- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 is an unremarkable all-in-one color inkjet printer designed for families. Its build quality is disappointing, with a flimsy input tray and scan lid, but the scan lid's hinges can lift a little when you need to scan thicker things like magazines or notebooks. Its page yields are poor overall, so the cartridges might often need replacing, and its black text document cost-per-print is one of the highest we've tested, so you might quickly end up paying for the cost of the printer in ink. However, it prints very good-quality photos, with natural tones and reasonably accurate colors, at a great cost-per-print.
Note: The first unit we received was defective and kept us from printing reliably, so we ordered a replacement unit that's been working as expected. If you own the same model and have experienced similar issues, let us know in the discussions below.
Our Verdict
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 is an unremarkable printer for family use. Its flatbed scanner has a good scan resolution and color depth, and prints very good-quality photos with accurate colors and at a great cost-per-print. However, the printer doesn't accept glossy photo paper larger than 5" x 7", so you can't print large-format photos. Also, its black text document cost-per-print is one of the highest of any printer we've tested, and it can't print from USB flash drives or SD cards.
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Photos have very good quality.
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Very good color document and photo cost-per-print.
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Flatbed scanner has a good scan resolution and color depth.
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Can't print from Bluetooth or external storage.
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Disappointing and flimsy build quality.
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Very low page yields.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 is a poor printer for office use. It has an awful black page yield and disappointing color page yield, and it prints black text documents slow, although it warms up to print the first page reasonably quickly. However, its build quality is disappointing, the cartridges and paper jams are difficult to reach, and it doesn't have an automatic document feeder or an Ethernet port.
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Networking via Wi-Fi.
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Very bad black text document cost-per-print.
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No automatic document feeder or duplex scanning.
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Disappointing and flimsy build quality.
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Very low page yields.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 is a poor printer for student use. While it warms up reasonably quickly to print out the first page, and the cost-per-print for color documents is great, it has one of the highest black text document cost-per-print of any printer that we've tested, so you might quickly end up paying for the cost of the printer in ink. However, it does have a flatbed scanner with a good scan resolution and color depth. While it can't print via Bluetooth or directly from USB flash drives or SD cards, you can use Wi-Fi.
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Flatbed scanner has a good scan resolution and color depth.
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Can't print from Bluetooth or external storage.
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Very bad black text document cost-per-print.
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Disappointing and flimsy build quality.
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Very low page yields.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 is very bad for black and white printing. Its build quality is disappointing and feels flimsy, it doesn't have an automatic document feeder, and it can't automatically duplex print. It prints black text documents slowly, and its black text document page yield is awful, with the cost-per-print being one of the highest of any printer we've tested. However, it warms up adequately quickly to print the first page.
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High-yield cartridges available.
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Very bad black text document cost-per-print.
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No automatic document feeder or duplex scanning.
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Disappointing and flimsy build quality.
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Very low page yields.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 is a satisfactory printer for casual photo printing. It produces very good-quality photos, with natural color tones and accurate colors at a very good cost-per-print. However, there's a bit of color in the grayscale and a small amount of grain that's more pronounced in certain scenes. Also, the printer doesn't accept glossy photo paper larger than 5" x 7", so you can't print large-format photos.
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Photos have very good quality.
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Very good color document and photo cost-per-print.
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Disappointing and flimsy build quality.
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Very low page yields.
- 6.1 Family
- 3.5 Small/Home Office
- 4.2 Student
- 3.5 Black & White
- 7.1 Photo
- Updated Jan 19, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Jul 14, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jul 08, 2021: Early access published.
Test Results
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 has a disappointing build quality. The body has a smooth finish, but the rear input tray, output slider, and scan lid feel rather flimsy. If you have larger hands, you might have trouble accessing paper jams and cartridges due to the limited space in the front panel. On the bright side, the scan lid stays open on its own, and its hinges can also raise a bit when scanning slightly thicker media like magazines. The power cable is removable, making it easy to replace if it gets damaged, and it also plugs in horizontally rather than sticking out from the rear, which allows you to put it close against walls if you're low on space.
Note: The first unit we bought gave cartridge installation and paper jam errors, even though we verified that everything was clear and properly installed. It made loud grinding noises and would not print. We labeled it as defective and ordered a new one, which has been working as expected. If you have the same model and are experiencing similar issues, let us know in the discussions below.
The Canon TS3520 has a poor monochrome LCD, which has bad viewing angles and doesn't tilt or swivel. You have to stand up and look down at the printer to see it properly, and it's hard to navigate the menu. Otherwise, there are only a few buttons and indicator lights for basic functions, including switching between wireless connectivity types, starting maintenance, and copying in black or color.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 has terrible black page yields and disappointing color page yields. You'll need to replace the cartridges very often if you frequently print in black, and since there's only one color cartridge, you'll need to replace the entire cartridge even if you run out of just one color of ink. However, there are high-yield versions of the cartridges, which should let you print more pages before needing to be replaced, though we haven't tested them.
