If you want to buy a wireless inkjet printer for below $400, the Canon PIXMA G5020 MegaTank Inkjet Printer is a great choice. The kind of page yield you can get even using third-party ink cartridges is unheard of at this price bracket. Overall, it is hands down the best printer below $400. If this doesn’t meet your needs, you can check out our guide on the top computer printers.
Related: Discover other popular printers in our Canon MX922 review
Why We Like It – Canon PIXMA G5020 MegaTank Inkjet Printer
The Canon PIXMA G5020 Wireless MegaTank Single Function Printer is pretty awesome for its price. Yeah, it misses the mark in a few places, like the onboard display, inbuilt Wi-Fi module, and a few other aspects. But the incredible ink efficiency and the insane levels of page yield you get out of it are just insane.
- Incredibly high page yield out of ink cartridges
- Compatible with Apple AirPrint
- 350 sheet paper capacity
- The Wi-Fi antenna inside is pretty bad and provides unreliable wireless printing
Related: Also read the Canon Pixma iP110 review
Speed
Well, most people are going to print on photo paper, and it’s decently fast on that media. Obviously, print speeds are going to be higher when black ink is in use, rather than color ink. If you need an inkjet printer that can provide more speed, take a look at the HP OfficeJet 6978 Wireless Printer instead.
On the other hand, if you want more info on how do inkjet printers work, our guide can help with that.
Print Quality
The print quality of the Canon Pixma G5020 MegaTank Wireless printer is just fine. The dye-based colors do hold it back a little, but it’s adequate for everyday usage. And you should also keep the cost-effective printing of this printer in mind while judging the quality. You can use costlier third-party ink cartridges to print from. But we don’t really recommend that, as thicker ink might block the print head, damaging the printer in the process. If you need a similar print quality at a cheaper price, you should get the Brother MFC-J805 printer. Additionally, understanding the meaning of an inkjet printer definition can help you learn more about this type of printer.
Efficiency
This is the section where the Canon MegaTank printer gets to flex its muscles. With a full set of GI-20 ink bottles, you can get page yields of up to 6000 pages (black text) and 7700 pages (color). And as the “Mega Tank” naming suggests, there are separate ink tanks for each color (e.g., magenta yellow, cyan magenta). If you have wondered what printer has the longest-lasting ink cartridges, you should check out this Canon printer or our Epson EcoTank ET-2750 review.
However, for a printer that boasts lower costs per page by 50%, you’ll want to read our HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 review.
Advanced Features
It is a Wi-Fi printer, and it is compatible with Apple AirPrint. If you have an Android device, fret not, as it does have support for Mopria print service. And on top of that, you can use the wireless PictBridge functionality to control wireless printing from your mobile device.
Value
Overall the Canon PIXMA G5020 Wireless MegaTank Single Function Printer provides you great value, especially considering the money you save for not spending on replacement ink cartridges as often. Also, you get a one-year limited warranty from Canon. But, if the asking price is just entirely out of your budget range, go for the cheaper Brother INKvestment MFC-J985DW printer.
Canon PIXMA G5020 MegaTank Inkjet Printer Wrap Up
The Canon PIXMA G5020 MegaTank Inkjet Printer is an efficient inkjet printer capable of providing a very high yield rate. Budget-conscious people who do not like spending as much on replacement ink cartridges are going to love this printer.
