There’s a universal moment of frustration that many of us know all too well: the sudden, urgent need to print something. It could be a last-minute school assignment for your child, a concert ticket that needs a physical copy, a shipping label for a return, or a cherished photo you want to frame. In that moment, you realize the old printer in the corner has been collecting dust for a year, its ink has long since dried up, or it’s simply refusing to connect to your Wi-Fi for the tenth time. This simple task spirals into a frantic search for a print shop, costing you time, money, and a significant amount of stress. The promise of a simple, reliable, and affordable home printer often feels like a myth, a mirage in a desert of complex setups, exorbitant ink costs, and bulky machines that dominate a desk. We’ve been there, and that’s precisely why we decided to bring in and thoroughly test the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer, a device that claims to be the straightforward solution for modern home printing needs.
- wireless connect provides a simple setup process that only takes minutes from your smartphone.1 connect your new printer and your smartphone for a streamlined setup process no computer needed!
- the pixma ts3420 has the ability to print from your smartphone or tablet using airprint2, mopria print service3, and the canon print app4 or from laptops and computers with built-in wi-fi5.
What to Consider Before Buying an Inkjet Printer
An inkjet printer is more than just an item on your desk; it’s a key solution for bridging the digital and physical worlds. For students, it’s an essential tool for turning digital research into tangible study materials. For families, it’s a hub for creativity, school projects, and preserving memories. For the growing number of home-based workers and small business owners, it’s a critical piece of office equipment for contracts, invoices, and marketing materials. The primary benefit of a good home inkjet is convenience—the ability to produce high-quality documents and photos on demand, without leaving your house. It eliminates reliance on external services and empowers you to manage your own printing needs efficiently and privately.
The ideal customer for a product like the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer is someone facing the occasional-to-moderate printing dilemma. This includes students who need to print essays, families managing schoolwork and creative projects, or individuals who run a small Etsy shop and need to print labels and inserts. It’s for the person who values a compact footprint and wireless simplicity over blazing-fast speeds and massive paper trays. Conversely, this type of printer might not be suitable for those who run a busy office with high-volume daily printing needs. The cartridge-based ink system, while simple, can become costly with heavy use. Professionals like photographers or graphic designers who require flawless color accuracy and wide-format capabilities would also be better served by a more specialized, professional-grade printer.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: The physical size of a printer is a major consideration for any home office or multi-use space. Measure your intended location carefully. The Canon PIXMA TS3420 boasts a compact frame (17.2″W x 12.9″D x 5.8″H), making it an excellent choice for small desks or shelves where every inch counts.
- Capacity/Performance: Look beyond the initial price and evaluate the printer’s performance metrics. Consider print speed (measured in pages per minute or ppm), print resolution (measured in dots per inch or dpi), and paper handling. This model offers a solid 4800 x 1200 dpi resolution, but its speeds are modest at 7.7 ppm for black and 4.0 ppm for color, reinforcing its design for light home use, not high-speed office work.
- Materials & Durability: Most consumer-grade printers are constructed primarily from plastic. While this keeps them lightweight and affordable, it’s important to assess the build quality. Look for sturdy trays and a solid feel. Long-term durability can be a concern, with some user experiences pointing to potential hardware faults like the infamous “P10 error” after a couple of years of use, a critical factor in your decision.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: A printer should simplify your life, not complicate it. Consider the setup process, the user interface (or lack thereof, in this case), and how easy it is to perform routine maintenance like changing ink cartridges or clearing a paper jam. The reliance on a smartphone app for setup and control is a modern convenience for some but can be a frustrating hurdle for others who are less tech-savvy.
While the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer is an excellent choice for its target audience, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, especially those designed for higher volume and lower long-term costs, 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.
First Impressions: Sleek, Compact, and Surprisingly Simple
Unboxing the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer, the first thing we noticed was its clean, minimalist aesthetic. The white finish gives it a modern look that blends seamlessly into a home office environment rather than screaming “bulky office machine.” It’s refreshingly lightweight and compact, living up to its promise of being a space-saver. Inside the box, we found the printer, a power cord, and, crucially, a set of starter PG-275 Black and CL-276 Color ink cartridges. This is a significant plus, as many users correctly pointed out that it’s ready to go right out of the box, unlike some budget printers that require an immediate separate purchase of ink.
The design is spartan. There is no LCD screen, only a handful of physical buttons and status lights. This design choice clearly indicates that Canon intends for users to manage the printer primarily through their computer or the Canon PRINT app on a smartphone. While this simplifies the hardware, we immediately knew it would be a polarizing feature, potentially alienating users who prefer on-device controls. The initial feel of the plastic components is adequate for the price point—it doesn’t feel premium, but it doesn’t feel flimsy either. The rear paper tray folds down neatly, contributing to its tidy profile when not in use.
