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Canon PIXMA TR8620a Printer Review

Tested using Methodology v1.2
Review updated Apr 22, 2024 at 11:29 am
Canon PIXMA TR8620a Picture
7.7
Family
7.2
Small/Home Office
7.9
Student
7.1
Black & White
8.0
Photo
7.3
Color Quality
8.0
Document Quality
6.9
Scanner
6.6
Speed

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is an all-in-one inkjet printer that uses a five-cartridge system with a dedicated photo black cartridge. It has a large touchscreen as well as an ADF-equipped scanner. This printer has a wide range of connectivity options, too, including Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and support for external storage devices in the form of SD, miniSD, and microSD cards when using adapters. It also supports mobile printing with Apple AirPrint, Mopria Print Service, and Canon's PRINT app.

Our Verdict

7.7 Family

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is good for family use. It prints excellent-looking photos with lots of detail and vibrant colors. While some colors are a bit off, they don't look bad enough to ruin your pictures. Otherwise, it has everything else you'd need for home use: a flatbed scanner, an automatic document feeder, and double-sided printing. While it doesn't offer an especially high page yield, the cost-per-print remains low.

Pros
  • Great photo printing quality.
  • Decent color accuracy.
  • Low cost-per-print.
Cons
  • Page yield is quite low.
  • Sheet rollers cause markings on photos.
7.2 Small/Home Office

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is decent for small or home offices. This printer has a low page yield, so you'll frequently need to buy and install new ink cartridges if your office needs include high printing volumes. However, high-yield cartridges are available and will last longer. Printing speeds are mediocre, but black and color documents look great and detailed. This printer also has a wide range of connectivity options, making it convenient to use.

Pros
  • High-yield cartridges are available.
  • Black-and-white documents look clear.
  • Low cost-per-print.
Cons
  • Printing is quite slow.
  • Page yield is quite low.
7.9 Student

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is a good printer for students. It has a wide variety of connectivity options, and you can print, scan, and copy via the Canon PRINT app. While its page yield isn't especially high, you can buy high-yield cartridges that'll last longer. Unfortunately, it prints slowly, whether you're printing a one-page assignment or a long essay. If you don't mind waiting a bit for your work, printed documents look great.

Pros
  • High-yield cartridges are available.
  • Supports many connectivity and mobile print options.
  • Low cost-per-print.
Cons
  • Printing is quite slow.
  • Page yield is quite low.
7.1 Black & White

The Canon TR8620a is okay for black-and-white prints. There is sufficient contrast between light and dark elements to produce clear and legible documents. It prints slowly, whether you're printing a single sheet or a multi-page document, and the ink cartridges have quite a low print yield. That said, high-yield cartridges are available and will last longer.

Pros
  • High-yield cartridges are available.
  • Black-and-white documents look clear.
Cons
  • Printing is quite slow.
  • Page yield is quite low.
8.0 Photo

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is good for printing casual photos. Most colors look accurate, and photos have excellent detail. It prints a 4x6 photo in under a minute and prints on various paper types, including heat-transfer sheets, glossy photo paper, and magnetic photo paper. The sheet rollers within the printer cause some markings on the photos, though.

Pros
  • Great photo printing quality.
  • Decent color accuracy.
  • Dedicated photo black cartridge.
Cons
  • Page yield is quite low.
  • Sheet rollers cause markings on photos.
7.3 Color Quality
8.0 Document Quality
7.7 Recurring Costs
  • 7.7 Family
  • 7.2 Small/Home Office
  • 7.9 Student
  • 7.1 Black & White
  • 8.0 Photo

Performance Usages

  • 7.3 Color Quality
  • 8.0 Document Quality
  • 6.9 Scanner
  • 6.6 Speed
  • 7.7 Recurring Costs
  1. Updated Apr 22, 2024: We've updated the review for clarity.
  2. Updated Sep 23, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  3. Updated Sep 20, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  4. Updated Jun 30, 2022: Review published.
  5. Updated Jun 22, 2022: Early access published.
  6. Updated Jun 07, 2022: Our testers have started testing this product.
  7. Updated Jun 03, 2022: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  8. Updated May 13, 2022: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a doesn't have any variants. You can see our unit's label here.

