There’s a universal groan that echoes in home offices and student dorms everywhere: the sound of someone battling their printer. For years, I’ve been on a quest for a machine that just works. My journey has been littered with the ghosts of printers past—devices that constantly dropped from the Wi-Fi network, demanded arcane rituals to replace ink, or produced documents that looked like abstract art. It’s a frustrating cycle: you need to print a single, crucial page, and suddenly you’re an unwilling IT technician, rebooting routers and reinstalling drivers. The real cost isn’t just the ink and paper; it’s the time and sanity lost. A reliable all-in-one printer isn’t a luxury; it’s a foundational tool for productivity, creativity, and simply getting things done. The promise of a compact, wireless, and dependable machine is what led me to test the Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer.
![Canon PIXMA TS6420a All-in-One Wireless Inkjet Printer [Print, Copy, Scan], Works with Alexa](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/21-0hP0b2eL.jpg)
- Print, copy, scan and navigate the features you need using the clear, brightly lit 44" OLED screen
- Easy setup for smartphone and computer
What to Consider Before Buying an All-in-One Home Printer
An All-in-One Printer is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for consolidating tasks and saving space in a modern home or small office. It elegantly combines the functionalities of a printer, scanner, and copier into a single footprint, eliminating clutter and streamlining workflow. The main benefits are immense: you can print school reports, scan important documents for digital archiving, and make quick copies without needing three separate machines. For anyone trying to maximize their workspace, this consolidation is a game-changer, turning a corner of a desk into a fully functional command center for document management.
The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the daily demands of a home office, a student needing to print assignments and scan research, or a family looking to print photos and handle occasional administrative tasks. It’s built for versatility over high-volume output. On the other hand, it might not be suitable for those who run a high-traffic office that requires printing hundreds of pages a day or needs advanced features like a large-capacity automatic document feeder (ADF) or faxing capabilities. For such users, a dedicated office laser printer would be a more appropriate, albeit larger and more expensive, alternative.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: Measure your intended space carefully. All-in-one printers, while consolidated, can still be bulky. The Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer boasts a compact design (15.9″W x 12.5″D x 5.9″H), but you’ll still need clearance for the rear paper tray and the front output tray. Always account for the full operational footprint, not just the resting dimensions.
- Capacity/Performance: Look at print speed, measured in pages per minute (ppm), and paper capacity. This model offers a respectable 13 ppm for black and white and 6.8 ppm for color, with a 100-sheet input capacity. This is perfect for home use but might create a bottleneck in a busier environment. Also, consider the print resolution (measured in DPI), which directly impacts the quality of text and photos.
- Materials & Durability: Most home printers are constructed from plastic to keep costs down. While some users note the Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer can feel a bit lightweight or “rickety,” this is common in its price range. The focus is on functional internal components rather than a heavy-duty chassis. For typical home use, this level of durability is perfectly adequate.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: A printer’s usability extends beyond the initial setup. Consider the interface—this model uses a 1.44″ OLED screen and simple buttons. More importantly, think about ink replacement. This printer uses a two-cartridge system (one black, one tri-color), which is simple but can be less cost-effective if you use one color heavily. Long-term care involves occasional print head cleaning cycles, which are usually automated.
Understanding these factors will ensure you choose a printer that not only fits your space but also aligns perfectly with your printing habits and expectations.
While the Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer is an excellent choice for many, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
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Unboxing the PIXMA TS6420a: Sleek, Compact, and Ready to Work
Upon opening the box, the first thing we noticed about the Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer was its refreshingly compact and modern design. Finished in a matte black plastic, it avoids the sterile, corporate look of many office machines. It feels designed for a home environment, with a small footprint that won’t dominate a desk. Weighing just under 14 pounds, it was easy for one person to lift and position. Inside the box, we found the printer itself, a set of starter ink cartridges (one PG-260 Black and one CL-261 Color), a power cord, and setup documentation. Notably, as is common practice now, a USB cable for a wired connection is not included, a clear nod to its wireless-first approach. The build quality feels appropriate for its price point; the trays and covers operate smoothly, though they are made of lightweight plastic. Its standout feature on first impression is the clean interface, centered around a bright 1.44″ OLED screen that promises a more intuitive user experience than the cryptic, non-backlit LCDs of older budget printers. It immediately presents itself as an accessible, non-intimidating machine, a feature that really sets it apart for home users.
Key Benefits
- Excellent print quality, especially for photos, with 4800×1200 dpi resolution.
- Seamless and stable wireless connectivity for computers and mobile devices.
- Compact, space-saving design ideal for home offices and small desks.
- Versatile paper handling with both a front cassette and a rear tray.
Limitations
- Lacks an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for multi-page scanning.
- The two-cartridge ink system can be wasteful if one color is depleted first.
