The Canon PIXMA TS6420a is a budget all-in-one inkjet printer designed for home use. It replaces the Canon PIXMA TS6420. Like its predecessor, this model uses a two-cartridge system with one black and one tri-color cartridge. It's compatible with Canon's PG-260 and CL-260 cartridges and the PG-260XL and CL-261XL high-yield cartridges. It has a 1.5-inch OLED display, an 8.5x11 flatbed scanner, two input trays, a main cassette, and a rear manual feeder. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi and USB, and there's support for Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service.
Our Verdict
The Canon PIXMA TS6420a is decent for family use. It has a flatbed scanner to fulfill basic needs, like digitizing a few photos, recipes, or signed documents. It prints high-quality documents; it's just slow, so you may have to wait a while when printing multi-page documents. Printed photos look very detailed, but the colors aren't very accurate, especially blues and reds. It doesn't print many pages before its cartridges run out of ink, so you'll need to buy new cartridges often.
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Produces high-quality documents.
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Produces detailed photos.
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Flatbed scanner with extendable hinges.
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Decent color range.
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Reasonably accurate colors.
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Low page yield.
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High cost-per-print for black-only prints.
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Photos look grainy.
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Slow printing speed.
The Canon PIXMA TS6420a is inadequate for small or home offices. Although it produces high-quality documents, it doesn't print many pages before its cartridges run empty, so you'll need to buy new cartridges often if you print frequently for your work. Since it doesn't have an automatic document feeder, you need to manually position and scan each sheet on the flatbed, which can be very time-consuming. Also, it's slow at printing, so your 20-page documents will take a few minutes to be ready.
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Produces high-quality documents.
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Good wireless connection options.
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Low page yield.
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High cost-per-print for black-only prints.
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Slow printing speed.
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No automatic document feeder.
The Canon TS6420a is decent for students. It produces sharp black and color documents but prints slowly, so your long, multi-page assignments can take a few minutes to print out. Also, its page yields aren't very high, so you'll need to replace the cartridges often. On the bright side, while it doesn't have an automatic document feeder, it does have a flatbed scanner, so you can still scan your notes, drawings, or textbook pages if necessary. There are many ways to print wirelessly, including Wi-Fi, Mopria Print Service, and Apple AirPrint.
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Produces high-quality documents.
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Flatbed scanner with extendable hinges.
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Good wireless connection options.
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Low page yield.
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High cost-per-print for black-only prints.
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Slow printing speed.
The Canon TS6420a is mediocre for printing black-and-white documents. Since it only yields around 100 pages before the ink runs out, you'll spend a lot of money buying new cartridges. It doesn't print very fast, so printing long documents will take a while. If you tend to print out just one page every few hours, it takes a while to wake up and print it if it's been idle for over an hour.
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Produces high-quality documents.
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Good wireless connection options.
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Low page yield.
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High cost-per-print for black-only prints.
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Slow printing speed.
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No automatic document feeder.
The Canon PIXMA TS6420a is good for photo printing since it prints nice images that look detailed and sharp. Most colors look okay, but blues, reds, and blacks look the most off. Otherwise, it prints a 4x6 photo in under a minute and prints on various paper types, including heat-transfer sheets, glossy photo paper, and magnetic photo paper.
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Produces detailed photos.
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Decent color range.
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Reasonably accurate colors.
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Low page yield.
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Photos look grainy.
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Low page yield.
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Low page yield.
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Low page yield.
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Low page yield.
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Low page yield.
- 7.2 Family
- 5.9 Small/Home Office
- 7.1 Student
- 6.2 Black & White
- 7.7 Photo
Performance Usages
- 6.8 Color Quality
- 8.0 Document Quality
- 6.8 Scanner
- 6.1 Speed
- 7.0 Recurring Costs
- Updated Apr 16, 2024: We've updated the review for clarity.
- Updated Apr 21, 2023: We've updated the review to provide more information in the Black and White Documents, Color Documents, Small Details, and Photo Printing Sizes sections.
- Updated Sep 21, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Sep 01, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Apr 29, 2022: Review published.
- Updated Apr 22, 2022: Early access published.
- Updated Apr 13, 2022: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Apr 07, 2022: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Apr 03, 2022: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Canon PIXMA TS6420a in black, but it's also available in white. There are no other variants.
See our unit's label here.
Compared To Other Printers
The Canon PIXMA TS6420a is similar to many other inkjet printers in its price range. Like other models that use traditional cartridges, its page yield is low, so you don't get many pages out of it before you need to buy ink replacements. It has a higher color page yield than other similar printers, which is great if you print lots of photos or colorful reports. It's a decent choice if you need a simple inkjet printer to print a few times a week with, but it isn't an ideal inkjet choice if you print very often.