Compared To Other Printers

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is a good all-in-one inkjet printer. While it's designed for home office use, it has a dedicated photo black cartridge along with its regular black cartridge, making it a great choice for printing fun photos at home. It prints pictures with an excellent amount of detail. Its page yield isn't very high, but it's similar to other all-in-ones that use ink cartridges in its price range.

Looking for something else? Check out our recommendations for the best home printers, the best photo printers, or the best college student printers.

Canon PIXMA TR8620

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is the newer version of the Canon PIXMA TR8620, and they are nearly identical in performance and appearance; you'll be happy if you buy either one. The only differences are their cost-per-print and print speed. The TR8620a prints black-and-white documents faster, but its running cost is a little higher because the cartridges are more expensive.

Epson Expression Premium XP-7100

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a and the Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 are both all-in-one family printers. The Canon is a better choice if you want to print photos since details look much clearer, colors look more accurate, and you can print more photos with it, thanks to the higher color page yield. On the other hand, the Epson is a better choice for office use since it prints faster, and you can get more black ink pages out of it. Its ADF can scan double-sided sheets, which the Canon can't do.

Brother MFC-J4335DW

The Brother MFC-J4335DW and the Canon PIXMA TR8620a are both all-in-one family printers. The Brother produces higher-quality documents, prints faster, and yields significantly more prints, so it's a better choice if you need to print a lot of documents for work, school, or your hobbies. For photo printing, the Brother produces more fine details, but the Canon produces a wider range of colors with better accuracy.

Canon PIXMA TR7820/TS7720

The Canon PIXMA TR7820/TS7720 and the Canon PIXMA TR8620a are very similar overall. The 8620a has an Ethernet port and can print directly from an SD card. It also has a slightly lower cost-per-print due to its higher page yields. However, the TR7820 prints faster and supports manual duplex scanning.

Epson WorkForce WF-2850

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is better than the Epson WorkForce WF-2850. You'll get a good 100-200 more pages out of the Canon, which helps you save money on ink costs, even though the Canon's color cartridges cost more. Photos look much nicer, too, which may be important to you.

Canon PIXMA TR8520

The Canon PIXMA TR8520 and the Canon PIXMA TR8620a look nearly identical since they have the same chassis. They also perform very similarly. The only major difference is that the TR8520 is discontinued, so it's a lot harder to find available.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
7.5
Design
Build Quality
Type All in One

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a feels well-built, though some areas, like the output tray and rear input tray, feel flimsy. It has a good lid dampener that keeps the entire scanner up and slowly closes down by itself. This is nice to have, so you don't need to worry about the top of the printer slamming down if you're replacing the ink cartridges, for example. The scanner background also has foam, which helps scan uneven documents.

This printer has a few design quirks, however. For example, you need to lift the display panel if you want to print; otherwise, you will receive an error message. You also need to lift the display panel if you want to open the output tray extender.

Design
Dimensions
Height 7.4" (18.9 cm)
Width 17.6" (44.6 cm)
Depth 13.7" (34.8 cm)
Height When In Use
11.1" (28.2 cm)
Width When In Use
17.6" (44.6 cm)
Depth When In Use
26.2" (66.6 cm)
Weight
17.3 lbs (7.8 kg)
7.0
Design
Expected Maintenance
Ink Related Maintenance
Expected
Drum Unit
No Drum Unit

Like all inkjet printers, this printer needs maintenance to run smoothly. There are some built-in tasks to prevent and resolve printhead clogging issues and banding due to misalignment. There are also some tasks to help you when cleaning certain printer parts, like the rollers and the bottom plate. You can easily access paper jams and sheet rollers by removing the front paper tray, the back input tray, then the rear cover, or you can remove the transport unit if there's paper stuck farther back.