Putting the PIXMA TS6420a Through Its Paces: A Performance Breakdown
A printer’s value is ultimately proven in its day-to-day performance. We spent weeks with the Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer, using it as our primary device for a wide range of tasks—from printing multi-page reports and scanning receipts to creating vibrant, borderless photos. Our goal was to push it beyond simple test pages and see how it held up under the real-world pressures of a busy household and home office, evaluating everything from the initial setup to the final ink cartridge replacement.
Setup and Wireless Connectivity: From Box to First Print in Minutes
One of the biggest hurdles for any new piece of hardware is the setup process, and this is an area where printers have historically stumbled. We were pleasantly surprised by the Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer. Canon provides multiple pathways for setup, but the most straightforward is using the QR code on the included guide. Scanning this with a smartphone took us directly to Canon’s setup site, which guided us through unboxing, removing the protective tapes, installing the two ink cartridges, and loading paper. The on-screen animations were clear and concise.
The crucial step—connecting to Wi-Fi—was remarkably painless. The printer found our network immediately, and we entered the password using the arrow keys and OK button on the control panel. While some users have noted this can be tedious with a long password, we found it manageable. Once connected to our network, adding the printer to our Windows PC and MacBook was simple; the operating systems detected it automatically. We also downloaded the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app on both Android and iOS phones. As one user happily reported, “I downloaded the drivers, connected it to both my computer and phone, and it worked right away without any hassle.” This mirrors our experience perfectly. The connection has remained rock-solid throughout our testing, a welcome change from printers that seem to need a daily reintroduction to the network. This reliable wireless functionality is perhaps its strongest selling point for those tired of connectivity woes. You can see its full connectivity specs here.
Print Quality and Speed: More Than Just Black and White
For a printer in this category, the output quality is the ultimate test. We started with standard documents. Black text on plain paper was crisp, dark, and highly legible, even at smaller font sizes. At its rated speed of 13 ppm for black and white, it’s certainly fast enough for typical home office reports, essays, or recipes. We also tested its automatic duplexing (two-sided printing), which worked flawlessly, helping to save paper without any manual intervention.
Where the Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer truly punches above its weight is in color and photo printing. Leveraging its impressive 4800 x 1200 dpi maximum resolution, we printed several 4×6″ photos on Canon’s glossy photo paper. The results were stunning. Colors were vibrant, details were sharp, and there was no noticeable banding. As one user exclaimed, “5 [stars] to the quality of printing in the photos, I was really surprised, for home use it is an excellent team.” We agree completely. It turns this versatile office tool into a capable memory keeper. We also tested its media flexibility, successfully printing on card stock and envelopes via the rear tray, which is designed for thicker, specialty media. One user specifically bought it to print on vellum and, after a learning curve with the trays, reported “Perfection.” This versatility is a huge asset for creative projects.
Scanning, Copying, and Versatility: The ‘All-in-One’ Promise Delivered
The “All-in-One” moniker means a printer has to be more than just a printer. The flatbed scanner on the Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer is straightforward and effective. We used it to scan old photos, receipts for expense reports, and pages from a book. The scanner lid has some give to accommodate thicker items like books, and the scans themselves were sharp and color-accurate. Initiating a scan is simple, either from the printer’s control panel (to a connected computer) or directly from the Canon PRINT app on a smartphone, which is incredibly convenient for quickly digitizing a document and sending it via email.
Copying is just as simple. Placing a document on the glass and pressing the Black or Color copy button produces a duplicate in seconds. The quality of the copies was excellent, nearly indistinguishable from the original for standard text documents. The main limitation here, as noted by users and confirmed in our testing, is the lack of an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). This means for multi-page scanning or copying, you must place each page on the scanner glass individually. While this makes it unsuitable for digitizing long reports, it’s a deliberate design trade-off that allows for the printer’s wonderfully compact size. For the target user—someone in a home or small office—this is a very reasonable compromise.
Ink System and Long-Term Costs: The Two-Cartridge Conundrum
No printer review is complete without discussing the ink. The Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer utilizes a two-cartridge system: one black pigment ink cartridge for sharp text (PG-260) and one tri-color dye-based cartridge for color documents and photos (CL-261). The benefit is simplicity; you only have two items to replace. The drawback, however, was highlighted by a user who lamented that “once it’s low it doesn’t matter the color you’ll have to replace the whole thing.” If your printing is heavy on cyan, for example, you’ll have to discard the entire color cartridge even if it still has plenty of magenta and yellow ink.
During our testing, we saw the wisdom in another user’s experience. After having issues, they discovered third-party ink was the culprit and advised, “don’t buy non-Canon ink cartridges. It will just give you a headache!” While genuine cartridges may cost more upfront, they are engineered to work perfectly with the printer’s hardware and software, ensuring consistent quality and reliability. For those concerned about running out of ink, Canon offers the PIXMA Print Plan, an ink subscription service that automatically sends you new cartridges before you run out, often at a lower cost per page. This can be a smart option for managing long-term costs and ensuring you always have genuine Canon ink on hand, providing peace of mind and protecting the investment in your printer. You can check the latest price and availability of genuine cartridges to make an informed decision.
