The Canon PIXMA TS302a is a cheap, print-only inkjet printer. It uses a two-cartridge system and is compatible with Canon's PG-243 and CL-244 ink cartridges. It also works with the PG-245 and CL-246 cartridges, as well as the PG-245XL and CL-246XL high-yield cartridges. It features a grid panel to align sheets for scanning with your smartphone. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and USB, and there's also support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. It's compatible with Canon's PRINT app, which provides further functionality, like scanning from your mobile device.
It's part of the Canon PIXMA TS300 series of printers. There are a few regional variants that are identical in features and performance. See the Differences Between Variants section for more details.
Our Verdict
The Canon PIXMA TS302a is sub-par as a family printer. This printer has a very low page yield and sheet capacity, so you'll need to perform a lot of maintenance if your family prints often or in high volume. There isn't great access to the cartridge bay, though, so it's difficult to perform necessary maintenance. Thankfully, ink is relatively affordable. Color printing for photos and documents is good, and black-and-white documents are satisfactory. There's no scanner for digitizing precious family photos. You can use your smartphone with the Canon PRINT app to scan, but anyone with a smartphone can do this, so it doesn't add value to the printer. Finally, there are a decent number of wireless and wired connectivity options, making the printer easily accessible.
- Good quality color documents.
- Vibrant-looking photos.
- Cheap replacement ink.
- Good mobile app.
- Slow print speeds.
- No scanner.
- High maintenance requirements.
- Low page yields.
- Alignment issues when printing documents.
The Canon PIXMA TS302a is a poor choice as a small or home office printer. You'll constantly need to purchase more ink and add additional sheets if you print a lot, as it has very low page yields and a low sheet capacity. This printer is also very slow, pushing just six black and two color sheets per minute, so expect to wait around for long documents. While this printer is marketed as a 2-in-1 device with wireless scanning capabilities, there's no scanner on the printer. Instead, you have to use your smartphone's camera to scan, and the scan quality is very poor. It's difficult to perform necessary maintenance tasks like changing the ink cartridges. However, the print quality is satisfactory overall, and color documents look particularly good.
- Good quality color documents.
- Cheap replacement ink.
- Slow print speeds.
- No scanner.
- High maintenance requirements.
- Low page yields.
- Alignment issues when printing documents.
The Canon PIXMA TS302a is a mediocre choice for students. While its cost-per-print isn't bad, it has very poor page yields, so you'll need to replace the ink cartridges if you print a lot. Unfortunately, there's minimal access to the cartridge bay, so maintenance is difficult to perform. It's also a very slow printer; expect to be stuck waiting around if you need to print long articles or term papers. While there's no scanner, you can technically use your smartphone to scan. However, this isn't unique to this printer, so the included grid panel doesn't add any real value. On the bright side, what this printer does better than most at its price point is color printing. Also, there are decent connectivity options, so it's convenient to access. Still, there are better options for student needs.
- Good quality color documents.
- Cheap replacement ink.
- Good mobile app.
- Slow print speeds.
- No scanner.
- High maintenance requirements.
- Low page yields.
- Alignment issues when printing documents.
The Canon PIXMA TS302a is a bad choice for black-and-white printing. The printing quality is satisfactory, but some alignment issues persist even after running alignment tasks. You can mostly remedy this problem by printing in high quality. However, high-quality printing uses more ink, and unfortunately, this printer's page yield is already very low. Also, it has high recurring costs for black-and-white prints, even with high-yield cartridges available. Finally, there's no scanner.
- High-yield cartridges available.
- Slow print speeds.
- No scanner.
- High maintenance requirements.
- Low page yields.
- Alignment issues when printing documents.
The Canon PIXMA TS302a is good for photo printing. It does an excellent job reproducing small details, and it has good color accuracy, especially for its class of printer. You can print on a wide range of paper sizes, although there are some limitations if you're using a Windows device. Where it falls flat is page yield; you can expect to change the ink cartridge often if you print a lot. Also, since it uses a tri-color cartridge, you'll need to replace the whole cartridge even if only one color runs out, potentially wasting ink. Still, this is a good choice for casual photo printing.
- Vibrant-looking photos.
- Good color accuracy
- Wide range of photo printing sizes.
- Slow print speeds.
- Different photo printing sizes depending on your OS.