The cartridges are also easy to access, but you need to ensure the printer is on so the cartridge carriage moves to the printer's center. When the printer is off, the carriage gets hidden into the sides of the printer, so you can't access them. The yield for these cartridges is around 200–300 pages, so if you print frequently, you'll likely be replacing the black cartridge regularly. Likewise, the paper trays only hold 100 regular pages, so you'll replace this every few days if you print often.

8.5
Design
Display Screen
Display Screen Yes
Display Screen Size
4.2" (10.8 cm)
Touchscreen Yes

There's a great touchscreen display on this printer. It's quite large and has really good viewing angles from all sides, and you can tilt the panel for better visibility if you are standing. The menu is responsive and easy to navigate and includes instructional videos to show you how to do certain maintenance tasks, like changing ink cartridges or loading paper. Luckily, it doesn't have the same issues as the Canon PIXMA TR8620, which has double click and unresponsiveness issues.

6.5
Design
Cartridge
Technology Inkjet
SuperTank
No
Photo Cartridge
Yes
Color Yes
Number Of Color Cartridges
4
Black Cartridge Model
PGI-280
Tested Black Page Yield
12 prints
Estimated Black Page Yield
228 prints
Color Cartridge Model
CLI-281
Tested Color Page Yield
14 prints
Estimated Color Page Yield
320 prints
Third Party Cartridge
Purchased One Worked
Ink Type
Dye And Pigment
High Yield Cartridge
Yes

This printer's page yields are acceptable. It uses a five-cartridge system: four dye-based color cartridges for photo and color printing and one pigment-based black cartridge dedicated to monochrome document printing. It gives low ink warnings when it estimates ink is running out, but you can still get a few full pages out afterward.

7.3
Design
Scanner Features
Scanner
ADF + Flatbed
ADF Capacity
20 pages
Scan Speed
6 PPM
Duplex Scanning
No
Max Flatbed Scan Size
8.5" x 11"
Max ADF Scan Size
8.5" x 14"
Flatbed Hinge Adjustability
0.36" (9 mm)
Fax
Yes
Copy
Yes
OCR Included
Software

The flatbed scanner has extendable lid hinges to accommodate slightly thicker items; thanks to this, you won't have to worry about seeing black bars on the sides of the page where the lid doesn't cover your scanned item.

6.5
Design
Scan Quality
Max Scan Resolution
1,200 DPI
Max Scan Color Depth
24Bit

The scan quality is acceptable. Black and color text is clear and legible for the most part. However, colors are over-saturated, and blocks of color appear overly grainy. Also, the image processing is overly aggressive and removes some finer details, like the lines in a graph.

Design
In The Box

  • User manuals
  • 4x6 Photo Paper Plus Glossy II (3-sheet sample)
  • Power cable
  • RJ-11 Telephone/modem cables
  • Canon starter cartridges
    • 1x PGI-280 Black
    • 1x CLI-281 Cyan
    • 1x CLI-281 Magenta
    • 1x CLI-281 Yellow
    • 1x CLI-281 Black

Design
Battery
Advertised Battery Life
N/A
Tested Charging Time
N/A
Document
8.0
Document
Black & White Documents
Color Ink Needed For Black & White
No

Black-and-white documents look good. Both black and white text is easy to read, and there's decent contrast between light and dark elements. However, fine elements like lines are hit and miss, as they sometimes appear grainy and lack detail. Larger blocks also have some graininess, but they're generally better than the finer elements.

9.0
Document
Color Documents

Color documents look excellent. Colors are vibrant and saturated, and black-and-white text is clear and legible. There's good separation between contrasting color elements as well.

