- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is a fairly small and compact printer, which uses a singular color ink cartridge and has great color accuracy for printing photos. However, it doesn't yield a lot of black and color pages before it runs out of ink, and it also prints very slowly. Its 2-line Full Dot Matrix LCD display can be frustrating for some as it can be hard to see it clearly if you're not at the right angle, and its interface can be hard to navigate.
Our Verdict
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is okay as a family printer. It has great photo color accuracy for saving your favorite family portraits and a flatbed scanner for digitizing family documents. Its cost-to-print for black and color is disappointing, though, especially because it doesn't yield a lot of pages of either cartridge and you may have to replace the cartridge more often.
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Great photo printing quality.
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Fairly compact size.
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Very low page yield for both black and color documents.
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Disappointing cost-to-print ratio for black and color cartridges.
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Very slow printing speed for all items.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is poor for home office use. It runs out of black ink fairly quickly and you may have to replace the cartridge more often. It's also extremely slow printing off black text documents, which isn't great when you have a lot of pages that need printing. It has an automatic document feeder to streamline your scanning or copying but double-sided documents need to be done manually. It also has an integrated fax.
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Great photo printing quality.
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Fairly compact size.
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Very low page yield for both black and color documents.
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Disappointing cost-to-print ratio for black and color cartridges.
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Very slow printing speed for all items.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is poor for student use. It prints off a very low amount of black ink documents before you have to replace the cartridge and it prints documents very slowly. While the color cartridge allows you to add a splash of color to your assignments, it also suffers from the same high cost-to-print ratio and slow print-time as the black ink. On the upside, you can hook this printer up using Wi-Fi via your router or you can use the companion app, available on Android and iOS.
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Great photo printing quality.
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Fairly compact size.
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Very low page yield for both black and color documents.
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Disappointing cost-to-print ratio for black and color cartridges.
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Very slow printing speed for all items.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is poor for black and white printing. It runs out of black ink quickly so you won't get a lot of pages out of it before you have to replace the cartridge. It's also very slow when it comes to printing off black text documents, which isn't great when you're in a hurry. On the upside, there's an XL sized cartridge available if you want to cut down on buying ink.
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Great photo printing quality.
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Fairly compact size.
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Very low page yield for both black and color documents.
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Disappointing cost-to-print ratio for black and color cartridges.
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Very slow printing speed for all items.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is good for printing photos. The color accuracy is decent and the photo printing quality is impressive, as colors are vibrant and full of detail. Sadly, because of its low color page yield, it's costly to print over time if you print a lot of photos.
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Great photo printing quality.
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Fairly compact size.
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Very low page yield for both black and color documents.
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Disappointing cost-to-print ratio for black and color cartridges.
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Very slow printing speed for all items.
- 7.1 Family
- 4.4 Small/Home Office
- 5.1 Student
- 4.1 Black & White
- 7.6 Casual Photo
- Updated Jun 08, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.1.
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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.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is relatively compact and shouldn't take up too much space on your desk, which is good for small offices or dorms.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has a poor display screen. It uses what Canon calls a 2-line Full Dot Matrix LCD display which gives it a retro, calculator-like feel. However, it has bad viewing angles, and to read it clearly you have to be standing and looking down at it. The display console itself doesn't tilt or swivel, so you can't improve the angle, and the interface menu is very difficult to navigate. If you prefer something with a better, OLED screen, then look into the Canon PIXMA TR7020.
- Canon PIXMA TR4520 printer
- User manual
- 4"x6" Photo Paper Glossy sample pack
- Setup CD-ROM
- Power cable
- PG-243 Black FINE cartridge
- CL-244 Color FINE cartridge
- Modular cable
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has a poor cartridge system. It uses one black and one combined color cartridge. However, this printer doesn't produce a lot of black ink pages, which isn't great when you need to print off a lot of essays or documents. While it yields slightly more color pages, you may have to change the color cartridge more often to compensate. If you need even more ink, Canon does sell a slightly larger version. This printer can also accept third-party cartridges, but this could void its warranty. If you want a printer with a much higher page yield with black and white documents, check out the Canon PIXMA MG3620.
If you want a printer with a better cartridge system, check out the Epson Expression Home XP-4100.
Update 05/28/2020: We originally reported that this printer’s software limits its max resolution to 600 DPI. However, you can raise it to 1200 DPI depending on which Canon software you’re using. The review has been updated to reflect this.
The Canon TR4520 has great scanning features. This printer has a flatbed scanner, which is great for more delicate or slightly bulkier items, as well as a sheetfed scanner, which is better suited for processing a lot of pages in one go. It also has an integrated fax, which is a nice touch. However, if you want to copy or scan double-sided documents, you have to flip each side manually. While the DPI limit may seem to be 600 at first glance, if you look under the "drivers" tab, you can do an advance scan with Canon’s My Image Garden software at a higher resolution. If you’re using the Canon IJ Scan Utility app, these settings can be found under the “scangear” tab. Note, if the document you’re scanning exceeds over 100mb then you need to turn off “thumbnail preview mode” (located on the left top corner of “scan advanced” settings page) to reach 1200 DPI.
