The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is a compact, all-in-one inkjet printer with a flatbed scanner and an automatic document feeder. In addition to scanning and printing tasks, it can also fax and perform automatic duplex printing. It has great photo printing quality as images come out detailed with only a bit of banding in the greyscale, and colors are decently accurate-looking. Although the plastic body feels solid, the design makes accessing paper jams difficult, as you'll have to turn it on its side or remove the back panel while the printer is on to clear them. Like other compact inkjet printers, it has a low page yield for color and black-only documents and a slow printing speed. While the ink cartridges are relatively cheap, you'll have to replace them often, which results in a high cost-per-print.
Our Verdict
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 performs decently for family use. It has a high-resolution flatbed scanner to easily digitize old photos and documents. The photo printing quality is great, as images come out detailed with minimal banding, and the colors are accurate-looking. The page yields for black and color documents is quite low, which results in a high-cost-per print as you'll have to replace the cartridges frequently.
- Great photo printing quality.
- Fairly compact size.
- Decent color accuracy.
- Very low page yield for both black and color documents.
- Disappointing cost-per-print for both black and color documents.
- Design makes accessing paper jams difficult.
Though the Canon PIXMA TR4520 is marketed for home offices, it performs rather poorly for this use. It has a bad page yield for black and color documents, and the cost-per-print is high as you'll have to replace the cartridges more frequently. The print speed is also slow. Also, the design makes accessing paper jams difficult, as you'll have to turn the printer on its side or remove the back to reach them.
- Fairly compact size.
- Very low page yield for both black and color documents.
- Disappointing cost-per-print for both black and color documents.
- Very slow printing speed.
- Design makes accessing paper jams difficult.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is inadequate for student use. It has a low page yield for both black and color documents and a high cost-per-print, and you'll need to replace the cartridges often if you frequently print, which adds up over time. Fortunately, it has a high-resolution scanner with an automatic document feeder, and it has a decent array of connectivity options.
- Fairly compact size.
- Very low page yield for both black and color documents.
- Disappointing cost-per-print for both black and color documents.
- Very slow printing speed.
- Design makes accessing paper jams difficult.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is poor for black and white printing. It has a low page yield for black-only text documents, and the cost-per-print is relatively high as you'll have to replace the cartridges more frequently the more you print. The print speed is also very slow. On the upside, you're able to purchase high-yield cartridges for this printer.
- Fairly compact size.
- Very low page yield for both black and color documents.
- Disappointing cost-per-print for both black and color documents.
- Very slow printing speed.
- Design makes accessing paper jams difficult.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is good for casual photo printing. The photos print quality is great as images come out detailed and with minimal banding in gray areas. The color accuracy is decent; therefore, we wouldn't recommend it for professionals looking for exact color reproduction. Unfortunately, the cost-per-print for color documents is relatively high, and the print speed for photos is slow.
- Great photo printing quality.
- Fairly compact size.
- Decent color accuracy.
- Very low page yield for both black and color documents.
- Disappointing cost-per-print for both black and color documents.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 09, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Apr 08, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Oct 18, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Sep 15, 2021: Fixed errors in the Weight and Display Screen boxes, and updated the Cost-Per-Print box.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 comes in two color variants: white and black. There's also a variant called the Canon PIXMA TR4527 that looks identical but seems to be available in Canada only. We tested the white unit, and we expect our results to be valid for all variants.
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is similar to other all-in-one budget printers designed for home office use. It can perform general scanning and printing tasks, and it can fax and supports an Ethernet connection. Even though it has decent color accuracy and impressive photo printing quality, the low page yield means you'll have to buy new cartridges often.
Also, see our recommendations for the best home printers, the best printers for students, and the best Canon printers.
The Brother MFC-J497DW is a better printer than the Canon PIXMA TR4520. The Brother is much better built, it has a bit higher page yield, and it prints faster. The cartridges for each printer are about the same price, but the cost-per-print is much cheaper on the Brother. However, the Canon has better color accuracy and much better photo printing quality.
The Epson Expression Home XP-4100 is slightly better than the Canon PIXMA TR4520 overall. The Epson has a higher black page yield and lower cost-per-print for black-only text documents; however, it's the other way around for color printing as the Canon yields more color prints. The Canon produces better-looking photos as it has a wider color range and better color accuracy. The Canon also has an automatic document feeder, which the Epson lacks, although the scan quality isn't as good as the Epson.
