In today’s hybrid world, the home office has become the command center for everything from professional reports to creative projects and homework assignments. The promise of a seamless, wireless all-in-one printer feels less like a luxury and more like a necessity. I remember the frustration of running to a copy shop for a simple scan or dealing with an ancient printer that required a tangled mess of cables and a prayer to connect. The goal is simple: a device that can print crisp documents, vibrant photos, and scan multi-page reports without a fuss. The Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One enters the market promising to be that exact solution—a compact, feature-rich hub for all our printing, scanning, and copying needs. But as we’ve learned from years of testing tech, promises on a box don’t always translate to a smooth experience. The real question is whether this printer can deliver on its potential without introducing a new set of technological headaches.
- Print, copy, scan and navigate the features you need using the clear, brightly-lit1.44" OLED Screen
- Copy and scan multi-page documents fast and easy with the 35-sheet compactAuto Document Feeder (ADF)
What to Know Before You Buy a Home All-in-One Printer
An inkjet printer is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for productivity and creativity in the modern home. It bridges the digital and physical worlds, turning a file on your screen into a tangible document, a cherished photo, or a professional-looking handout. The main benefit of an all-in-one model like this is consolidation. It replaces three separate devices (printer, scanner, copier), saving immense space and simplifying your workflow. For families, it’s a homework and photo printing station. For small business owners, it’s a mini-document center. For creatives, it’s a tool for bringing digital art to life. The convenience of wireless printing from any device—a laptop in the living room, a tablet in the kitchen—is the ultimate goal.
The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the daily demands of a busy household or a small home office. They need versatility—the ability to print a 10-page report one minute and a glossy 5″ x 5″ photo the next. They value features like an automatic document feeder (ADF) for scanning contracts and automatic two-sided printing to save paper. However, this type of printer might not be suitable for those who print hundreds of pages daily, as the ink costs for cartridge-based inkjets can add up. High-volume users might consider a laser printer for monochrome documents or a supertank inkjet for color. Likewise, professional photographers requiring archival-quality prints might look at more specialized, photo-centric printers with a wider color gamut.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: The compact promise is appealing, but always measure your intended space. The Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One measures 36.6 x 40.4 x 20.8 cm. You need to account for not just the footprint, but also clearance for the rear paper tray, the front output tray, and accessing the flatbed scanner lid. A printer that’s too cramped is a printer you’ll dread using.
- Capacity/Performance: Look beyond just print speed. A 100-sheet paper capacity is decent for home use but might feel limited in a busier office. The 35-sheet ADF is a major convenience for multi-page scanning. Critically, for wireless printers, the performance of the Wi-Fi connection is paramount. A printer that constantly drops its connection is effectively a useless box, regardless of its print quality.
- Materials & Durability: Most consumer-grade printers are constructed from plastic. The key is the quality and feel of that plastic. Does it feel flimsy and cheap, or robust and well-assembled? Pay attention to the moving parts like the paper trays and scanner lid hinges, as these are often the first points of failure. While you don’t expect a metal chassis at this price point, it should feel solid enough to withstand regular use.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: A printer’s usability extends beyond the initial setup. How easy is it to change ink cartridges? Is the on-screen menu (in this case, a 1.44″ OLED) intuitive? Long-term maintenance involves keeping print heads clean (often through automated cycles) and being aware of the cost and availability of replacement ink cartridges. The long-term cost of ownership is often dictated more by ink than the initial purchase price, a factor you can investigate before you commit to buying this specific model.
Understanding these factors will help you assess whether a printer truly fits your needs or if it’s destined to become another source of frustration.
While the Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
- Print, Copy, Scan: The PIXMA TS3720 is a true colour printer scanner copier all in one that is compact, versatile and easy-to-use with a 60 sheet rear tray that reduces the need to refill paper as...
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― No more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual cartridges (2)
- FROM CANADA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The DeskJet 2855e is perfect for homes printing to-do lists, letters, financial documents and recipes. Print speeds up to 5.5 ppm colour, 7.5 ppm black.
Unboxing the Canon Pixma TR7020a: Compact Design with Big Promises
Pulling the Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One from its box, our first impression was one of efficient, compact design. Canon has managed to pack a surprising amount of functionality—printing, scanning, copying, an ADF, and dual paper trays—into a relatively small footprint that won’t dominate a desk. The matte black finish is understated and professional, fitting well into any home office decor. The unit feels reasonably solid, though like most printers in this category, it’s primarily a plastic construction. The setup process begins with removing a dozen or so pieces of orange transit tape, installing the two ink cartridges (one black, one tri-color), and loading paper.
