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Canon PIXMA G3270  Printer Review

Reviewed Sep 15, 2023 at 12:10pm
Writing modified Sep 27, 2023 at 11:47am
Tested using methodology v1.2 
Canon PIXMA G3270
8.1
Family 
7.7
Small/Home Office 
8.2
Student 
7.6
Black & White 
7.7
Photo 
6.2
Color Quality 
8.5
Document Quality 
6.1
Scanner 
 0

The Canon PIXMA G3270 is a basic all-in-one inkjet printer with a supertank design that uses GI-21 ink. It connects via Wi-Fi or USB, supports Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service, and is compatible with the Canon Print Inkjet/Selphy mobile app, allowing you to print, scan, and copy directly from your smartphone. It has a flatbed scanner with OCR capability, but no ADF for quickly processing multi-page documents.

This printer is part of Canon's PIXMA G3070 series of all-in-one printers, which includes many variants. All variants are identical in feature and performance; the model number only changes depending on the region. You can see the variants in the Differences Between Variants section below.

Our Verdict

8.1
Family 

The Canon PIXMA G3270 is great for family use. Its supertank design results in a high page yield, while its cheap ink refills help keep ownership costs low. It's also easy to pair with mobile devices, so anybody at home can easily print from their phone or tablet. Print quality is excellent, too, with crisp lettering and well-resolved fine details. That said, it isn't the best option if you expect high-quality photo printing due to its limited color gamut and poor color accuracy.

Pros
  • High page yield.
  • Low cost-per-print.
  • Height-adjustable scanner lid.
Cons
  • No duplex printing.
7.7
Small/Home Office 

The Canon G3270 is a good option for home offices. Printed documents look detailed and highly legible, and its supertank design allows for a high number of prints before you need to fill its reservoirs. That said, printing speed is far from class-leading, especially when outputting color documents. You'll need to flip pages manually when printing double-sided, making it especially tedious to print longer documents. The lack of an ADF for its scanner also means processing multiple pages will take quite a while.

Pros
  • High page yield.
  • Low cost-per-print.
  • Excellent document print quality.
Cons
  • No duplex printing.
  • Slow printing speed.
  • Scanner lacks an ADF.
8.2
Student 

The Canon PIXMA G3270 is great for students. Its supertank design gives it an enormous page yield, so you won't need to worry about refilling its tanks very often. Ink refills aren't all that expensive either, keeping cost-per-print low. Printed documents are sharp and clear, too. Don't expect to get those documents quickly, however: it prints pretty slowly and doesn't support automatic double-sided printing. Its flatbed scanner has a height-adjustable hinge with a wide range of movement, so you can copy from fairly thick textbooks. That said, scanned documents look a little grainy, and the lack of an ADF means it'll take a while to process multi-page documents.

Pros
  • High page yield.
  • Low cost-per-print.
  • Excellent document print quality.
  • Height-adjustable scanner lid.
Cons
  • No duplex printing.
  • Slow printing speed.
  • Scanner lacks an ADF.
7.6
Black & White 

The Canon PIXMA G3270 is a good choice for black-and-white printing. Printed documents look sharp and are highly legible. Ownership costs are also quite low, courtesy of the printer's high page yield and relatively inexpensive ink refills. That said, printing speeds aren't all that fast, and you'll need to flip pages manually when printing double-sided.

Pros
  • High page yield.
  • Low cost-per-print.
  • Excellent document print quality.
Cons
  • No duplex printing.
  • Slow printing speed.
7.7
Photo 

The Canon G3270 is a good photo printer, with a few caveats. It does an amazing job of reproducing fine details and can print in a wide variety of formats. Its supertank design also gives it an enormous page yield. It has a limited color gamut and sub-par color accuracy; while it'll be fine for occasionally printing family photos, it's unsuitable for professional work.

