The Canon PIXMA G620 is one of their latest megatank photo printers. Which is a bit unique in that it combines photo printer traits with a supertank. Where supertank printers typically come with 4 colors, the Canon PIXMA G620 has 6 dye based color inks. While photo printers commonly have 5 or more colors there aren’t many with a supertank.
Great for home use or office use where quality and cost are a priority. It may not have many frills, like a document feeder, but the quality is terrific. Scan copy, and print functions are standard. It has built in Autoduplex. Standard connections include WiFi and USB.
Other photo printers in this segment include the HP ENVY Photo 7855 and Epson Expression Photo XP-8600. However those are not megatank printers so the operating costs of the Canon are significantly lower. While the HP Smart Tank Plus 551 or the Epson EcoTank ET-2750 may compete on costs per page. They’re features and quality are mismatched.
A more apt comparison for the Canon PIXMA G620 is still with other photo printers. They all have dye based ink, quality print heads, and similar features.
Quality and Speed
The Canon PIXMA G620 is their entry level photo printer and the basic features reflect that. While they did skimp on things like a CD tray, quality isn’t on that list. My test pages revealed smooth halftones and solid fills of color. The printhead doesn’t struggle to keep up with the demand of ink. It’s megatank holds 6,000 pages for each color of ink
However, the print head does struggle to print fast. My test pages clocked in at 3.6 pages per minute for color and 5.8 ppm for B&W documents. I didn’t use ISO/IEC 19798 and 24711 color test pages, but my test pages had similar coverage. Same for the ISQ/IEC 19752 standard B&W test page.
While this is a slow printer, printing slowly improves the print quality. The Canon Pixma G620 produces incredible quality for it’s price. On par with the Epson ET-8500. In my opinion, you can only get better quality by spending a lot of money.
Red and grey are the perfect choices for additional colors for a photo printer. Business Color printing tends to use cyan more than the other colors (magenta is a close second). Which is why cyan light and magenta light are typically the first choices for additional colors in general.
Any additional colors improve the color gamut in general. While Epson chose to add cyan and magenta light, HP stuck with 4 colors for their photo printer. Canon’s decision is based on their research, which is top notch in my experience. I mostly rely on test charts but the photos I’ve seen produce noticeably vivid colors.
Other Tests
In order to be thorough I also tested its weight and proportions. I used a standard scale and ruler. My scale revealed the printer weighs 18.2 lbs.
Measurements with my ruler found the printer is 17.6 inches wide, 12.7 inches deep, and 6 inches high. An average weight for an inkjet printer. While it is an average height and depth, it is a bit wider than many inkjet printers in my opinion.
Operating Costs
The operating costs for this printer are ridiculously low compared with the other photo printers. It’s the difference between less than a penny per color page versus as much as 15 cents per color print. The Epson Expression Photo XP-8600 works out to 3 cents per page for color or B&W. HP uses a tri color cartridge which works out to 15 cents color and 9 cents B&W.
The new megatank printers are revolutionizing the inkjet industry. Tri color cartridge printers are costly and hopefully will be obsolete soon.
The page yields from a bottle are in the thousands, not hundreds. Canon’s GI-23 Ink Bottle is rated for 7,700 pages. They always base yields on low coverage images. So even half the yield from printing heavy coverage would still cost under a penny per page.
HP’s instant ink program does drop the 15 cent per page color cost a little but nowhere near the megatank operating costs. Instant ink programs don’t eliminate the need to install a cartridge regularly, only having to order it regularly. On the other hand a megatank only needs filled every few thousand pages. It won’t need added often and there is a window in the front to view the ink levels.
The Canon PIXMA G620 does initially cost more than the others but the operating costs more than make up the difference. In the long run the Canon will have the lowest total cost of ownership.
Printing Apps
Canon includes a few printing apps and utilities with the PIXMA G620. The setup utility is plain but it works. An assistant tool to handle any maintenance or adjustments. One app is the Poster Artist Lite and the other is Easy-PhotoPrint.
Poster Artist Lite is the same software Canon’s Prograf series uses for banners or posters. The PIXMA G620 is limited to the width of a standard page but can print a banner up to 47 inches long. Poster artist will lead you through 4 simple steps from creating to printing a banner. Some basic templates are included.
The Easy-PhotoPrint is a basic app for touching up photos and printing them. I usually mention the Mopria Print App. It has similar functions and has the added benefit of working with just about every printer on the market.
The Mopria print service runs on the Canon PIXMA G620. It makes setup of tablets, Chromebooks, or Mac’s easy. The Mopria Print app (or brand specific apps) need installed on mobile devices in order for them to take advantage of the Mopria print service.
Pictbridge isn’t an app that needs installed but serves as a connection for cameras. It would be nice to have a SD card port but Pictbridge serves the same purpose. As long as the camera has WiFi pictures can be printed in the same fashion as from a USB port.
Canon’s print driver for the G620 is a little plain. They usually has some feature rich print drivers but this one will get the job done.
Summary
The Canon Pixma G620 is a great printer from my point of view. Their basic 4 color inkjet printers are decent. However, as they add more colors Canon printers are something to behold. Based on the service calls I’ve done on wide format and professional photo printers, Canon gets it right with color inkjets.
Compared with the HP Envy Photo 7855, the Canon has much lower operating costs and much better quality. The Epson Expression Photo XP-8600 operating costs are closer but the PIXMA G620 is still a few pennies per page lower. An Expression Photo XP-8600 wasn’t available but from the other Epson Expression’s I’ve worked with their quality is comparable with the Canon.
The Canon PIXMA G620 is a great photo printer for home or at an office. An ideal solution for any office where photo printing costs are a premium. Or guilt free color printing at home. The megtank is low maintenance and saves on printing costs. The 6 color dye based ink produces vivid colors and will closely match your images straight from a camera.
The Copier Guy, aka Dave. I’ve worked on scanners, printers, copiers, and faxes over 23 years. When I’m not fixing them I’m writing about them. Although, I’m probably better at fixing them. I have certificates from Canon, Xerox. Ricoh, Kyocera, Lexmark, HP, and Konica Minolta. My experience includes other brands as well as several types of processes. If it uses paper I’ve probably worked on one.