The cost-per-print of the Canon TR4520 is disappointing. While the cartridges are reasonably priced, the black ink cartridge can run out fairly quickly and if you're always replacing it, it can add up in the long term. The color cartridge is slightly more cost-efficient but because it includes all colors in one unit, when you run out of one color, you have to replace the entire cartridge, which can also become costly in the long term. Canon also doesn't offer an ink subscription. If you want a printer with a lower cost-pre-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.
The printing speed of the Canon TR4520 is disappointing. It prints black-only text documents very slowly and color documents are even slower. Printing one 4" x 6" photo also takes over a minute to finish. If you want a printer with faster printing speeds, then check out the HP ENVY Pro 6455.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has decent color accuracy. While it shouldn't be a dealbreaker for those printing off occasional documents with a splash of color, users who need more precise color accuracy may find the results disappointing, especially when compared to their source file.
If color accuracy is important to you, then check out the HP ENVY 5055 or the HP ENVY 6455e.
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 be representative of the printer's photo print quality.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has one input tray. It doesn't have a cassette but it has a slider to adjust for most popular paper formats. However, you won't be able to close the input tray if there's paper loaded inside it. There's also one output tray that has an extender.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 has decent connectivity features. If you want to use it wirelessly, you can hook it up to your Wi-Fi via your router or if you're on a mobile device, you can use Apple AirPrint or Mopria Print Service. This printer can also use an ethernet cable, which is nice if you prefer a wired connection. However, it can't connect via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, and it can't print off anything directly from an external storage device such as a memory card.
If you want Bluetooth support, check out the Canon PIXMA TS5320.
The Canon TR4520 is compatible with the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app. Available on both Android and iOS, you can print, scan, and copy from the app as well as see items you scan directly on your device. You can also order ink if you need it, but Canon doesn't offer an ink subscription feature.
Compared To Other Printers
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is a disappointing printer overall, and there are better options available. 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 Canon PIXMA TR4520 and the Canon PIXMA MG3620 are both decent printers. The TR4520 is better for photos because of its better color accuracy and nicer photo printing quality. Also, it has a sheetfed scanner and a fax feature. On the other hand, the MG3620 has a much higher page yield, a much lower cost-per-print, and a faster printing speed, so it might be a better option if you intend to print often.
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.
The Canon PIXMA TR8620 is an overall much better printer than the Canon PIXMA TR4520. The TR8620 has much better page yields, a much cheaper cost-per-print, prints much faster, and produces better-looking photos. Also, it can print via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, and directly from SD cards. On the other hand, the TR4520 produces much more accurate colors. Both printers have automatic document feeders and built-in fax.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 and the Canon PIXMA TR7520 are both all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the TR7520 is a better printer overall. The TR7520 has better page yields and a much better cost-per-print, and it prints much faster and has an Ethernet port. On the other hand, the TR4520 produces somewhat better-looking photos with more accurate colors.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 and the Canon PIXMA TR4520 are both all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the TR4520 is better. The TR4520 has a better cost-per-print for black text documents, produces much better-looking photos, and can automatically print double-sided. Also, it has an automatic document feeder and can fax. On the other hand, the TS3520 has a better cost-per-print for color documents and produces more accurate colors.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 and the HP DeskJet Plus 4155 are both all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the Canon produces significantly better-looking photos. The Canon also has a better color page yield and a cheaper color and photo cost-per-print, and it can fax. On the other hand, the HP has a higher black page yield and a cheaper black page cost-per-print, it prints marginally faster, and it produces significantly more accurate colors.
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. The Canon produces more accurate colors but isn't suitable for tasks that require accurate color reproduction.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 and the HP ENVY Pro 6455 perform similarly, with a few differences here and there. The Canon yields more color pages and has better photo printing quality. It also supports legal-sized paper and comes with an outstanding mobile app. On the other hand, the HP has a higher black page yield and better color accuracy, and it feels better-built overall. They both have a flatbed and a sheetfed scanner, which is great.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 and the Brother HL-L2390DW are two very different printers. The Canon is an inkjet printer that prints in color, making it a better choice for home use. It has decent color accuracy, impressive photo printing quality, and it has a sheetfed scanner too. On the other hand, the Brother is a monochrome laser printer that has an excellent black page yield, making it ideal for office use.
The Canon PIXMA TR7020 is a bit better overall than the Canon PIXMA TR4520. The TR7020 has a higher page yield, the display is better, and it has Bluetooth support. However, the TR4520 has slightly better color accuracy and better photo printing quality.
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 Canon PIXMA TR4520 performs slightly better as a home printer than the HP ENVY 6055. The Canon has a higher color page yield, a sheetfed scanner, better photo printing quality, and the companion app offers more features. However, the HP has a higher black page yield and much better color accuracy.
The Canon PIXMA TR4520 is better than the HP ENVY 6075. The Canon produces nicer-looking photos, it prints faster, and it has an automatic document feeder. Also, it has a higher page yield for color documents, which results in a lower cost-per-print for color documents and photos. On the other hand, the HP has better color accuracy and a higher page yield for black cartridges.