What We Like
- Extremely straightforward initial setup via smartphone app
- Impressive document and photo print quality for its class
- Compact, lightweight, and stylish design fits any space
- Very affordable initial purchase price
- Includes starter ink cartridges in the box
What We Didn’t Like
- Ink consumption can be high, leading to expensive running costs
- Wireless connectivity can be challenging for some users and devices
- Lack of an LCD screen makes troubleshooting difficult
- Reports of long-term reliability issues and specific error codes (P10)
Deep Dive: Canon PIXMA TS3420 Performance Under the Microscope
A printer’s true value is revealed not on the spec sheet, but in day-to-day use. We put the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer through a comprehensive series of tests, from the initial setup to printing complex documents and vibrant photos, to see if its performance lives up to its promise of simplicity and quality.
Unboxing and Setup: A Tale of Two Experiences
Getting the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer from box to first print is an experience that sharply divides users, and we can see why. Following the smartphone-centric path, as Canon recommends, was remarkably smooth. We downloaded the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app, selected “Add Printer,” and the app’s “Wireless Connect” feature guided us through the process in under 10 minutes. It located the printer, securely passed along our Wi-Fi credentials, and had us ready to print a test page without ever touching a computer. This confirms the experience of many users who called the setup “super easy” and praised its simplicity.
However, the journey can be much rockier for those who are less comfortable with apps or who encounter a network hiccup. We simulated a more difficult setup by trying to connect directly from a Windows laptop without using the app first. This proved more challenging, with the laptop initially failing to find the printer. This echoes the frustration of users who struggled to connect their iPhones or laptops, finding the process opaque without the app’s hand-holding. One user cleverly noted a workaround: once the printer is connected to the network via the phone app, it becomes trivial to add it through the standard “Add a printer” function in your computer’s settings. It’s a great tip that can save a lot of headaches. We also noted the almost comically hidden USB port for a wired connection. As one user discovered after a long search, it’s tucked away deep inside under a hinge cover—a clear sign that Canon considers wireless the only way to go. While the app-based setup is efficient, the lack of clear instructions for alternative methods and the absence of a screen for direct feedback are definite drawbacks for a portion of the user base.
Print Quality and Performance: The Everyday Workhorse
For a printer in this budget category, the output quality is where the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer genuinely shines. We started with standard black-and-white text documents, and the results were consistently impressive. Text was sharp, crisp, and clean, with no smudging or feathering, even on standard copy paper. The 2-Cartridge FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) Hybrid Ink System uses a pigment-based black ink, which is ideal for producing robust, long-lasting text. For school reports, business letters, or shipping labels, it performs flawlessly.
Moving on to color documents and photos, the quality remained strong. We printed several mixed-media documents with charts and graphics, and the colors were vibrant and well-saturated. For photo printing, we used Canon’s glossy photo paper and were pleasantly surprised. While it won’t compete with a dedicated six-color photo printer like the Epson XP-15000, the colors were rich and the detail was excellent for casual use, easily good enough for framing or photo albums. This aligns with feedback from users who found the quality “solid – sharp and vibrant.” One user even successfully used it to print wedding invitations on cardstock, noting the color was “nice and even,” a testament to its versatile paper handling. However, it’s not without its faults. We did notice some subtle banding on a large, single-color block, and one user reported issues with blurry text and double lines, which could indicate a need for print head alignment, a process made less intuitive by the lack of an onboard screen. The print speeds are also modest, but for its intended use—a few pages here and there—they are perfectly acceptable.
The Double-Edged Sword: Ink Costs and Long-Term Reliability
Herein lies the classic inkjet printer dilemma: a low initial purchase price subsidized by the ongoing cost of proprietary ink. The Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer is no exception. While the included starter cartridges are a welcome touch, our testing and extensive user feedback confirm that they—and their full-size replacements—can be depleted rather quickly, especially with heavy color printing. One user noted the ink running low after just 20-30 double-sided 5×7″ prints, which can add up fast. The cost of genuine Canon PG-275/CL-276 cartridges can easily exceed the original price of the printer over time, making this a critical consideration for your budget.
This leads to the temptation of using third-party, or “aftermarket,” ink cartridges to save money. However, this comes with a significant risk. One of the most common and fatal issues reported for this model is the “P10” error code, which indicates a service error that often renders the printer unusable. Multiple users have reported this error, with one discovering—after their second faulty unit—that Canon support attributes this error directly to the use of non-genuine ink. This puts the user in a difficult position: pay a premium for official ink or risk bricking your device. Beyond the ink issue, general longevity is a concern. We found several reports of the printer failing with various error codes (like the E3 paper jam error) or simply dying just outside the one-year warranty period. For a device this affordable, it may be viewed by some as a semi-disposable item, but for others, a lifespan of only two years is a major disappointment.
