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.
Check Price
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 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 and can automatically print double-sided. It also has an automatic document feeder and prints better quality photos.
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
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