7.7
Document
Cost-Per-Print
Black Cartridge Price
17.99 US$
Color Cartridge Price
47.99 US$
Black-Only Printing Cost
0.079 US$/print
Color Printing Cost
0.150 US$/print
Photo Printing Cost
0.375 US$/print
Ink Subscription
Optional

The Canon TR8620a's cost-per-print is good. While the cartridges are relatively affordable, running costs can quickly add up if you print often, especially for color printing. If you don't want to worry about buying new ink, you can sign up for Canon's Auto Replenishment Service, which automatically orders and sends you ink or toner when the printer detects you're running low.

6.6
Document
Printing Speed
Black Only Text Document
12 PPM
Color Document
4 PPM
Photo Printing Time
60.0 s
Single Page Out Time (Black Only)
19.6 s
Duplex Printing
Automatic
Input Tray Capacity
200 pages

There are two adjustable paper trays: the front input tray holds 100 plain sheets, and the rear input tray holds either 100 plain sheets, 20 sheets of 4x6 photo paper, or 10 sheets of 5x7 photo paper.

Document
Document Printing Sizes
Letter (8.5" x 11") Yes
Legal (8.5" x 14") Yes
Tabloid (11" x 17") No
A6 (105mm x 148mm) Yes
A5 (148mm x 210mm) Yes
A4 (210mm x 297mm) Yes
Max Paper Weight
670 g/m²

While you can't select A6 as a preset printing size, you can still print by setting a custom size. You can print custom sizes between 2.17" x 3.5" and 8.5" x 26.61" (55.2 mm x 88.9 mm and 215.9 mm x 675.89 mm).

Photo
7.0
Photo
Color Gamut

The color gamut is satisfactory on this printer. It's good at printing dark colors but struggles with light colors (especially blues and oranges). Transitions from one color to another look mostly smooth, but some areas have obvious graining, like the transition from green to yellow and red through to purple. However, these issues are not too noticeable with printed photos, as the contrast between shades and tints produces great-looking photos with fine details and elements, like the parrot's feathers in the bird picture.

7.5
Photo
Color Accuracy
Average Color dE
4.93

Color accuracy is good on this printer. You don't need to worry about your photos looking too different from the digital originals, as colors appear vibrant and natural for the most part.

8.5
Photo
Small Details
Max Print Resolution (DPI)
4800 x 1200

This printer is great at reproducing small details when printing photos or other documents. Fine lines look clear and have lots of detail, and it's easy to make out objects in the foreground and background of photos.

9.5
Photo
Photo Printing Sizes
Glossy Paper (4" x 6") Yes
Glossy Paper (5" x 7") Yes
Glossy Paper (8" x 10") Yes
Glossy Paper (8.5" x 11") Yes
Glossy Paper (13" x 19") No
Borderless Printing
Yes
Mobile App And Connectivity
9.0
Mobile App And Connectivity
Connectivity
Ethernet
Yes
USB Input To Computer
Yes
Wireless
Yes
Bluetooth
No
Wi-Fi via Router
Yes
Wi-Fi Direct
Yes
External Storage Support
Yes
Apple AirPrint
Yes
Mopria Print Service
Yes

This printer accepts SD cards, as well as various miniSD and microSD cards through the use of an adapter.

8.9
Mobile App And Connectivity
Mobile App
Mobile App Yes
App Name Canon Print Inkjet/Selphy
iOS Yes
Android Yes
Photo (JPEG, PNG)
Android and iOS
PDF
Android and iOS
Microsoft Office Files
Android and iOS
Text Files (TXT)
No
Webpages (HTML)
No

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is compatible with the Canon PRINT app on Android and iOS. You can print a range of files from the app and use the Easy-PhotoPrint Editor to create collages, calendars, and more. You can also scan and copy from your phone and manage your ink subscription.

Mobile App And Connectivity
OS Compatibility
Windows Fully
macOS Fully
Chrome OS Fully

You need to manually install drivers on Windows to print and scan with the Canon PIXMA TR8620a, but not on macOS or Chrome OS. You can download the drivers here.