Canon PIXMA G5020 Printer: In-Depth Review and User Opinions

The Canon PIXMA G5020 is an inkjet all-in-one printer aimed at home and small office users looking for an affordable printer with low running costs. As part of Canon's MegaTank line, the G5020 comes with enough ink in the box to print thousands of pages before needing a refill. This bulk ink system gives you incredibly low ink costs compared to standard ink cartridges.

The PIXMA G5020 offers print, copy, and scan functions along with automatic duplex printing and a 35-page auto document feeder for copying, scanning, and faxing multi-page documents. It can print borderless photos up to 8.5" x 11" and has a maximum print resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi. Connectivity options include WiFi, WiFi Direct, USB, and Bluetooth LE.

Overall, the G5020 provides home and small office users with an efficient all-in-one printer that can save significantly on ink costs over time. Its bulk ink tank system reduces the cost per page while still providing Canon's trusted print quality. Read on for a more in-depth look at the Canon PIXMA G5020's design, features, performance, and pros and cons.

Design

The Canon PIXMA G5020 has a stylish and compact design that doesn't take up too much room on your desk. The printer has curved edges and comes in two colors - black or white - for a clean and contemporary look. With dimensions of 18.2 x 14.7 x 8.5 inches, it has a slim and space-saving footprint, but the protruding paper tray on the front of the printer does add a little extra depth to the device. The build quality of the PIXMA G5020 is solid and the plastic casing feels sturdy and durable. The buttons on the top panel have an audible click when pressed and the printer has a good heft to it - it doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. The paper tray is made of metal and is rigid, helping to keep paper feeding aligned. The printer also has a flatbed lid on top for scanning and copying documents and photos. Overall, the design of the PIXMA G5020 is attractive and suited to home offices looking for an affordable printer with reasonable size and weight.

Print Quality

The Canon PIXMA G5020 produces excellent print quality for both photos and documents. It has a maximum print resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi, allowing it to output crisp and detailed images.

When printing photos, the 5 individual ink system provides vibrant and accurate colors. The printer can handle borderless photo printing up to 8.5 x 11 inches. Images come out looking professional with no jagged edges thanks to the high resolution.

Text documents are equally impressive. Text and graphics are sharp with no noticeable pixelation even when examining fine details up close. The black ink produces deep blacks and bold text.

Print speeds are reasonably fast for an inkjet. When printing in standard mode, you can expect about 13 pages per minute for black text and 6.8 pages per minute for color. If you enable the fast print mode, speeds increase to 24 ppm for black and 15.5 ppm for color. For 4 x 6 inch photos, you're looking at about 44 seconds per photo print.

Overall, the print quality from the Canon PIXMA G5020 is excellent. It produces crisp, vibrant photos and sharp text documents. Print speeds are fast enough for most home and office needs.

Connectivity

The Canon PIXMA G5020 offers excellent wireless connectivity options. It has built-in WiFi that allows you to print from anywhere in your home network. Setting up the wireless connection is straightforward using the Canon PRINT app or WPS button.

Once connected via WiFi, you can print from your smartphone, tablet, or computer easily. The printer supports Apple AirPrint for iOS devices and Mopria Print Service for Android. Printing from cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and more is also seamless.

For computers, the printer connects via WiFi or USB. WiFi setup takes just a few minutes and provides the flexibility to place the printer anywhere in your home. The USB connection provides a fast and reliable wired option if preferred.

Overall, the wireless printing capabilities and connectivity choices make this an ideal printer for multiple devices and users. It's designed to handle wireless printing smoothly and work within a networked home or office setup. Whether you want to print from a phone, computer, or online service, the G5020 offers hassle-free setup and usage.

Printing Costs

One of the standout features of the Canon PIXMA G5020 is the low cost of printing. This printer uses Canon's MegaTank refillable ink reservoir system, which significantly reduces the cost per page compared to standard ink cartridges.

The G5020 comes with enough ink in the box to print up to 7,700 pages in color or 6,000 pages in black. This is equivalent to about 30 standard ink cartridge sets! Once the initial ink is used up, you can continue printing affordably by purchasing Canon's GI-790 ink bottles. A set of 5 ink bottles (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Black Pigment) costs around $70 on Amazon and can print up to 18,000 color pages. That brings the cost per color page down to less than 5 cents!

The math works out to some huge savings compared to cartridge-based printers. For example, to print the equivalent number of pages as the initial ink supply using a standard cartridge printer would cost well over $1,000 in cartridges. The MegaTank system allows you to print thousands of high-quality pages for just a fraction of the cost.

So if you print frequently, especially photos or graphics-heavy documents, the G5020 can save you hundreds of dollars per year on ink. The convenience of not having to frequently replace cartridges is another nice benefit. Overall, the MegaTank system makes this an excellent choice for high-volume home printing.