What Other Users Are Saying
Synthesizing the broad spectrum of user feedback reveals a clear picture of the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer. The sentiment is largely positive among those who understand its role as a light-duty home printer. One long-term user perfectly summarized this viewpoint, stating, “I got this over a year ago… it was super easy to set up. The print quality is solid – sharp and vibrant… It’s wireless too, which is a game-changer.” Another happy customer, who bought it specifically for a creative project, confirmed its capability: “I got this printer so I could print my wedding save the dates and invites with it… I used cardstock… and it worked great.”
On the other hand, the negative feedback is just as consistent and focuses on a few key areas. The setup process is a major pain point for some, with one frustrated user exclaiming, “Can’t figger out how to print off my iPhone It takes a computer genius to figure [it] out.” The most serious and recurring complaint, however, involves long-term reliability. The dreaded P10 error code was mentioned multiple times. As one user warned after their second machine failed with the same issue, “DO NOT USE ‘AFTER MARKET’ INK CARTRIDGES They cause the P10 error code.” This feedback is crucial, highlighting that the printer’s low upfront cost is balanced by expensive proprietary ink and potential hardware failures.
How Does the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Compare to the Alternatives?
No product exists in a vacuum. To truly understand the value of the Canon PIXMA TS3420, it’s essential to see how it stacks up against other popular options in the market, each designed for a slightly different user with different priorities.
1. HP Smart Tank 7602 Wireless All-in-One Printer
- FROM CANADA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The Smart Tank 7602 is perfect for families printing a variety of color documents in high volumes. Print up to 15 pages per minute black and 9 pages per...
- FULLY LOADED WITH SAVINGS – Best for low-cost, high-volume printing—2 years of HP Ink included; get up to 8,000 color pages or 6,000 black pages right out of the box
The HP Smart Tank 7602 represents a fundamentally different approach to ink. Instead of disposable cartridges, it uses a refillable ink tank system. The initial purchase price is significantly higher than the Canon PIXMA TS3420, but the long-term cost per page is drastically lower. HP includes up to two years of ink in the box, making it a far more economical choice for anyone who prints regularly—think busy families with lots of schoolwork or a home office that prints dozens of pages a week. It also includes features the Canon lacks, like an automatic document feeder (ADF) for scanning multi-page documents and fax capability. If you anticipate printing more than 50 pages a month, the HP Smart Tank 7602 is a smarter long-term investment, despite the higher upfront cost.
2. Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 Wireless Wide-Format Printer
- Epson printing system is designed to be used exclusively with Epson Genuine Cartridges. Use of non-genuine ink could cause damage not covered under the printer's ltd. wnty.
- Professional ultra HD photo quality get brilliant border less prints upto 13 inches X 19 inches
If the Canon PIXMA TS3420 is for casual photo printing, the Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 is for the serious photo enthusiast or semi-professional. This printer is in a completely different league in terms of photo quality. It utilizes a 6-color Claria Photo HD ink system (including Red and Gray inks) for a much wider color gamut, smoother gradations, and superior black-and-white prints. Furthermore, it supports wide-format printing up to 13″ x 19″, making it ideal for creating large, borderless art prints. For a graphic designer, artist, or photographer, the Epson is the clear choice. For someone who just wants to print a 4×6 photo occasionally, its features and cost are complete overkill.
3. 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
The HP OfficeJet 200 Mobile Printer caters to a niche but important audience: the road warrior. Its defining feature is portability. With a built-in rechargeable battery and an incredibly compact, briefcase-friendly design, it’s built for printing from a hotel room, a client’s office, or even a vehicle. It sacrifices the scan and copy functions found on the all-in-one Canon PIXMA TS3420 in favor of ultimate mobility. If your primary need is printing contracts, invoices, or presentations while on the go, there is no contest—the HP OfficeJet 200 is the tool for the job. If your printer will live permanently on a desk at home, the Canon offers more functionality for a fraction of the price.
Final Verdict: Who Should Buy the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer?
After extensive testing and analysis, our verdict on the Canon PIXMA TS3420 Wireless Inkjet Printer is clear and specific. This is an excellent printer for a very particular type of user: the budget-conscious individual or family with infrequent printing needs. If you need to print a handful of pages a month—a school report, a concert ticket, a shipping label, a few photos—this printer delivers fantastic quality in a compact, stylish, and incredibly affordable package. Its simple, app-driven setup is a modern convenience, and its print output for both text and photos punches well above its weight class.
However, we cannot recommend it for anyone with moderate to heavy printing demands. The high cost of its proprietary ink cartridges will quickly erase any initial savings, and the documented user complaints about long-term reliability and fatal error codes are significant risks. It is a device that prioritizes a low entry price over low running costs and longevity. If you fit the profile of an occasional user and understand the trade-offs involved, this printer offers exceptional value. For everyone else, investing more upfront in an ink tank model will be a more economical decision in the long run. If this sounds like the perfect fit for your home, you can check the latest price and get one for your desk today.
Last update on 2025-11-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API