The 1.44″ OLED screen, while small, is bright and clear, guiding you through the initial steps. It’s a definite step up from older non-lit LCD screens. This is where the initial optimism begins. The hardware feels capable. The trays slide out smoothly, the scanner lid has a satisfying weight, and the overall design is thoughtful. However, this is also where we hit our first, and most significant, hurdle: the wireless setup. The promise of easy mobile printing is a core selling point, but as we soon discovered, achieving a stable connection can be a profound challenge, a sentiment that casts a long shadow over the entire user experience. You can see its full feature set and user reviews to get a broader picture of this divide in user experience.
What We Like
- Excellent print quality for both documents and photos at 4800×1200 dpi.
- Versatile paper handling with both front and rear trays and auto-duplexing.
- Includes a 35-sheet Auto Document Feeder for efficient multi-page jobs.
- Compact, all-in-one design saves significant desk space.
What We Didn’t Like
- Extremely problematic and unreliable wireless connectivity.
- Setup process can be frustrating and non-intuitive, requiring multiple attempts.
Putting the Canon Pixma TR7020a Through Its Paces
A printer’s worth is measured in its day-to-day performance. Once we wrestled through the initial setup, we embarked on a comprehensive testing period to see if the Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One could redeem itself. We tested everything from multi-page document printing and high-resolution photo output to scanning thick textbooks and copying recipes. We wanted to know if the core functions were strong enough to make the connectivity headaches a distant memory or if they were merely a prelude to more disappointment.
Setup and Connectivity: The Elephant in the Room
Let’s be blunt: the wireless setup process for the Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One was one of the most frustrating we have encountered in recent years. This experience directly validates the feedback from many users who have found themselves on the brink of reenacting the infamous printer scene from the movie *Office Space*. Following the on-screen instructions and using the Canon PRINT app, our initial attempts to connect the printer to our Wi-Fi network repeatedly failed. The printer would see the network, attempt to connect, and then time out with a generic error message, offering no clear path to a solution. We were testing on a standard network, with the router a mere five feet away, eliminating any signal strength issues.
After nearly an hour of failed attempts, restarting the printer, router, and our smartphone, we finally achieved a connection through a manual WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) process. However, the victory was short-lived. As noted by others, a successful connection one moment did not guarantee one the next. We frequently sent a print job from a laptop, only to find the printer had silently dropped offline. This required a power cycle—turning it off and on again—to re-establish the connection for a single job. This level of unreliability is simply unacceptable for a device whose primary feature is “wireless” functionality. For users who are not particularly tech-savvy, this could easily be a deal-breaker, leading them to, as one user put it, throw the device “in the bin.” While we eventually found a semi-stable state, the connection felt perpetually fragile, a sentiment that makes it difficult to recommend for anyone seeking a plug-and-play experience. We feel this is a critical flaw that potential buyers must be aware of before they check the latest price and availability.
Print Quality and Speed: The Redeeming Grace?
If you can get it to print, the results from the Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One are genuinely impressive for its class. This is where the deep expertise of Canon’s imaging technology shines through. Text documents are sharp, with crisp, well-defined black letters that rival the clarity of entry-level laser printers. We printed a variety of documents, from simple text pages to complex reports with mixed graphics, and the output was consistently clean and professional. The automatic duplexing feature worked flawlessly, helping to save paper without any complicated manual intervention.
Where the printer truly excelled, however, was in color and photo printing. Using Canon’s glossy photo paper, the 4800 x 1200 dpi resolution produced vibrant, detailed, and surprisingly color-accurate photos. Skin tones were natural, colors were rich without being oversaturated, and the level of detail was excellent for a home printer. The ability to print borderless photos and even creative square sizes (5″ x 5″ and 3.5″ x 3.5″) is a fantastic feature for scrapbooking or social media enthusiasts. The print speeds of 13 pages per minute (PPM) for black and white and 6.8 PPM for color are respectable for a home office unit. While not lightning-fast, they are more than adequate for typical daily tasks. This high-quality output is the printer’s strongest selling point and the main reason one might be willing to tolerate its connectivity woes. The excellent print quality is a feature that really sets it apart in its price bracket.
All-in-One Functionality: Scanning, Copying, and the ADF
Beyond printing, the all-in-one capabilities are robust and well-implemented. The flatbed scanner delivers high-quality scans of photos and documents, capturing fine detail and accurate color. It was more than sufficient for digitizing old family photos and creating PDF copies of important documents. The real star of the show for productivity, however, is the 35-sheet Auto Document Feeder (ADF). For anyone who needs to scan or copy multi-page documents like contracts, invoices, or school reports, an ADF is a game-changer.
We tested it with a 20-page document, and the ADF fed each page through smoothly without any jams. It was quick and efficient, turning a tedious manual task into a simple “set it and forget it” operation. The copying function is equally straightforward, accessible directly from the printer’s OLED screen. You can make color or black-and-white copies, and the resolution is sharp enough that copies are nearly indistinguishable from the original. This comprehensive suite of scanning and copying features adds significant value, transforming the device from a simple printer into a true home office workhorse. If you can establish a stable connection, this versatility makes the Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One a very capable machine.