Features

The Canon PIXMA G5020 is packed with features that make it a versatile printer for home and small office use.

• Copy and scan capabilities: The PIXMA G5020 can function as a copier with color copy resolution up to 600 x 1200 dpi. It also has integrated scan functionality with scan resolution up to 1200 x 2400 dpi, allowing you to easily digitize documents, photos, and more. Scans can be saved directly to a USB drive or sent to cloud storage services.

• Mobile printing: Connect your smartphone or tablet directly to the printer using the Canon Print app or Apple AirPrint. You can print from and scan to your mobile device for ultimate convenience.

• Cloud connectivity: Easily print from and scan to popular cloud services including Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, OneDrive, and more. No need for a computer - you can manage everything directly from the LCD screen.

• Auto 2-sided printing: Print two-sided documents automatically to reduce paper usage. The PIXMA G5020 supports auto duplex printing for both copying and document printing functions.

• 6-Color individual ink system: The G5020 has six individual ink tanks - black, cyan, magenta, yellow, photo cyan, and photo magenta. This wider color gamut produces excellent photo prints with reduced graininess and true-to-life colors.

• Borderless printing: Print borderless photos on sheet media up to 5 x 7 inches. Achieves lab-quality results right from your desktop.

With its extensive connectivity options, mobile printing capability, and auto duplexing, the PIXMA G5020 provides robust functionality for day-to-day printing, scanning, and copying needs. It's packed with features typically found only on more expensive office-oriented printers.

Setup

Setting up the Canon PIXMA G5020 wireless printer is quick and straightforward.

Unboxing

The printer comes securely packed in a box with foam inserts. Inside you'll find the main printer unit, power cord, ink cartridges, software CD, and a setup guide. Carefully remove each component from the packaging.

Installation

The printer has an integrated design with the ink tanks directly on the front. This makes it easy to access and refill the ink tanks as needed. Install the included ink cartridges by simply opening the tank covers and inserting each color cartridge into its slot.

Setup Process

With the ink cartridges loaded, plug in the power cord and turn on the printer. The setup guide provides clear instructions for connecting the printer to your wireless network. Press the WPS button on your router, then the WPS button on the printer to automatically connect them.

Alternatively, you can connect via USB to install the software CD. This installs the drivers and Canon print software for Windows or Mac. The process involves following the on-screen prompts and takes just a few minutes.

Once connected wirelessly or through USB, you're ready to start printing from any device on the network. The printer also supports apps like AirPrint for printing from smartphones and tablets. With its fast setup time, the Canon PIXMA G5020 allows you to be printing within minutes of unboxing it.

Pros

Aside from its relatively low purchase price, the Canon PIXMA G5020 has several other benefits.

• Excellent print quality - The G5020 produces detailed, vibrant photos and sharp text. Users consistently praise the print quality across various media types.

• Convenient ink system - The PIXMA G5020 uses Canon's MegaTank ink system with enough ink to print thousands of pages. This saves users money on expensive ink cartridges over time.

• User-friendly setup - Many reviewers report that the initial setup process for the G5020 is quick and hassle-free. The printer also has an intuitive LCD screen for navigation.

• Versatile connectivity - The PIXMA G5020 offers several connection choices, including wireless networking, Bluetooth, USB, and Wi-Fi direct. Users can print from smartphones, tablets, and computers with ease.

Cons

• The Canon PIXMA G5020 has a relatively high initial purchase cost compared to some other home inkjet printers. While it can save money on ink over time, the printer itself is pricier upfront.

• The ink tanks are not sold separately, so you have to replace the whole tank module when one color runs out. You can't just replace individual ink cartridges. This may lead to more wasted ink.

• Since the ink tanks are built into the printer, it takes up more space than printers that use small ink cartridges. The printer has a large footprint.

• Print speed is fairly slow, around 8 pages per minute for black and 4 pages per minute for color. So this is not ideal for printing high volumes quickly.

Conclusion

The Canon PIXMA G5020 is an excellent choice for home users looking for a wireless all-in-one printer with low printing costs. Its MegaTank design allows you to print thousands of pages before needing to refill the ink, making this one of the most economical printers on the market.

The print quality is superb, producing vivid colors and crisp text on both glossy and plain paper. Connectivity options are also good, with built-in WiFi for wireless printing from mobile devices and ability to print from popular cloud services. Setup and usage are straightforward with the intuitive LCD screen and Canon Print app.

For an all-in-one printer suitable for photos, documents, and more, the G5020 packs in a lot of value. The only downsides are lack of an ADF for scanning multiple pages and slower speeds compared to laser printers. But for general home and home office use, it's hard to beat the convenience and extremely low cost per print.

Overall, the Canon PIXMA G5020 is highly recommended for its outstanding print quality, wireless connectivity, and essentially ink-free printing experience after the initial purchase. It's an economical choice that doesn't compromise on features and versatility.