Pros
  • Does a good job of resolving fine details.
Cons
  • Limited color gamut and sub-par color accuracy.
6.2
Color Quality 

Pros
None
Cons
None
8.5
Document Quality 

Pros
None
Cons
None
6.1
Scanner 

Pros
None
Cons
None
5.0
Speed 

Pros
None
Cons
None
10
Recurring Costs 

Pros
None
Cons
None
  • 8.1
    Family
  • 7.7
    Small/Home Office
  • 8.2
    Student
  • 7.6
    Black & White
  • 7.7
    Photo

  • Performance Usages

  • 6.2
    Color Quality
  • 8.5
    Document Quality
  • 6.1
    Scanner
  • 5.0
    Speed
  • 10
    Recurring Costs
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Sep 27, 2023: Added mention of the Canon PIXMA G4270 as an alternative with an automatic document feeder in the Scanner Features section.
    2.  Updated Sep 15, 2023: Review published.
    3.  Updated Sep 11, 2023: Early access published.
    4.  Updated Sep 01, 2023: Our testers have started testing this product.

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    The Canon G3270 is sold under a number of different names depending on the region and, in some cases, color.

    Model  Region Color
    PIXMA G3170 Latin America White, Black
    PIXMA G3270 North America White, Black
    PIXMA G3370 Japan-specific desingation  White, Black
    PIXMA G3470 Africa Black, White, Red
    PIXMA G3570/G3571/G3572 Europe Black/White/Red
    PIXMA G3670/G3675 Australia Black/White
    PIXMA G3770 Asia Black, White, Red 
    PIXMA G3870/G3871/G3872 China-specific designation  Black/White/Red
     PIXMA G3970/G3971/G3972 Korea-specific designation  Black/White/Red 

    You can see our test unit's label here.

    Let us know in the discussions below if you come across another variant of this printer, and we'll update our review.

    Popular Printer Comparisons

    The Canon G3270 is a basic all-in-one inkjet printer. Thanks to its supertank design, it has a huge page yield, and when combined with its cheap ink refills, ownership costs are low. It also outputs sharp documents and reasonably detailed images, albeit with sub-par color accuracy. However, its slow printing speed and lack of support for duplex printing make printing long documents tedious.

    If you're looking for an alternative, see our recommendations for the best inkjet printers, the best printers for small businesses, or, if you're looking for other Canon models, the best Canon printers.

    Epson EcoTank ET-2800/ET-2803

    The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 and Canon PIXMA G3270 trade blows. The Canon is the more versatile printer as it offers more features, such as a height-adjustable scanner lid to accommodate thicker documents and better connectivity options like support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service. The Canon also has a substantially higher page yield. By contrast, if you print a lot of photos, then the Epson is the better choice, as it offers a noticeably wider color gamut and better color accuracy. Also, its scanner produces better-looking scans, as those by the Canon are overly grainy, and fine details don't appear as clearly.

    Canon PIXMA G7020

    The Canon PIXMA G7020 is slightly more versatile than the Canon PIXMA G3270. The G7020 has a flatbed scanner with an ADF, enabling it to process documents much faster, an integrated fax, an input tray with a much greater overall capacity, and an Ethernet port. Unlike the G3270, it also supports duplex printing, so you won't need to flip pages manually when printing double-sided. However, the G3270 has a slightly greater color page yield.

    Canon PIXMA G4270

    The Canon PIXMA G4270 is essentially an upgraded version of the Canon PIXMA G3270 with an automatic document feeder, better color accuracy, and a slightly higher color page yield. It also has more buttons on the front panel to make navigating the interface easier.

    Canon PIXMA G3260/G3262

    The Canon PIXMA G3270 is an improvement on the Canon PIXMA G3260/G3262 in most ways. The G3270 feels better built, has a more informative display, and offers better document printing quality. Meanwhile, the G3260 has a wider color gamut and slightly better color accuracy, so it could be worth a look if you print photos often.