What Other Users Are Saying
Across the board, user feedback for the Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer paints a picture of a capable but sometimes finicky budget printer. The positive sentiment is strong among those who value its core strengths. One user celebrated it as a “revolution in printers” for its low price, compact size, and flawless connectivity, noting it had “zero connection problems” where previous printers from other brands consistently failed. Another happy owner praised its versatility, stating, “I can say I absolutely love it” after using it for photos, regular paper, and even sticker paper for their business.
However, the experience isn’t universally perfect. Several users pointed out difficulties with the setup process, especially if they weren’t tech-savvy. One person detailed having to perform a manual Wi-Fi setup, calling it “tedious if you have a long wifi password.” Another critical issue that emerged is the printer’s occasional mechanical failures. One frustrated owner described a recurring “Paper Jam” error on one unit and a “load paper” error on its replacement, even when paper was loaded correctly, concluding that “if you get an error message you’ll probably have to put it in the trash.” This suggests that while most units are reliable, quality control can be inconsistent, which is a risk inherent in many budget electronics. For those interested, it is always a good idea to see its full feature set and user reviews to get a complete picture.
How Does the PIXMA TS6420a Compare to the Competition?
The Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer is a fantastic generalist, but specific needs might push you toward a more specialized device. Here’s how it stacks up against some popular alternatives that excel in different areas.
1. Liene M100 Photo Printer 100 Sheets
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The Liene M100 is not an all-in-one printer; it’s a dedicated 4×6″ photo printer that uses thermal dye-sublimation technology. This process results in photos that are instantly dry, smudge-proof, waterproof, and have a protective layer that resists fading. While the Canon can produce beautiful photos, the Liene M100 is purpose-built for it, offering superior durability and a more streamlined, app-focused experience just for printing from your phone. If your primary goal is creating physical copies of your smartphone pictures and you have no need for document printing, scanning, or copying, the Liene M100 is a superior choice for that single task.
2. NIIMBOT B1 Label Maker Machine
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- 【Smart Label Printer App】The app auto-detects label size, eliminating manual setup. Effortless with 30+ stylish fonts and multilingual support. Add...
This alternative serves a completely different function. The NIIMBOT B1 is a portable thermal label printer designed for organization in the home, office, or for a small business. It prints small, durable labels for files, containers, shelves, or products. It cannot print standard documents or photos. You would choose the NIIMBOT B1 over the Canon if your main problem is clutter and disorganization, not document management. While the Canon can print on sticker paper, the NIIMBOT offers a much faster, cheaper, and more convenient solution for creating individual labels on demand.
3. Smart Ink HP 952XL 4 Combo Pack Ink Cartridges
- Compatible with HP OfficeJet 8702 OfficeJet Pro 7720 7730 7740 8200 8210 8216 8218 8700 8710 8714 8715 8716 8717 8718 8719 8720 8724 8725 8726 8727 8728...
- Package Contents: 1 x Black 952 XL, 1 x Cyan 952 XL, 1 x Magenta 952 XL, 1 x Yellow 952 XL (4 cartridges in total)
This product isn’t a printer at all, but rather an alternative ink solution for a range of HP OfficeJet Pro printers. It represents a different approach to printing: choosing a more robust (and often more expensive) printer and then saving money on third-party ink cartridges. While this can be a cost-effective strategy, it’s crucial to remember the user feedback for the Canon: non-OEM ink can sometimes cause headaches, from poor print quality to hardware malfunctions. This alternative is for an existing HP owner looking to cut costs, but it comes with a trade-off in potential reliability that you don’t face when using genuine Canon ink with the TS6420a.
Our Final Verdict: Is the Canon PIXMA TS6420a the Right Printer for You?
After extensive testing, we can confidently say that the Canon PIXMA TS6420a Wireless All-in-One Printer is a formidable contender in the budget home printer market. Its greatest strengths are its compact, attractive design, surprisingly high-quality photo printing, and stable, easy-to-use wireless connectivity. For students, families, and individuals working from home with moderate printing needs, it strikes an excellent balance between performance, features, and price. It capably handles everyday tasks like printing reports, scanning documents, and bringing digital photos to life.
However, it’s not without its compromises. The lack of an automatic document feeder makes it a poor choice for anyone needing to scan or copy multi-page documents regularly. Furthermore, the two-cartridge ink system can be less economical for those who print a lot of a single color. But if you’re looking for a reliable, versatile, and space-saving machine that won’t break the bank and excels at a variety of home-centric tasks, this printer delivers exceptional value. It successfully addresses the most common pain points of home printing—connectivity and quality—in one affordable package. If this sounds like the solution you’ve been searching for, we highly recommend you check the latest price and get your Canon PIXMA TS6420a today.
Last update on 2025-10-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API