The Canon PIXMA TS302a's color quality is better than that of many cheap printers from other brands. Its color accuracy is good, although its color range is more limited. While you can see graining in color transitions, it'll serve you well for casual photo printing.
- Good color accuracy
- Some graining in color transitions.
The Canon TS302a produces decent documents. Text is legible, but there are some alignment issues. Printing in high quality greatly improves the print quality, but it consumes more ink, and the black page yield is already very low.
- Text is easy to read.
- Alignment issues when printing documents.
While the Canon PIXMA TS302a is marketed as a 2-in-1 device with wireless scanning capabilities, there's no scanner on the printer. Instead, you have to use the camera on your smartphone to scan, and the scan quality is very poor. Honestly, anyone with a smartphone can do this, so the grid panel doesn't actually add any value to the printer.
- No scanner.
The Canon PIXMA TS302a is very slow, pushing just six black and two color pages per minute.
- Slow print speeds.
The Canon PIXMA TS302a's recurring costs are acceptable overall. Replacement ink is cheap, which is good since you'll need to purchase it frequently if you print a lot. Just know, you'll likely spend more if you primarily print in black and white, as its black page yield is especially low at around 130 pages per cartridge.
- Cheap replacement ink.
- Low page yields.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Canon PIXMA TS302a, part of the Canon PIXMA TS300 series of wireless inkjet printers. A small number of regional variants are available, and they're identical in performance and features.
| Model | Region |
|---|---|
| Canon PIXMA TS302a | North America |
| Canon PIXMA TS304 | Europe, Middle East, Africa |
| Canon PIXMA TS305 | Europe |
| Canon PIXMA TS307 | India |
| Canon PIXMA TS307a | Asia |
| Canon PIXMA TS308 | Japan |
See our unit's label here.
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Canon PIXMA TS302a is a budget print-only inkjet printer. Even though this printer is very good at photo printing for a printer in its price range, it's hard to recommend. This is because Canon misleadingly markets it as a 2-in-1 device with wireless scanning capabilities. There's no scanner on the printer; instead, you have to use the camera on your smartphone to scan, and the scan quality is very poor. Canon also includes a grid panel on the top to align sheets. However, this gimmick makes performing maintenance tasks onerous, and performing maintenance tasks is something you'll do often, as it has very low page yields and a tiny sheet capacity. It's ultimately a poor value proposition for anyone who prints regularly or in high volume, as its low page yield and high maintenance requirements quickly become burdensome. If you need a budget printer to print photos, you'll be better served by one of Canon's other budget offerings, like the Canon PIXMA TS702a.
See our recommendations for the best cheap and budget printers, the best inkjet printers, and the best Canon printers.
The Canon PIXMA MG3620 is a better cheap inkjet printer than the Canon PIXMA TS302a. The MG3620 is an all-in-one unit with a flatbed scanner, and it prints better documents. The TS302a is a print-only unit, despite marketing wireless scanning capabilities. This means using your smartphone to scan documents through Canon's PRINT app. The scan quality is terrible, and as anyone with a smartphone can already produce scans, this feature doesn't add any value to the TS302a. The TS302a prints marginally better photos, so it's better than the MG3620 if you only print photos.
The Canon PIXMA TS302a and the Canon PIXMA TS202 are similar print-only inkjet printers. If you need wireless connectivity options, get the TS302a, as the TS202 is a wired-only model. Otherwise, print quality and speed are almost identical, with the TS302a having slightly better color accuracy and the TS202 being ever so slightly faster for black printing (but still slow).
The Brother MFC-J1010DW is better than the Canon PIXMA TS302a overall. The Brother has higher page yields and lower maintenance requirements, and it prints better-quality documents. It also comes with a flatbed scanner that produces excellent-quality scans. The Canon is better at photo printing, however, so it's the better choice if you print a lot of photos at home.
The Canon PIXMA TS702a is a better print-only inkjet printer than the Canon PIXMA TS302a. The TS702a uses a five-cartridge system, with a dedicated black cartridge for photo printing. This is better for maintenance, as you only need to replace the ink that runs out, rather than the 302a's two-cartridge system, whose tri-color cartridge requires you to change the whole cartridge if a single color runs out. The print quality and speed are also better on the TS702a.
Test Results
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