See our recommendations for the best home printers, the best all-in-one printers, and the best cheap printers.
The Canon PIXMA MG3620 and the Canon PIXMA TS6420a are both all-in-one printers with very similar features. The biggest difference is that the MG3620 has a higher black page yield, meaning it's a better choice if you tend to print monochrome pages more than color. On the other hand, the TR6420a has a higher color page yield, and its photos look much nicer, so it's a better option if you print pictures and other color documents more often than black text.
The Canon PIXMA TR7020/TR7020a and the Canon PIXMA TS6420a are very similar inkjet printers, but the TR7020 is better suited for a home office thanks to its automatic document feeder. It lets you scan a stack of pages much quicker than using the flatbed scanner on the TS6420a. On the other hand, the TS6420a is a better choice if you print photos often. Its photos look much nicer than the TR7020's, and it prints them much faster.
The Canon PIXMA TS6420a and Epson Expression Home XP-4200 each have their respective strengths. The Epson feels better built, delivers superior scan quality, has a more feature-dense companion app, and is fractionally better at resolving fine details in photos. The Epson's 232 cartridges also have a slightly higher yield than the Canon's PG-260 cartridges, though both systems have a disappointingly low page yield overall. The Canon is easier to maintain, warms up considerably faster, and offers more accurate color reproduction in printed photos.
The Brother MFC-J1010DW and the Canon PIXMA TS6420a are both budget all-in-one inkjet printers. The Brother has a few more features, like an automatic document feeder, and its ink cartridges yield more prints, meaning you won't have to replace them as often. It also prints faster and feels sturdier. On the other hand, the Canon produces better-looking photos because it can print a wider range of colors.
The Epson Expression Home XP-5200 is better than the Canon PIXMA TS6420a. The Epson produces higher-quality prints and scans, and its ink cartridges last longer, lowering its cost-per-print. The Epson also prints documents nearly twice as fast as the HP. However, the Epson requires more maintenance, as its nozzles clog more easily. Additionally, the Epson printer's design isn't as user-friendly, as it's harder to access paper jams.
The Canon PIXMA TR8620 is overall better than the Canon PIXMA TS6420a. The TR8620 has a higher page yield, which results in a lower cost-per-print, even if its five cartridges cost more to replace than the TS6420a's two cartridges. Also, it has an automatic document feeder, an Ethernet port, and support for a USB drive. It also prints colors more accurately, so your photos will look truer to life.
The HP DeskJet 3755/3772 and the Canon PIXMA TS6420a are both inkjet printers, but the Canon is better overall. The Canon prints a lot more pages, especially in color, giving it a much lower cost-per-print. It means you'll save more money in the long run, even though the Canon printer's cartridges cost more. Also, it prints much nicer-looking photos, and it prints borderless. On the other hand, the HP is much more compact and has a sheetfed scanner. However, it can only scan one page at a time, so it isn't any faster than using the Canon's flatbed scanner.
The HP ENVY Inspire 7255e and the Canon PIXMA TS6420a are both all-in-one printers designed for home use, but the Canon is better overall. It yields more color pages, which gives it a lower cost-per-print, even though its cartridge cost is nearly identical. It prints nicer-looking photos with better color accuracy and can print on thicker media, including magnetic photo paper. However, the HP yields a few more black pages, and it's also a bit faster at printing documents, so it's a better choice if your focus isn't photo prints.
Test Results
The Canon PIXMA TS6420a's body is entirely plastic. It feels okay, though a bit cheap. It has a smooth finish; however, fingerprints are very noticeable due to the texture, so you might need to wipe it down often if this bothers you. The power cable is removable, making it easy to replace if damaged. The lid dampener keeps the lid open on its own and slowly closes once you let it go, so you don't need to worry about it slamming down. Its rear feeder is pretty flimsy and feels like it might snap in half if you put too much pressure on it. The cartridges are easy to remove when the printer is on, but the B (black) and C (color) labels are on the clips, so they aren't visible with both clips lifted. You'll need to check the label before removing the cartridges to ensure you're putting them in the right place.
Like all inkjet printers, the Canon PIXMA TS6420a needs maintenance to prevent printhead clogging and dried-up ink. There are some built-in tasks to help with these issues, like printhead nozzle check, printhead cleanings, printhead alignments, sheet roller cleaning, and bottom plate cleaning. The ink cartridges are easy to replace, though the printer needs to be on. The only way to know which cartridge goes where is by looking at the cartridge clips before removing the cartridges, as you can't see the labels with both clips lifted. However, since you'll need to replace the cartridges fairly often due to the low page yield, you might memorize their placement. The input tray and the rear feeder each hold 100 pages, so you'll likely be refilling them around the same time you replace the cartridges.