    Show more 

    Test Results

    perceptual testing image
    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    7.5
    Build Quality
    TypeAll-In-One

    This printer feels well-built. It's made mostly from dense plastic that feels sturdy to the touch. Its power cable is removable, so you can swap it out if it gets damaged. Unfortunately, the power cable is a little too easy to pull from its housing. The scanner lid has a pretty effective dampener to prevent it from falling closed too quickly, though its hinge feels somewhat cheap. The covers for its ink reservoirs feel notably sturdier than those of the older Canon PIXMA G3260/G3262.

    Dimensions
    Height6.9" (17.4 cm)
    Width16.3" (41.5 cm)
    Depth13.6" (34.5 cm)
    Height When In Use
    10.4" (26.3 cm)
    Width When In Use
    16.3" (41.5 cm)
    Depth When In Use
    22.4" (57.0 cm)
    Weight
    13.2 lbs (6.0 kg)
    7.5
    Expected Maintenance
    Ink Related Maintenance
    Expected
    Drum Unit
    No Drum Unit

    The Canon PIXMA G3270 has typical maintenance procedures you can expect from an inkjet. You can have the printer execute several self-maintenance routines, including nozzle checks, cleaning, printhead alignment, roller cleaning, bottom plate cleaning, and ink flushing to clear out any other ink-related issues in other parts of the printer that could degrade or smudge prints. Refilling the ink tanks is also a fairly easy process, as each bottle has a unique shape around the nozzle that only fits a specific color tank, reducing the chances of filling a reservoir with the wrong color. Unfortunately, clearing paper jams is a bit of a hassle; there's no rear access to the rollers, so you'll need to gently pull on any stuck sheets through the front printing bay, being careful not to tear the paper and not to touch the tubes.

    5.0
    Display Screen
    Display ScreenYes
    Display Screen Size
    1.4" (3.5 cm)
    TouchscreenNo

    The Canon G3270 has a pretty minimalistic monochrome display. Its poor viewing angles and fixed position make it hard to see unless you're staring directly at it. That said, it's still an improvement on the Canon PIXMA G3260/G3262's two-line LCD screen. Regardless, you won't need to interact too much with the printer's physical interface once you pair the device with your computer using the Canon Printer Assistant tool.

    10
    Cartridge
    TechnologyInkjet
    SuperTank
    Yes
    Photo Cartridge
    No
    ColorYes
    Number Of Color Cartridges
    3
    Black Cartridge Model
    GI-21 PGBK
    Tested Black Page Yield
    280 prints
    Estimated Black Page Yield
    5,320 prints
    Color Cartridge Model
    GI-21 CMY
    Tested Color Page Yield
    300 prints
    Estimated Color Page Yield
    6,876 prints
    Third Party Cartridge
    No Cartridges
    Ink Type
    Dye And Pigment
    High Yield Cartridge
    No Cartridge

    This is a supertank printer. Like the Canon PIXMA G3260/G3262, it has four separate reservoirs you can refill with GI-21 format refill bottles. Overall page yield is similarly fantastic, so you won't need to refill its ink tanks very often. The printer will issue a warning when it detects that ink levels are low, seen here, but it won't stop you from printing any documents.

    6.2
    Scanner Features
    Scanner
    Flatbed
    ADF Capacity
    N/A
    Scan Speed
    1 PPM
    Duplex Scanning
    No
    Max Flatbed Scan Size
    8.5" x 11"
    Max ADF Scan Size
    No ADF
    Flatbed Hinge Adjustability
    0.83" (21 mm)
    Fax
    No
    Copy
    Yes
    OCR Included
    Built-in

    This printer's range of scanning features is pretty limited. Like the Canon PIXMA G3260/G3262, it has a high-resolution flatbed scanner with hinges that can raise to scan thick items but no ADF to quickly process multi-page documents. You can use the printer's built-in OCR capability to convert scanned documents into text-searchable .txt or PDF files. If you need a similar printer with an automatic feeder, check out the Canon PIXMA G4270.

