Canon Pixma TS9120, TS6120, and TS5120 review

It is really handy to have an all-in-one printer for your home. If you have school-age kids, or have your own home-based business, it’s also pretty much a necessity. Inkjet all-in-ones are a perfect choice for most homes. They’re affordable and relatively compact. They offer a ton of functionality—not just printing, but also scanning and photocopying. And with inkjet printers, you can produce some very professional-looking photo prints. The Canon Pixma TS9120 is an inkjet all-in-one that offers high quality printing, as well as attractive features like Mac and Windows compatibility, and wireless connectivity.

I just spent some time with three TS printer and a some extra time putting a Pixma TS9120 through its paces and here’s what I think of it.

Easy Setup

One thing I focused on during this review was the setup. Printers can be a little intimidating. However, Canon includes features that make getting the Pixma TS9120 up and running a a breeze.

One of the keys to the ease of setup is the integrated 5-inch LCD touch display panel. It’s big enough that you don’t have to squint to read text, it tilts to various angles, and Canon uses it to good effect during the setup process. It walks you through the steps needed and even includes animated instructions that show exactly how to install the ink cartridges. Just follow the onscreen directions and you’ll have the printer ready to run, with a test page printed and the print heads aligned, in 10 minutes.

From there, it’s connectivity time. The Pixma TS9120 has multiple options, so what you do next is going to depend on how you plan to connect. I chose wireless, which is probably the most popular option. This puts the printer on your Wi-Fi network so any computer or mobile device can connect and print, and you can place the printer wherever is convenient. It doesn’t even have to be in the same room as a computer.

Wireless setup required the use of Canon’s mobile app (free for iOS and Android) and knowing my Wi-Fi network password. It just takes a few moments, then the printer is online and ready for business. It’s Mac and Windows PC compatible—I didn’t even have to install a driver on my Mac, it just showed up automatically as a new printer, then I was able to choose it and print. Easy. I was also able to print directly from a smartphone or tablet through the operating system, or I could print through the Canon app (which offers additional options like choosing speciality photo paper).

Print Quality and Features

The Canon Pixma TS9120 uses a 6-colour individual cartridge ink system, and has a maximum print resolution of 2400 x 1200 dpi (dots per inch). The six colour tanks meant very accurate images, and having individual cartridges should save money on refills because running low on one colour doesn’t mean having to replace them all.

Colour print quality was excellent, and fast (up to 10 pages per minute). One thing to note, if you are printing pages with high ink coverage (such as photos or charts), consider using speciality paper. Regular copy paper can get saturated so it needs time to dry and may be slightly rippled.

Text is black and crisp, with print speeds up to 15 ppm. This printer is capable of duplexing (to save paper by printing on both sides of the page) and can print on multiple sizes. The paper tray holds a maximum of 100 sheets. As an all-in one it includes a flatbed scanner that doubles as a copier. If you need more advanced features such as fax capability, larger paper trays or a document feeder for the scanner, you’ll need to look a printer that’s aimed more at the small business market.

Pixma TS6120 and Pixma TS5120 Are Alternative Options

If the Pixma TS 9120 is too much printer for what you need, you can get Canon printing quality in the less expensive Pixma TS6120 and Pixma TS5120 models.

Moving down the line to the Pixma TS6120, this printer has a 5-colour individual ink system, you lose the memory card slot and the touchscreen shrinks to 3-inches. You still have excellent print quality, scanning and copying, wireless connectivity and money-saving individual colour ink tanks. And the footprint is a bit smaller (37.2 x 31.5 cm), so you save a bit of desk space. Of course you’ll save a bit on the purchase price as well.

The Pixma TS5120 is the most affordable of the three. It switches to a 5-hybrid ink system, print speed slows a bit (13 pages per minute for black text and about 7 pages per minute in colour).

While they are more affordable and can’t quite match the colour reproduction results of the 6-colour individual cartridge system of the Pixma TS6120, both of these alternatives still offer key home office features including scanning, copying, duplexing and wireless connectivity. Both can be used to print text, photos, and reports.

A Great Inkjet Printer Option for the Home or Home Office

If you want to really save on ink—or if you need fax capabilities—you might want to consider the Pixma G4200 MegaTank printer I reviewed a few weeks ago.

But for basic home or home office use, the Pixma TS9120 should cover off the needs of most people. You get fast, high quality text printing and excellent colour printing capability. Homework and school assignments are covered, as are small business needs like invoices or reports. Pick up some glossy 4” x 6” photo paper and you can even print photos right from your smartphone that will rival professional prints.

The only complaint I have about it is a top cover that is large, flat and glossy, making it extremely reflective (as you can see in the photos).

If you’re looking for a new printer, the Canon Pixma TS9120, TS6120, TS5120 and the entire Canon printer lineup—along with HP, Epson and others—are available at Best Buy. You can also find all the paper, specialty paper, and ink cartridges you’ll need.