Office Products MG7120 BK Wireless Inkjet Photo All-in-One Printer

I have now been using the MG7120 for a little over two weeks. I have checked all modes: printing on both standard paper and photo paper, scanning and copying. All functions have performed to my satisfaction. (I've provided more detail below.)BACKGROUND:-------------After reading multiple reviews for Epson, HP and Canon printers (both on Amazon and other sources, including Consumer Reports), I had serious doubts about the current generation of inkjet printers, particularly wireless devices. Then I read Neil Isenberg's detailed review (posted to Amazon on 12/13/13). That convinced me that the Canon PIXMA MG7120 might meet my need for a light-duty printer.Presently, my computer system consists of an Acer tower (Windows XP SP3), HP DeskJet 952C inkjet printer (parallel port interface to the Acer), Canon 8600F flatbed scanner (USB interface) and a Linksys WRT110 wireless router. Though the Deskjet is now almost 14-years old, it is still a reliable workhorse. I had a Brother multi-function monchrome laser printer, but it died a few years ago, and I decided to not replace it.My reason for purchasing a wireless printer, such as the PIXMA, is two-fold: [1] I wanted a printer that would support wireless connectivity so visiting family members could print from their various laptops; and [2] I wanted a printer that supports Apple's AirPrint. (I use an iPad and am in the process of procuring a Mac system.)INSTALLATION:--------------Since plug-and-play appears to be a thing of the past, my approach to the installation was slow-and-careful. I even downloaded the setup instructions from the Canon website and read them before opening the box. That turned out to be unnecessary; the printed instructions in the carton are quite sufficient.All steps in the setup process are accomplished through the Touch Screen on the printer. The last step is to connect the printer to the wireless LAN. The printer will automatically find available LANs. (My printer *saw* the several LANs that are in use by my neighbors.) Having selected my LAN, I was then prompted to select the authentication protocol for the connection. I use WPA2-PSK. (I suggest you avoid the older WEP and WPA technology.) I was also prompted to select between AES and TKIP encryption; I opted for AES because it's a stronger encryption technology; the fallback is TKIP encryption if your wireless LAN doesn't support AES.*NOTE* I had not yet installed the drivers on my PC at this point.Having established the LAN connection, I was able to open a document on my iPad and print to the MG7120. (I tried to print before making the LAN connection, thinking that perhaps the 7120 might act as a WiFi hotspot. Didn't work.)I was monitoring the Touch Screen and noticed that there was a prompt to update the firmware. I initiated that process, and after several minutes, the displayed message announced that the update was complete. I again printed from my iPad to make sure that all was still well.I now installed the software and drivers on my PC. However, since software supplied on a CD is frequently downrev, I decided to download from the Canon website. Having completed this operation, the MG7120 now showed up in the printer dialog box (File/Print/Name) as the default printer. You can go into printer properties, as I did, and set another printer as the default if you choose.OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:----------------------Following Neil Isenberg's suggestions, I have tested all the functions of the MG7120, and all have performed in a satisfactory manner, with a few caveats:[a] Printed on standard letter-size 22# paper with both Standard and Draft quality, in both full color and Grayscale (i.e., black & white) mode-- all output had acceptable quality, though draft mode was lighter than I have been accustomed to with the HP DeskJet.[b] Printed a 4x6 borderless photo on three different papers: Canon *Photo Paper Plus Glossy II* (sample provided with the printer); HP *Premium Photo Paper*; and Strathmore glossy digital photo paper-- I saw no difference in color rendition between the three papers. However, there was a clear difference in finish. The Canon paper produced a pleasing (to my eyes) high gloss; the Strathmore paper produced a matte (almost dull) finish; the HP paper fell between the two, though more towards the matte finish. (I should note that the HP paper in the DeskJet does produce a high gloss finish.) I should also note that I initiated this print job through Picasa3 rather than through Canon's *My Image Garden* (more about this app below).[c] Printed a full-color PDF file on standard paper in Duplex mode (Draft quality)-- A happy surprise at the ease of this operation. (With my old DeskJet, I had to print one side at a time, re-collate the output, then print the other sides.)[d] Scanned a document-- This is the one function that (in my opinion) compares unfavorably with my old Canon scanner. The default, whether initiated from the Touch Screen or the PC's Canon Scan Utility, assigns a file name with the format IMG_[date][sequence nbr.]. The default location for the saved file is *My Documents*. Through set up in the scan utility, I can specify a different location in which to save the file, but there is no provision to customize the file name. (I can subsequently locate the file and rename it manually.) With my old scanner, I can name the file and specify where it is to be saved on the fly. From my perspective, the scan function of the MG7120 is not as user friendly.[e] Copied a document-- No problem here. The output faithfully reproduced the original.MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS:-------------------------------[1] Under the *Energy Savings Setting* (Touch Screen / Eco Settings), I set Auto Power Off to *Never* and Auto Power On to *ON*-- I disabled Auto Power Off to minimize the heavy duty cleaning cycle and, hopefully, reduce ink consumption; I set Auto Power On to speed up the ready state when I initiate a print job (at least, I hope that is the result).