The Canon PIXMA G7020 is one of their latest megatank printers. It brings very low operating costs to the business class multi function printer table. If your color printing costs are getting out of hand from your laser or cartridge inkjet printer, this printer is worth checking out. It can handle a volume of 5,000 pages per month. Copy, print, scan, and fax functions are included. An adf, duplex, wired, and wireless connections are built in as well.
Other printers in this segment include the Epson EcoTank ET-3760 and the HP Smart Tank Plus 651. Each has significant differences but all are essentially supertank printers. The Epson and Canon are rated for a 5,000 page per month print volume whereas the HP is only 500 pages per month. Yet the HP costs the most. I’ll be the first to admit many of HP’s laser printers are worth the extra cost (so are some Lexmark’s) but I fail to see why their tank printer rates the higher price.
The Canon and Epson are both great printers. Either one would be a good purchase. Exploring their differences may help decide which would be a better fit for your needs.
Setup
I removed the packing tape and added ink. It was simple. Ink bottles are keyed so ink can’t be added to the wrong place. The bottles automatically shut off so ink won’t spill. About the only way to make a mess is to squeeze the bottles. Once it boots up it’s ready to connect.
Canon’s setup utility may not look like much but it reliably works. Of all the setups I’ve done with Canon it’s rare to have an issue. In fact I use the setup utility to fix flaky connection issues with existing printers from time to time.
While Canon’s setup utility is straightforward, it does look a bit plain next to Epson’s utility. Which includes more pictures and instructions. Canon’s setup utility either works or you’ll have to go digging in the manual.
Operations
To test the print speed I printed pictures of cats and dogs. Less coverage than ISO/IEC 19798 and 24711 standard color test pages but they served my purposes. My color test pages clocked in at 5.2 pages per minute.
My B&W test pages were just emails, so much less coverage than a standard ISQ/IEC 19752 B&W test page. I clocked those pages in at 13.1 ppm. My test pages had light coverage, so not quite making the advertised color print speed was disappointing. However, it did match for B&W printing.
The print speed of the Epson is a few pages faster than the Canon. Two pages per minute isn’t going to be noticeable, what you’ll notice is both these printers are slow. Especially two sided color printing at 3 or 4 pages per minute. But this may be an acceptable trade off for the low printing costs.
If you’re the kind to send a print job and get a cup of coffee this won’t be a problem. This printer will teach you a little patience if you’re like me. I hit print and have my hand waiting at the exit tray to catch the paper.
Features
The Canon has a 250 sheet main tray while the Epson is only 150 sheets. Canon also has a 100 sheet capacity rear tray while the Epson is a single sheet feed in the rear.
Auto duplex is built in for printing but not for scanning. Single sided document feeders come with both the Canon and Epson. So two sided originals need put back in to get the backside. Printing two sided documents doesn’t require extra steps.
Canon’s display really needs upgraded. A LED display may pass with a single function printer but any all in one should have a color touch screen. Their other products generally have great user interfaces but this is one corner they shouldn’t have cut. Canon wins on paper capacity but loses on the old fashion display.
To be thorough, I tested the weight and proportions. I used a standard scale and ruler. I found the Canon Pixma G7020 weighs 18.4 lbs.
My measurements revealed a printer 16.2 inches wide, 14.4 inches deep, and 9.5 inches high. An average size and heft for an inkjet printer.
Printing
The Canon included apps are helpful for basic touch ups. Although this is pigment based ink and not necessarily for professional photos. If printing photos is your thing check out this Canon megatank printer, this Epson, or this Canon. For business color, photo inserts, or greeting cards the quality of the Canon PIXMA G7020 is more than acceptable.
Canon’s print drivers cover the basics of printing fairly well. It has some page setup options for size and layout. There are some basic color adjustments and matching settings. Though toggling print options, like disabling the ICM or enabling print data loss, work better than manually adjusting the colors in my experience.
Operating Costs
The Canon PIXMA G7020 operating costs are less than a penny a page for color or B&W. Epson is also less than a penny a page. Technically the Canon is slightly less than the Epson, around .002 cents. Only because Canon’s ink bottle is a few dollars cheaper.
The operating costs of supertank printers are significantly lower than the traditional black and tri color ink cartridges.Supertank printers may not be mainstream yet but there is little justification for not opting for one. Canon’s megatank printers include all in one’s for the office, such as the G7020. Or photo printers, home use, and even a low cost printer under $200.
The chances of a print head drying out on a megatank is no different than a tri color cartridge. Wasting ink on cleaning cycles matters less when you’re buying it by the bottle too. A bottle has thousands of pages of ink as compared with a cartridge which has only hundreds. Instead of changing cartridges regularly, only rarely does ink need added to a supertank printer.
Summary
The Canon PIXMA G7020 is a cost effective way to save money on color printing. It doesn’t necessarily have to be for high volume printing either. They work fine doing a few hundred pages per month as well.
The HP costs considerably more and isn’t able to handle a higher duty cycle as the other supertank printers. Major differences between the Canon and Epson are the display and paper handling. The G7020 has a much smaller display while the Epson has a color touch screen. However the Canon can hold 100 more sheets of paper in the main tray and 100 more in the rear tray.
Apart from that the Epson and Canon have roughly the same operating costs and similar features. Still, the initial cost of the Canon is lower. If paper capacity is more important than the display, the Canon PIXMA G7020 wousd be a great choice.
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.
