Canon PIXMA MG3620 Review: A Budget All-in-One for the Modern Home
The home printer market is saturated with options, but few strike the balance between affordability, functionality, and style quite like the Canon PIXMA MG3620 Wireless All-In-One Color Inkjet Printer. Available in various colors, including the eye-catching Red variant, this compact machine (measuring approximately 17.7" (W) x 12.0" (D) x 6.0" (H)) is positioned as an ideal choice for students, casual home users, and small home offices that don't require high-volume printing. This comprehensive review examines its key features, performance metrics, and overall value.
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| Canon PIXMA MG3620 Review: A Budget All-in-One for the Modern Home |
Design and Build: Compact and Colorful
The MG3620 adopts a minimalist and space-saving design, making it easy to fit on a crowded desk or shelf. Its compact footprint is a significant advantage in smaller living spaces. Canon offers the printer in classic Black, White, and the vibrant Red option, allowing users to choose a color that complements their decor.
However, the budget-friendly nature is somewhat reflected in the build quality. The plastic chassis, input tray, and output tray can feel a bit flimsy compared to more expensive models. A notable omission is the lack of an LCD control panel or display screen. All operations, especially troubleshooting, are handled via the physical buttons on the top and, more importantly, through the Canon PRINT mobile app, which can be a minor drawback for users who prefer on-board controls.
Key Features: Connectivity and Convenience
The "Wireless All-In-One" moniker accurately describes the MG3620's core strengths:
Wireless Connectivity: Setup can be done quickly using the Wireless Connect feature, allowing the printer to link to your home Wi-Fi network. Once connected, it supports several mobile printing protocols, including Apple AirPrint® and Mopria® Print Service for Android, enabling seamless printing from smartphones, tablets, and computers without installing drivers.
All-in-One Functionality: Beyond printing, the MG3620 includes an integrated flatbed scanner and copier. While it lacks an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), which limits its efficiency for multi-page scanning/copying jobs, the flatbed is sufficient for occasional document and photo digitization.
Auto 2-Sided (Duplex) Printing: This is a major plus for a printer in this price bracket. The automatic duplex printing feature helps save paper and is highly convenient for printing reports or long documents.
High-Quality Output: The printer utilizes a hybrid ink system and offers a maximum color resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi, making it capable of producing sharp text and vibrant color photos, including borderless prints up to 8.5" x 11".
Performance Analysis
Print Quality
For its class, the MG3620 delivers commendable output quality.
Documents: Black text documents are generally crisp and clear, though some reviews note a slight fuzziness or faintness on thinner fonts compared to laser or high-end inkjet models. For everyday use, the quality is entirely acceptable.
Photos: This printer excels at photo printing, producing rich, vibrant colors and sharp details, especially when using Canon photo paper. Color accuracy is often praised as being good for a budget machine, making it a strong option for printing casual home photos.
Print Speed
Speed is where the MG3620 shows its budget constraints. It is not built for high-speed, high-volume work.
Rated Speed: Canon quotes speeds of approximately 9.9 images per minute (ipm) for black-and-white documents and 5.7 ipm for color.
Real-World Speed: Testing often places its speeds lower than the average for inkjet printers in its class. Multi-page jobs, particularly duplex printing, are noticeably slow. Users who require fast print times for high-volume work should consider other models.
Scanning and Copying
The flatbed scanner performs well, delivering good clarity and color accuracy for both documents and photos. Copying speed is relatively quick for a single page, but the lack of an ADF makes handling large stacks of papers tedious and time-consuming.
Ink System and Operating Costs
The Canon PIXMA MG3620 uses a simple, two-cartridge system: one for Black (pigment ink) and one for Tri-Color (dye ink, containing Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow).
Affordable Initial Cost, Higher Running Cost: The printer itself is highly affordable, making it an attractive initial purchase. However, the use of a tri-color cartridge means that if just one color (say, Yellow) runs out, the entire cartridge must be replaced, leading to potential waste and higher long-term costs per page for moderate-to-heavy users.
XL Cartridges Recommended: To mitigate high running costs, Canon offers high-yield (XL) cartridges, which are strongly recommended for anyone who prints more than occasionally.
Pros and Cons
| Pros (Kelebihan) | Cons (Kekurangan) |
| ✅ Excellent Value: Low initial purchase price. | ❌ High Operating Cost: Uses two-cartridge system (Black + Tri-Color), which can be costly for frequent printing. |
| ✅ Wireless Convenience: Easy mobile printing via AirPrint, Mopria, and the Canon PRINT app. | ❌ Slow Print Speed: Not suitable for high-volume or fast-paced environments. |
| ✅ Auto Duplexing: Saves paper by automatically printing on both sides. | ❌ No ADF: Cannot scan or copy multi-page documents automatically. |
| ✅ Good Photo Quality: Prints vibrant, detailed photos up to borderless 8.5" x 11". | ❌ No Display Screen: Relies entirely on the mobile app or status lights for troubleshooting. |
| ✅ Compact Design: Small footprint is ideal for home use. | ❌ Flimsy Build: Plastic construction feels less sturdy than premium models. |
Conclusion and Recommendation
The Canon PIXMA MG3620 is an excellent entry-level All-in-One printer that caters specifically to the needs of the casual user, student, or light-duty home office. Its main selling points are its low price, superb wireless functionality, and the valuable inclusion of automatic duplex printing—a feature often reserved for pricier units. The vibrant Red color adds a stylish touch.
Recommendation: If you are a casual user who prints only occasionally, prioritizing mobile convenience, high-quality photo prints, and a low upfront cost, the Canon PIXMA MG3620 is a solid, budget-friendly choice.
However, if your needs involve high-volume printing, frequent multi-page scanning, or you demand the lowest possible running cost, you should look for a model with an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) and an individual ink tank system.