[2] I purchased the XL versions of the ink cartridges to avoid downtime when the initial cartridges are exhausted. The XL cartridges are available on Amazon as individual packages (not yet available as complete sets). The Canon part numbers are posted on the side of the carton in which the printer was packed. I opted to spend the money and buy the Canon cartridges rather than generic equivalents. At this stage in my experience with this printer, I don't want to take any chances.[3] When I initiate a print job, the MG1720 goes through a very noisy cycle before printing actually starts, and it seems to take a long time before the printed sheet drops onto the Paper Output Tray. I found that selecting *Print Preview* in the printer properties menu spools the document before sending it to the printer. This seems to have eliminated the noise cycle and speed up the printing process. As a further step, I selected *Use Quite Mode* (Touch Screen / Quiet Setting) to tone down the noise level.[4] There are two paper cassettes. The lower one is for standard-sized sheets of paper; the upper is for 4x6 and 5x7 sheets (and printable CDs). Visually, the two cassettes appear to be one with a single hand hold. To pull out the upper cassette, the hand should be curled up; to pull out the lower, curl the hand down. (This is illustrated in the installation instruction but is easy to miss.)[5] One of the annoying pieces of software (in my opinion) that is installed is called *My Image Garden*. It is an app for the purpose of organizing and printing photos. I prefer to use Adobe's Photoshop Elements and Picasa3 to edit, manage and print my photos. What annoys me about My Image Garden is the fact that it automatically launches when I boot my PC, and so consumes resources. I have used a memory management utility to defeat the automatic launch. An alternate approach to defeating this bloatware is to locate CNQMMAIN.EXE in your Program Files and rename the extension to something that won't be recognized during boot.--------------------A final thought. I expect the MG1720 to play nicely with my Mac when I finally receive and install it in the next month. If something untoward occurs, I will update this review.___________________UPDATE: 15-April-2014I have now had my MG1720 connected to my Mac Mini for about two months. It is a wireless connection that has played flawlessly thus far. For some odd reason, Canon does not provide the same interface between the Mac and the MG1720 as it does for my PC. There are fewer variables that can be adjusted when using the Mac. However, I do not regard this as a show-stopper. As with my PC, I went directly to the Canon website to download the necessary software and driver plus the user manual. I've also now begun to replace the original ink cartridges with the XL cartridges that I purchased through Amazon. To my surprise, the original cartridges have lasted longer than I expected (with the caveat that my printing & copying load is light). So my original assessment stands: the MG1720 has proven to be a 5-star purchase.

First and foremost, my wife needed an affordable printer for her advanced amateur photography. We are always, always, always on a budget, so best bang for the buck is a strong consideration.Our venerable PIXMA MX-620 finally died. Actually, I could have brought it back one more time, but I figured it was old enough to go. The search for a replacement led me down many paths, but one of the things I was not willing to do was step back from the high color print resolution. Having been there at the start of that that, I expected ink to initially be expensive until it became common.I finally settled on this one, and I'm glad I did. Going from an earlier PIXMA to this one still yielded some familiarity. This printer was MUCH easier to set up than the first PIXMA, just make sure you read the instructions. Straight forward. We could go wired or wireless; it is set up wireless to enable moving it whereever we want.The kids and wife are using it to print for classes. It looks great. The wife has printed off several test 4x6 photos that look spectacular. We have printed directly from an Android phone to it. It is MUCH quieter and responsive than it's predecessor. I could go on, but right now I am very pleased with the selection. Did I mention setup was straightforward? I emphasize this, because it was NOT so on the predecessor....wireless printers were relatively new, and the software technology was somewhat scattered.Ink....if you buy this printer, buy a full set of new cartridges. There are certain 'warehouse' stores that give a pretty good deal on the XL cartridges, and there are a number of third party suppliers now that can beat even that price by 50%. I have not tried the third parties for this printer, but we had no problems for the predecessor.Why a new set of cartridges? If this is not your first inkjet, then you already know that the printer companies only sell printers as a vehicle to sell ink. Indeed, at one point, HP was practically giving away inkjets to sell ink. The money is in the ink. So, if you look very carefully, you will see "Setup" on the ink cartridges supplied with this printer. Since the cartridges are opaque, there is no way to see how much ink is in them, but the normal operating procedure in the inkjet printer world is to supply 'setup' ink cartridges with only enough ink in them for you to see that the printer operates. They run out VERY quickly. If you are not expecting this, then you will think the printer is drinking ink. Count on the 'setup' set running out very quickly, and have the replacement set in hand. I think I paid $80 for a full set of XL Canon namebrand cartridges. I expect this set to last MUCH longer than the setup tanks.If you are a Canon PIXMA fan at the level I am talking about, I think you will be pleased with this printer. I am not saying it is perfect, but I am saying it fits the requirements at a reasonable price point and appears to work as advertised. Honestly, I am relieved to be able to write this review. As a Quality and Manufacturing engineer, I would quickly tell you to look elsewhere if I was anything less than pleased with this product.