The Canon Pixma G4270 Wireless MegaTank All-in-One printer is the next step up from the Canon Pixma G3270 in the Pixma G series. For just $20 more in list price, at $249.99, it adds both faxing and an automatic document feeder for scanning and copying. If you can use either feature even occasionally, it's well worth the price. If you can use both, it's a bargain.

It's a Tank Printer, So Ink Is Cheap

Setting up the G4270 is easy, but if you're using Windows, you might want to ignore the suggestion in the online setup instructions to download the software from the Microsoft Store. In my tests, that option didn't install all the scan utilities, but picking the alternative link (on the same setup screen) did. Canon said you should be able to download the same software from ether link, and was unable to replicate the problem, but it's best to play it safe and use the second link.

You can connect to the printer using either USB, which I used for my tests, or Wi-Fi (including Wi-Fi Direct). Whichever you prefer, you'll want to keep it near your computer, so you can swap out or add paper to the one input tray easily when needed. This is particularly true if you expect to print enough to take advantage of the low ink cost. The tray is limited to a 100-sheet capacity of up to legal-size paper, so you'll have to reload it fairly often if you print that much.

Another argument for keeping the G4270 nearby is that it only offers a manual duplexing option. The driver takes care of printing the right pages on the right side of each sheet for two-sided printing, and it gives you instructions for each step. However, you have to wait for it to print one side of each page in a document, then remove the stack of pages from the output tray and reinsert them to print the other side.

Paper handling for scanning is one big step up from entry level, thanks to the 35-page automatic document feeder (ADF), which supplements the letter-size flatbed. In addition to letting you scan a stack of pages with a single command, the ADF can scan up to legal-size paper. It's limited to stacks of only five pages for legal size, but that's a lot better than not being able to handle the larger size at all. Unfortunately, the only way to scan both sides of a duplex document in the right order is by placing the pages on the flatbed, one side of each page at a time.

The low paper capacity for printing helps make the G4270 a comfortable size to keep on your desk. It weighs 15.8 pounds and measures 8.4 by 16.4 by 13.3 inches (HWD) with trays closed or 10.6 by 16.4 by 21.9 inches with the output tray open. Physical setup is straightforward, with step-by-step instructions in the already mentioned downloadable setup program for everything from removing the packing materials to installing the driver. The setup skips taking you through printhead alignment, but it suggests that you run it from the driver when you finish.

Mobile printing and scanning is also easy to set up and use. After downloading the Canon app to my Android phone, it took only few minutes to connect via Wi-Fi Direct and print a photo. Printer menus let you show a QR code on the LCD panel for easy connection.

The printer's front panel includes that 1.35-inch diagonal LCD alongside buttons for moving through the menus, changing settings, and giving commands, including for copying, scanning, and faxing. You can also scan from your computer using Canon's scan utility, which gives you more options than when using the printer's front panel. There is no fax utility, but there is a fax driver that works like a print driver so you can give a print command from any program to fax a document.

Low running cost is a key strength for any tank printer. According to Canon, the G4270 ships with enough ink to print nearly 6,000 mono text pages and 7,700 standard color pages, using default settings, so it should be a while before you need to buy any ink, and it won't break the bank when that time comes. The cost per page for additional ink works out to 0.3 cent per mono text page and 0.8 cent per standard color page.

As always, keep in mind when looking at a printer with low running costs that it's usually easy to find less-expensive competition that delivers equal or better print speed, better paper handling, or more features at a higher cost per page—the Brother MFC-J4335DW and Epson WorkForce WF-2960 being two good examples in this case. The G4270's low-cost ink will save money overall only if you print enough to make up for the extra you paid in initial price. The number that matters most is the total cost of ownership.

Testing the Canon Pixma G4270: Entry-Level Speed and Output Quality

On our performance tests, the G4270 was tied (within each test's error range) with the G3270, which is expected, since both use the same printer engine. Of all the printers mentioned here, the two Canon models were tied for slowest on every test.

For the full 12-page Microsoft Word file, the Brother and Epson printers were essentially tied for first place for both fastest first page out (FPO) time and pages 2 through 12, making both of them convincingly faster than the Canon printers for any text document, regardless of length.

Both were also faster than the Canon printers for every other file in our Business Applications suite, with the MFC-J4335DW in a commanding first place on most individual tests and the WF-2960 earning a solid second place.

Output quality for the G4270 is suitable for most home and home office needs. Although text was a little less dark than you would expect from laser-printed output, all the fonts that you'd likely use in a business document were well-formed enough to be easily readable at 5 points, and most were easily readable at 4 points as well. Of the two heavily stylized fonts in our suite with thick strokes, one was easily readable at 8 points, though the ink bled into the paper enough for edges to look less than crisp. The font that's harder to render well was easily readable at 12 points.

Using default settings for graphics on plain paper, some colors were less vibrant than they should be, and most dark fills showed obvious banding. Very much on the plus side, thin lines—including a single-pixel-wide line on a black background—held nicely, and all the graphics conveyed the information they were meant to show. Photos were at drugstore-level quality, using the default quality setting for photos and Canon's Photo Paper Plus Glossy II .

On our ink smudge tests, black text on plain paper smudged slightly from water, but not at all from a highlighter. Color inks in graphics resisted smudging from water, but dried to show water stains.

Verdict: A Good Choice If You Need an ADF, Fax, and Low Running Cost

If you need an AIO with an ADF and fax features, and you'll be printing enough to benefit from a low running cost, the Canon Pixma G4270 is a strong candidate. If you'd rather trade the low-cost ink for a lower initial price, however, consider the MFC-J4335DW or the Epson WF-2960. Both are faster and less expensive than the Canon printer. Between them, the WF-2960 is significantly less expensive at this writing, but it also has the higher running cost and slower speed on our tests.

If you want the G4270's low running cost, but don't need either faxing or an ADF, note that the G3720 is essentially the same printer without those two features at a slightly lower price. Before you decide you don't need either feature, however, keep in mind that even if you think of faxing as obsolete, there are still some circumstances that demand it, include sending information to and receiving it from most medical offices. And even if you use the feature only rarely, having a home AIO with fax can be extremely convenient when it's needed. The same is true for an ADF for scanning. And compared with the G3270, the G4270 adds both for only a small bump up in price.