The Brother MFC-J995DW is an overall better all-in-one color inkjet printer than the Canon PIXMA TR4520. The Brother's print yields and cost-per-print are significantly better, it prints faster, and it can print via Wi-Fi Direct and directly from USB flash drives and SD cards. Comparatively, the Canon produces more accurate-looking colors but isn't suitable for tasks that require accurate color reproduction.
The Canon PIXMA TR8520 is much better overall than the Canon PIXMA TR4520. The TR8520 is better built, it has a touchscreen display, and the color and black page yield are both much higher, so the cost-per-print is lower. The TR8520 also has more connectivity options and it prints faster. However, the TR4520 has slightly better color accuracy.
Test Results
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has a disappointing build. While the scanner lid can slightly lift to accommodate thicker items like magazines, part of the lid is the output tray, and papers can move around as you lift it. The paper input tray is also fairly small, and if you want to keep paper inside the printer, it needs to be kept open. If you have a paper jam, you have to lift the back of the printer or lay it on its side to get at it. The ink cartridges are also accessible only when the printer is on, and if you need to change it mid-way through a printing job, the output tray could get in the way if it has a lot of paper on it.
Update 09/15/2021: We initially listed the weight as 6.6 kg, but it's actually 5.98 kg with the power cable. We corrected the error and updated the review accordingly.
Update 09/15/2021: We initially listed the display screen's size as 6.2 cm, but this is wrong. We corrected the error and updated the review accordingly.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has a poor display screen. It's a bit difficult to navigate as it's a simple digital display screen in combination with buttons to cycle through options and settings on the screen. Since you can't tilt or swivel the screen, you can only view it if you're standing from above. If you prefer something with a better OLED screen, then look into the Canon PIXMA TR7020.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 printer has a bad cartridge system. It only has two cartridges: one black and one tricolor, and both have low yields meaning you'll have to replace them often. On the upside, there are high-yield cartridges available, and the printer does accept third-party cartridges, though this may void the warranty. If you want a printer with a much higher page yield with black and white documents, check out the Canon PIXMA MG3620 or the Epson Expression Home XP-4100.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has great scanning features. In addition to its high-resolution scanner, it also has an automatic document feeder to easily scan long, multi-page documents. However, it can't perform automatic duplex scanning, so you'll need to manually flip pages over.
- User manual
- 4" x 6" Photo Paper Glossy sample pack
- Setup CD-ROM
- Power cable
- PG-243 Black FINE cartridge
- CL-244 Color FINE cartridge
- Fax cable
The cost-per-print of the Canon TR4520 is disappointing. Although the ink is relatively cheap, you'll have to replace it frequently, which adds up over time. Fortunately, this printer is compatible with two different subscription plans. The PIXMA Print Plan is a monthly service that allows you a certain number of prints per month and sends you replacement cartridges when your printer is getting low on ink. The second option is the Canon Auto Replenishment service, which sends you ink when your printer is running low without a monthly commitment. However, if you want a printer with a lower cost-per-print, check out the Brother MFC-J497DW.
Keep in mind that even if you print only in black, most inkjet printers continue using the color cartridge for servicing tasks, so you'll likely still need to replace it eventually.
It has a disappointing printing speed. It takes a while for the first page to come out, and subsequent pages aren't much faster. Also, it takes over a minute for a photo to come out.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has impressive photo printing quality. Although there's a little bit of banding on the grayscale, colors are still vibrant and detail is clear.
These results are based on the actual physical photo, not the scanned image provided for reference above, which may not represent the printer's photo print quality.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has decent color accuracy. While it's good enough for a splash of color or casual photo printing, we wouldn't recommend this printer for professionals seeking more exact color reproduction.
However, if color accuracy is important to you, check out the HP ENVY 5055, the HP ENVY 6455e, or the newer model of this printer, the Canon PIXMA TR4720.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has decent connectivity features, but it can't connect via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct. If you want Bluetooth support, check out the Canon PIXMA TS5320.
The Canon TR4520 is compatible with the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app. It's available on both Android and iOS, and you can print, scan, and copy from the app, as well as see items you scan directly on your device. You can also use the app to connect to one of Canon's subscription services.