    6.0
    Scan Quality
    Max Scan Resolution
    1,200 DPI
    Max Scan Color Depth
    24Bit

    The scan quality is mediocre. Text is fairly legible, but there's a lot of graininess in high-saturation areas. Finer details look faint and can be quite difficult to see.

    In The Box

    • User documentation
    • Power cable
    • Canon GI-21 ink bottles:
      • 1x black
      • 1x cyan
      • 1x yellow
      • 1x magenta

    Battery
    Advertised Battery Life
    N/A
    Tested Charging Time
    N/A
    Document
    8.5
    Black & White Documents
    Color Ink Needed For Black & White
    Yes

    The print quality of black-and-white documents is excellent. Text is crisp and legible, while fine details look clear. That said, some lighter colors converted to grayscale are somewhat faint.

    9.0
    Color Documents

    The print quality of color documents is superb. Fine details are clearly rendered, text is crisp, and there isn't too much graininess.

    10
    Cost-Per-Print
    See details on graph tool
    Black Cartridge Price
    17.99 US$
    Color Cartridge Price
    38.97 US$
    Black-Only Printing Cost
    0.003 US$/print
    Color Printing Cost
    0.006 US$/print
    Photo Printing Cost
    0.014 US$/print
    Ink Subscription
    Optional

    The Canon PIXMA G3270 has an incredibly low cost-per-print. Since its supertank system yields a high number of prints, you don't have to refill the tanks or buy new ink bottles often, keeping costs very low. You can also register for Canon's Auto Replenishment Service, which automatically orders and delivers ink bottles to you when you're running low. However, your printer has to have an active Internet connection for this feature to function.

    5.0
    Printing Speed
    Black Only Text Document
    9 PPM
    Color Document
    3 PPM
    Photo Printing Time
    53.0 s
    Single Page Out Time (Black Only)
    17.0 s
    Duplex Printing
    Manual
    Input Tray Capacity
    100 pages

    The Canon PIXMA G3270's printing speed is slow. Its black-only printing speed isn't far off the advertised claim of 11 PPM, but it's much slower than advertised when it comes to printing in color, so printing documents that incorporate a lot of color can be a pretty lengthy process. You'll also need to manually flip over each page when prompted since it can't automatically print double-sided.

    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
    Photo
    6.5
    Color Gamut

    The color gamut is pretty limited. Color transitions can be somewhat grainy, and the printer has a hard time reproducing darker shades of color, especially blues and greens, as well as more saturated shades of green and red.

    5.9
    Color Accuracy
    Average Color dE
    8.50

    Color accuracy is sub-par. Most colors look quite different from the initial source, but not to the point where they look completely unnatural. All in all, it's fine for adding a splash of color to text documents. Still, this is far from the best option if you frequently print photos and require high color accuracy.

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

    The Canon PIXMA G3270 does an excellent job of reproducing fine details with no obvious telltale signs of its printing pattern. That said, halftones (dot effect) can obscure the smallest details in photos.

    9.5
    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
    7.0
    Connectivity
    Ethernet
    No
    USB Input To Computer
    Yes
    Wireless
    Yes
    Bluetooth
    No
    Wi-Fi via Router
    Yes
    Wi-Fi Direct
    Yes
    External Storage Support
    No
    Apple AirPrint
    Yes
    Mopria Print Service
    Yes
    8.9
    Mobile App
    Mobile AppYes
    App NameCanon Print Inkjet/Selphy
    iOSYes
    AndroidYes
    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 PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app has an excellent range of features. You can print, scan, and copy documents from your phone and save scans to your device. You can print Microsoft Office files and PDFs directly from your mobile device, but the app must convert them first.

    OS Compatibility
    WindowsFully
    macOSFully
    Chrome OSFully

    You don't need to install drivers or apps to use the Canon PIXMA G3270 on Chrome OS and macOS devices, but you do on Windows devices for the printer to function properly.

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    1. This product has been merged with Canon MegaTank PIXMA G3272. Follow the discussion here.

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