Paper jams are easy to access by lifting the rear feeder and removing both the back panel and transport unit cover. You can also access paper jams from the cartridge bay, but you need to make sure not to touch the white ribbons on the inside, as that can damage the printer.
See the user manual here.
This printer has a small display with a few navigation buttons. The display has good contrast, which helps with visibility; however, some text is too small for comfortable viewing. Also, because the screen is small, you'll need to wait for long phrases to scroll. The screen is easy to see when standing, and you can tilt it upwards to improve visibility, though the range is limited. The menu is very simple; the only problem is that it doesn't let you access scanning features from the printer, so you'll need to initiate the scan from a computer or mobile device.
This printer doesn't yield many pages before its cartridges run out of ink. It has only one color cartridge, making it cheaper to replace all three colors, but it's more wasteful since you need to replace the entire cartridge if one color runs out. The printer gives low ink warnings when it estimates ink is running out, but you can still get a few full pages out of it after that. Also, it doesn't stop printing when the cartridge is empty, so you might end up with a few blank pages if you continue printing after the warning. You can increase the page yield with high-yield cartridges (PG-260XL and CL-261XL), though we haven't tested them.
If you're looking for a good photo printer with much higher page yields, check out the Canon PIXMA TR8620a.
This printer supports optical character recognition (OCR), which allows you to scan and save documents as TXT files for quick keyword searches. However, it's software-based, meaning you need to use the Canon IJ Scan Utility software to use it. It works well for the most part; transcription errors mainly occur with special characters.
The scanner produces good-quality scans. Black-color text looks clear; however, some finer elements, like the lines in the graph, are very faint. Also, the colored areas look grainy, making white-color text hard to see.
- User manuals
- 4x6 Photo Paper Plus Glossy II (3-sheet sample)
- 1x PG-260 starter black cartridge
- 1x CL-261 starter tri-color cartridge
- Power cable
The print quality of black-and-white documents is great. The printer reproduces black-color text and fine elements clearly. However, white-color text on a colored background is harder to read. There's some vertical banding, but it's only noticeable in colored areas, and it isn't as much of an issue when printing in portrait orientation.
The print quality of color documents is good. The text looks sharp, and all the fine elements are present, albeit not as clearly as when printing in black and white. There's some banding, but again, it's only noticeable in colored areas.
The cost-per-print is decent. The ink cartridges are relatively cheap; however, since you need to replace them every hundred or so pages, the costs can quickly add up if you print a lot. The tri-color cartridge helps cut costs since you don't need to buy three cartridges at once, but this also means you need to replace the cartridge if only one color runs out.
Overall, it's slow to print documents and quite a bit slower than advertised. The 200-sheet input tray capacity includes the main cassette and the rear paper tray, each holding 100 sheets.
The Canon PIXMA TS6420a has presets for the most common paper sizes. You can also set a custom size between 2.17" x 3.5" (55 mm x 89 mm) and 16.54" x 26.61" (420 mm x 676 mm). The front input tray only supports regular copy paper of letter, Legal, and A4 sizes. You'll need to use the rear manual feeder if you want to print different sizes or on different paper types.
The Canon PIXMA TS6420a's color gamut is decent. It mainly struggles with bright, saturated greens and reds and lighter shades of blues. Blacks have a greenish hue, but it isn't too noticeable unless you directly compare it to true black. Color transitions aren't smooth, as there's a lot of grain.
Color accuracy is okay. Some colors look off from their originals, especially blues and reds. Black tends to have a greenish hue, but it's only noticeable if you compare it directly to true black.
The Canon PIXMA TS6420a is excellent at reproducing small details. Although its print resolution isn't as high as other photo printers like the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550, there are still a lot of fine details in the pictures. The main issue is that the halftones (dot effect) make edges look softer and distant objects harder to see.
This printer supports borderless printing, but only on the following paper sizes:
- 2.17" x 3.52" (card)
- 3.5" x 5"
- 3.94" x 5.83" (Hagaki)
- 4" x 6"
- 5" x 5"
- 5" x 7" (2L)
- 8" x 10"
- 8.27" x 11.7" (A4)
- 8.5" x 11" (Letter)
- 8.5" x 14" (Legal)
The Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app is feature-rich. You can use it to print, scan, copy, and manage your ink subscription. It also has an Easy-PhotoPrint Editor feature that lets you create collages, calendars, labels, posters, and more. It can't print text files and webpages, so you'll have to print them from whichever app you use to view them.
You must manually install drivers on Windows devices to use the printer, but not on macOS or Chrome OS devices. Get the drivers here.