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 delivers high quality prints thanks to its 4800 x 1200 dpi resolution and FINE print head technology. It can produce borderless photos up to 8.5" x 11" in size.

The printer uses a 5-color individual ink system with dye-based inks for vivid colors and deep blacks in photos. The ink set includes a pigment black ink for sharp text in documents. Photos exhibit well-saturated colors and smooth gradations.

Print speed is rated at 10 ipm in black and 7 ipm in color. Performance is decent for home use but slower than an office printer. The TR4720 excels in photo printing with the right paper choice. It can print 4" x 6" borderless photos in approximately 44 seconds.

Overall print quality is very good for the price. Text appears crisp and colors are accurate. Photos show great detail with minimal graininess. The printer delivers professional looking prints ideal for family photos, student projects, recipes, and more. While not the fastest, print quality makes it a solid choice for home photo printing needs.

Scanning Features

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 has decent scanning capabilities for a budget all-in-one printer. It has an optical scanning resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi, which allows you to scan documents and photos with a good level of detail and sharpness.

For document scanning, the printer includes Canon's Scan Utility app which lets you scan to your computer, as well as directly to cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive. It can automatically detect the edges of documents for cropping and supports multi-page PDF scanning. The interface is straightforward with options like color mode, resolution, orientation etc. While it may not be as full-featured as some standalone scanners, it handles basic document digitization needs.

You can also make copies directly from the printer's control panel using the in-built scanner. It includes standard copy functions like collating, reducing and enlarging. The printer lacks an auto document feeder though, so you are limited to single page scanning and copying. Overall the scanning capabilities are decent for home use, but may not suffice for high volume scanning requirements.

Connectivity

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 offers great connectivity options to easily print from your devices. It has built-in wireless capabilities, including:

• Wi-Fi - The printer connects directly to your home Wi-Fi network, allowing you to print from anywhere in your home as long as you are connected to the same network. Setup is easy using the Canon Print app on your mobile device.

• Wi-Fi Direct - This allows direct connection to the printer from your mobile device without a router. You simply connect your phone or tablet directly to the printer's own wireless signal.

• Bluetooth - The addition of Bluetooth allows easy wireless printing from Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. After an initial pairing, you can print quickly without having to connect to the wireless network.

• USB - The printer has a standard USB 2.0 port allowing you to connect it directly to your computer via USB cable. This gives you a fast and reliable wired connection.

The range of wireless capabilities means you can print effortlessly from your phone, tablet, laptop or any other Wi-Fi enabled device. Connecting the PIXMA TR4720 to your home network also allows anyone in your household to print easily from their own device, making it a great all-in-one printer for families. Overall the connectivity options provide flexibility and convenience for printing from mobile devices.

Convenience Features

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 has several convenient features that make it easy to use.

Auto 2-Sided Printing

The printer supports automatic 2-sided printing, also known as duplex printing. This allows you to easily print on both sides of the paper without having to manually flip the pages over. Simply select the 2-sided printing option in your printer settings and the Canon TR4720 will automatically print each page, flip the paper, and print on the reverse side. This saves time, reduces paper use, and creates professional double-sided documents.

Touch Panel Controls

The PIXMA TR4720 has an LCD touch panel display. This allows you to navigate menus and make selections directly on the printer. The buttons are intuitive and the menu is easy to navigate. You can select printer settings, access functions like scan and copy, and monitor ink levels. Overall the touch screen makes the printer simpler to operate.

ADF for Scanning Multiple Pages

An automatic document feeder (ADF) comes built into the Canon TR4720. The ADF allows you to load a stack of pages into the printer for unattended scanning or copying. It will automatically scan each page one after the other without any user intervention. This makes digitizing multi-page documents or photos quick and easy. You don't have to stand over the scanner feeding one page at a time.

Ink and Toner

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 uses a 4-color ink system with individual ink cartridges for black, cyan, magenta and yellow. This allows you to replace only the color that runs out instead of having to replace a multi-color cartridge.

The included ink cartridges can print up to 300 pages for black and 100 pages for color. Replacement ink cartridges yield up to 400 pages for black and 300 pages for color. High yield cartridges are also available for heavier printing usage.

Original Canon ink cartridges tend to be more expensive than third-party alternatives. The standard black ink cartridge costs around $21 and color cartridges cost around $13 each. High yield options offer better value per page but have higher upfront costs around $30 for black and $20 for color. When purchased in multi-packs, the cost per page for original Canon ink is approximately 5 cents for black and 11-14 cents for color.

Third-party ink can reduce ongoing costs substantially, with options starting from around $10 per cartridge. However, print quality and reliability may be lower. Overall, purchasing original Canon ink can provide excellent print quality but leads to higher long-term costs for moderate to high printing volumes. Using compatible cartridges or refilling original Canon cartridges can significantly reduce ink costs.

Software

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 comes with a robust software suite to help you get the most out of your printer. Here are some of the key software features:

Printer Drivers

Canon includes printer drivers for Windows and Mac operating systems. The drivers allow you to access all the features of the printer from your computer. Setting up the drivers is quick and easy following the on-screen prompts.

The printer drivers provide access to convenient features like 2-sided printing, borderless printing, document collating, and more. You can also adjust print settings like print quality, ink density, color intensity, and other options.

Canon Print Apps

Canon offers several mobile apps to provide printing and scanning capabilities from your smartphone or tablet. This includes the Canon PRINT app for iOS and Android, Canon Print Inkjet/SELPHY for iOS and Android, and the Canon Creative Park app.

The apps allow you to print photos, documents, web pages, and more directly from your mobile device. You can also scan documents directly to your mobile device using the printer's built-in scanner.

Operating System Compatibility

The PIXMA TR4720 has excellent operating system compatibility. The printer drivers fully support Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 and Mac OS versions 10.10 through 12. The mobile print apps are compatible with iOS and Android operating systems.

This wide compatibility allows you to seamlessly integrate the printer into just about any home setup and start printing right away on all your devices.

Overall, the software suite offers versatile printing and scanning capabilities across desktop and mobile platforms. Canon provides a robust printing experience no matter which device you are using.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Compact all-in-one design saves space
• Capable of printing, scanning, copying and faxing
• Fast print speeds up to 15ipm for black and 10ipm for color
• Above average print quality for home printing
• Wireless and WiFi Direct connectivity for easy mobile printing
• User friendly 2.7" LCD touchscreen interface
• Automatic two-sided duplex printing to save paper
• 150 sheet paper capacity with rear feed tray
• Scan or copy documents directly to the cloud
• Comes with full set of ink cartridges to get started

Cons

• Cost per page is higher than laser printers
• No Ethernet port for wired network connectivity
• Paper capacity is lower than competing models
• No document feeder for scanning multiple pages hands-free
• Lack of display articulation limits visibility
• No memory card reader or USB port on the device

Conclusion

The Canon PIXMA TR4720 is a solid all-in-one printer for home offices and families looking for an affordable machine with good print quality and useful features.

Its compact and sleek design allow it to fit nicely into any workspace. The print quality is quite good for everyday documents and photos. While the ink could be cheaper, the convenience of the onboard ink tanks is nice. The auto 2-sided printing, scanner, and copy functions also add a lot of value.

Connectivity is simple with built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and wireless printing options. Canon's print app makes printing from phones or tablets easy. The LCD screen and buttons offer intuitive controls for standalone use.

Overall, the Canon PIXMA TR4720 hits a sweet spot between price and performance. It's not the fastest printer, but speed is adequate for home use. The features and print quality make it a great budget-friendly all-in-one printer worthy of consideration. For families or home office use, the TR4720 represents a solid value choice.