The Canon TS3520 has a flatbed scanner only. Its lid's hinges can extend a little to scan thick items like a thin book or notebook. The scanner has built-in OCR technology that lets you save your scans as searchable PDFs. You can also save them as JPEG or TXT files. There are a few mistakes in the final result, but it's mostly seen in math equations and subscript text. Unfortunately, it doesn't have an automatic document feeder, so scanning a multi-page document will take a long time, especially if the sheets are double-sided.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 has high resolution and color depth. Note that the printer saves to PDF by default, but you can change the output to jpeg. In the Canon IJ Scan Utility software, select the ScanGear option, then choose Document (Color) as the source. You can click Preview to change the document's orientation before scanning.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 only has a rear input tray, which Canon specifies can hold up to either 60 plain sheets or 20 sheets of glossy 4" x 6" paper.
The printer doesn't accept glossy paper larger than 5" x 7", so you can't print on 8" x 10" photo paper. That said, you can still print this size on regular copy paper, so we listed the test result as Yes.
- Getting Started guide
- 3x 4" x 6" Photo Paper Plus Glossy II sheets
- Power cord
- Standard ink cartridges:
- 1x PG-275 black
- 1x CL-276 color
The Canon PIXMA TS3520's cost-per-print for black text documents is terrible, and it's one of the highest of any printer we've tested. This means you'll quickly pay for the price of the printer in replacement ink if you print in black frequently. The cost-per-print for photos and color documents is very good in comparison.
Even if you print only in black, most inkjet printers continue using the color cartridge for servicing tasks, so you may still need to replace it eventually.
The Canon TS3520 prints at a poor speed, with black and color documents being awfully slow. However, it's not bad for photos, and it also takes a reasonably short time to print a one-page document.
Update 01/25/2022: We added a 8.5" x 11" photo quality sample. However, the printer doesn't accept glossy photo paper larger than 5" x 7", so we printed it on regular copy paper.
The Canon TS3520 prints photos with very good quality. The color tones look natural, but there's a bit of color in the grayscale. There's also a very small amount of grain that's more pronounced in certain areas. We base these results 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 TS3520 is okay at reproducing colors. While blues, blacks, and browns are the most inaccurate, they still look good enough for casual use.
The Canon TS3520 is compatible with the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app, which lets you print most file types and scan and copy on the flatbed from your phone. You can also order ink and view scanned sheets directly from your device. Unfortunately, you can't print TXT files or HTML files from the app.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Canon PIXMA TS3520 in white, but it also comes in black. It's closely related to the Canon PIXMA TS3522, which is identical but comes in a black-and-white design and is the Walmart-exclusive version. You can see our unit's label here.
Compared To Other Printers
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 is an unremarkable all-in-one color inkjet printer for family use. Although its black page yield and black text document cost-per-print are terrible, its color document and photo cost-per-print are very good. It also prints very good-looking photos with reasonably accurate colors.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best home printers, the best all-in-one printers, and the best inkjet printers.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 and the Canon PIXMA MG3620 are similar all-in-one color inkjet printers. The TS3520 produces somewhat better-looking pictures since blacks don't look as brown. On the other hand, the MG3620 has much better page yields, a significantly lower overall cost-per-print, prints faster, and can automatically print double-sided. Also, aside from the inaccuracy when printing black, its accuracy for other colors is better than the TR3520.
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 it 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 photos.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 and the HP DeskJet 2755 are all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the Canon is better for family and casual photo printing use, while the HP is better for students. The Canon has a higher color document page yield at a significantly lower cost-per-print, and it prints much better-looking photos. The flatbed scanner lid's hinges can raise for scanning slightly thicker objects. On the other hand, the HP has a better black page yield and half the black text document cost-per-print.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 and the HP DeskJet 2755e are both all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the Canon is better for photos and families, while the HP is better for students. The Canon has a higher color document page yield at a significantly lower cost-per-print, and it produces much better-quality photos. Its flatbed scanner lid's hinges can raise for scanning slightly thicker objects. On the other hand, the HP has a better black page yield and black text document cost-per-print.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 and the HP DeskJet 3755 are both all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the HP is better overall. The HP has a much more compact design, has a higher black page yield, and half the black text document cost-per-print. On the other hand, while the Canon doesn't have a sheetfed scanner like the HP does, it does have a flatbed scanner with a higher scan resolution. Also, it has a much higher color page yield and a much better cost-per-print for color documents and photos.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 and the Canon PIXMA TS5320 are all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the TS5320 is better overall. The TS5320 has higher page yields and a much lower cost-per-print for black text documents, and it prints faster. Also, it has a better display, and it can automatically print double-sided and via Bluetooth.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 and the Canon PIXMA TS6420 are both all-in-one color inkjet printers, but the TS6420 is better overall. The TS6420 has higher page yields and a much lower cost-per-print, prints faster, and produces nicer-looking photos. Also, it has a better display, can automatically print double-sided, and can print via Bluetooth.
The Canon PIXMA TS3520 and the Epson Expression Home XP-4100 are both all-in-one color inkjet printers. The Canon is significantly better for printing photos, while the Epson is better for students and families. The Canon has a better color document and photo cost-per-print, and it prints better quality photos at a faster speed. On the other hand, the Epson has a much better page yield and cost-per-print for black text documents, and it prints documents much faster.
The Canon PIXMA TR4720 is an overall better-performing printer compared to the Canon PIXMA TS3520. The TR4720 is better for monochrome printing since it has a somewhat higher black page yield and a cheaper black text document cost-per-print. Also, it has an automatic document feeder, built-in fax, and can automatically print double-sided. On the other hand, the TS3520 is better for color prints and images since it has a better color page yield and a much cheaper cost-per-print for color documents and photos.