What Other Users Are Saying
Our experience with the Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One seems to mirror a significant portion of the user feedback available online. The sentiment is sharply divided between the printer’s physical capabilities and its digital reliability. Many users express extreme frustration, with one stating it became a “broken piece of crap” in under a year, highlighting potential long-term durability concerns. This aligns with the most common and severe complaint, which is the abysmal wireless connectivity.
One user’s story of the printer being “80% sure to magically never connect to your network” perfectly captures the intermittent and unpredictable nature of the Wi-Fi issues we experienced. Their comment that “when you hit print, NOTHING HAPPENS!” is a painfully accurate description of the core problem. Another user running a modern Mac setup reported similar connection failures and an inability to get support, ultimately abandoning the product entirely. These consistent reports across different users and computer systems suggest a fundamental flaw in the printer’s network interface or software, rather than isolated user error. It’s a critical counterpoint to the positive aspects of its print and scan quality.
How Does the Canon Pixma TR7020a Compare to the Competition?
No product exists in a vacuum. To make an informed decision, it’s crucial to see how the Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One stacks up against other popular options in the market. We’ve selected three key alternatives that cater to slightly different needs, from portability to long-term running costs.
1. HP OfficeJet 250 All-in-One Portable Printer
- Main functions of this HP all-in-one portable printer: scan, copy, easy portable printing wherever you need it, wireless print from your laptop or mobile devices, 2.65" color touchscreen, auto...
- Mobile printing: print from anywhere using your smartphone or tablet with the free HP ePrint app, Android users can easily detect and connect to a nearby OfficeJet 250 and print using Wi-Fi Direct
The HP OfficeJet 250’s primary advantage is its portability. It’s designed for the professional on the go, with a built-in battery that allows you to print, scan, and copy from anywhere—a car, a hotel room, or a client site. This is a feature the stationary Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One simply cannot offer. While its print speed and paper capacity are lower, its flexibility is unmatched for mobile workers. If your “office” changes daily and you need a truly portable all-in-one solution, the HP OfficeJet 250 is the superior choice, despite a higher initial cost.
2. HP OfficeJet 200 Mobile Printer
- Main functions of this HP color portable printer: easy portable printing wherever you need it, wireless print from your laptop or mobile devices, 2" display and more
- Mobile printing: print from anywhere using your smartphone or tablet with the free HP reprint app, print even without a network using Wireless Direct printing
Similar to its all-in-one sibling, the HP OfficeJet 200 focuses purely on mobile printing. It sacrifices the scanning and copying functions of the OfficeJet 250 and the Canon TR7020a in favor of a smaller, lighter form factor. This is the ideal choice for someone who only needs to produce high-quality documents on the road, such as printing contracts or presentations just before a meeting. For those who don’t need scanning or copying, the OfficeJet 200 offers a more streamlined and cost-effective solution for portable printing needs, making the Canon model overkill.
3. Epson EcoTank ET-15000 Wireless All-in-One Printer
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― No more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual cartridges (4)
- Dramatic Savings on Replacement Ink ― Save up to 90% with replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges (1) – that’s enough to print up to 7,500 pages black/6,000 colour (3)
The Epson EcoTank ET-15000 represents a completely different approach to ink. Instead of cartridges, it uses large, refillable ink tanks that dramatically lower the cost per page. While its upfront purchase price is significantly higher than the Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One, the long-term savings on ink can be massive for anyone who prints frequently. Furthermore, it offers wide-format printing up to 13″ x 19″, a feature aimed at creative professionals and businesses. If your print volume is high and you’re focused on minimizing long-term costs, the Epson EcoTank is a far more economical investment.
Our Final Verdict: Is the Canon Pixma TR7020a a Worthwhile Gamble?
The Canon Pixma TR7020a Wireless All-in-One is a paradox. On one hand, it is a mechanically sound and capable all-in-one device. When it works, it produces outstanding documents and beautiful photos. Its versatile paper handling, auto-duplexing, and the inclusion of a 35-sheet ADF make it, on paper, a perfect hub for a busy home or small office. The hardware delivers on Canon’s reputation for imaging excellence.
On the other hand, its performance is catastrophically undermined by a deeply flawed and unreliable wireless system. The setup is a nightmare, and the connection is frustratingly unstable, a fact corroborated by our own testing and numerous user reports. This single, critical failure point turns a potentially great product into a significant gamble. We can only recommend this printer to users who are technologically patient, willing to troubleshoot network issues, or plan to use a direct USB connection. For anyone seeking a simple, reliable wireless printing experience, the risk of frustration is simply too high. If you’re willing to take that chance for the excellent print quality, you can find the Canon Pixma TR7020a available online, but we advise proceeding with caution.
Last update on 2025-11-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API