🖨️ Canon PIXMA MG3620 Wireless All-in-One: A Budget-Friendly Home Printer Review
The Canon PIXMA MG3620, a Wireless All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer, has long been a popular choice for home users and students looking for an affordable and compact device capable of handling basic printing, scanning, and copying needs. Available in a sleek white finish (among other colors), this model stands out for its strong wireless features, automatic duplexing, and impressive photo quality, despite a few common trade-offs associated with budget inkjet printers.
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| Canon PIXMA MG3620 Wireless All-in-One: A Budget-Friendly Home Printer Review |
Key Features at a Glance
| Feature | Specification / Detail |
| Functions | Print, Copy, Scan |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi (Wireless), USB (Wired Setup Only) |
| Mobile Printing | Canon PRINT App, AirPrint, Mopria Print Service, Google Cloud Print |
| Print Resolution | Up to $4800 \times 1200$ dpi (Color) |
| Print Speed (Approx.) | 9.9 ipm (Black), 5.7 ipm (Color) |
| Duplexing | Automatic (2-sided printing) |
| Ink System | 2-Cartridge Hybrid (Pigment Black, Tri-Color Dye) |
| Scanner | Flatbed (CIS), up to $1200 \times 2400$ dpi Optical Resolution |
| Dimensions | Approx. $17.7" \times 12.0" \times 6.0"$ |
Design and Setup: Simplicity is Key
The MG3620 boasts a compact and lightweight design, making it easy to fit into tight spaces on a desk or shelf. Its physical appearance is clean and modern, especially in white.
However, a notable design choice is the lack of a display screen (LCD). The controls are limited to a simple set of buttons on the top panel for power, Wi-Fi, copy functions, and ink indicators. While this simplifies the aesthetic and reduces cost, it can make initial setup and troubleshooting more cumbersome, requiring users to rely heavily on the companion Canon PRINT app or computer software.
Setting up the wireless connection is generally straightforward for most users, particularly when using the mobile app, allowing for quick integration into a home Wi-Fi network.
Printing Performance and Quality
Document Printing
The printer uses a Hybrid Ink System, combining pigment-based black ink for sharp text and dye-based color inks for vibrant graphics and photos.
Text Quality: For basic, everyday documents, the MG3620 provides adequate quality. However, reviews often note that text can appear a little fuzzy or not as crisp as laser printers or even some competing inkjets, particularly with thinner fonts or when using the automatic duplex feature.
Speed: Print speeds are modest, clocking in at approximately 9.9 images per minute (ipm) for black and 5.7 ipm for color. This is acceptable for light home use but may be frustrating for users needing to print large volumes quickly.
Photo and Graphics Quality
This is where the MG3620 often excels for its price point. With a maximum color resolution of $4800 \times 1200$ dpi, it is capable of producing high-quality, vibrant photos with good detail and color accuracy, especially when using Canon's photo paper. It also supports borderless printing up to $8.5" \times 11"$. Business graphics also look quite good with rich colors.
Wireless and Mobile Connectivity
One of the MG3620's strongest assets is its robust wireless capability. It supports a wide array of mobile printing standards:
Canon PRINT App: Allows users to print and scan directly from smartphones and tablets.
AirPrint (for Apple devices).
Mopria (for Android devices).
Google Cloud Print (though this service has been discontinued, the other methods offer ample replacement).
The convenience of printing from virtually any device in the home without needing to transfer files to a computer is a major selling point.
Copying and Scanning
As an all-in-one, the MG3620 includes flatbed scanning and copying functions.
Scanner: The flatbed scanner offers a good optical resolution of $1200 \times 2400$ dpi, delivering clear and detailed scans for both documents and photos.
Copying: Copying is simple and relatively fast for single pages.
A major limitation is the absence of an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). Users must manually place each sheet on the glass for multi-page scans or copies, making large batch jobs tedious.
The Elephant in the Room: Operating Costs
The primary drawback of the Canon PIXMA MG3620—and many other budget-friendly inkjets—is the high cost of ink replacements, particularly for heavy users.
Two-Cartridge System: It uses a two-cartridge system: one pigment black cartridge (PG-240) and one tri-color cartridge (CL-241).
Cost Efficiency: Since the color cartridge combines cyan, magenta, and yellow, you must replace the entire cartridge even if only one color runs out. This can be very uneconomical.
Solution: While the upfront cost of the printer is low, users are strongly advised to purchase the XL or XXL versions of the cartridges (PG-240 XL/XXL, CL-241 XL) to significantly reduce the cost per page (CPP), especially if they plan on printing with moderate frequency.
Verdict and Recommendation
The Canon PIXMA MG3620 Wireless All-in-One Printer is an excellent, budget-conscious choice for the average home user or student with light to moderate printing needs.
| Reasons to Buy (Pros) | Reasons to Consider Alternatives (Cons) |
| ✅ Very Affordable initial price. | ❌ Very High Operating Cost if using standard ink cartridges. |
| ✅ Excellent Photo Quality for a budget printer. | ❌ Slow print speed for documents. |
| ✅ Superb Wireless Connectivity (AirPrint, Mopria, Canon App). | ❌ No Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for multi-page scanning/copying. |
| ✅ Automatic Duplexing (2-sided printing). | ❌ No Display Screen for easy setup or troubleshooting. |
| ✅ Compact and Lightweight design. | ❌ Text quality is only adequate, not crisp. |
Recommendation: If you primarily print photos and need a convenient wireless solution for occasional documents, the MG3620 is a strong contender, provided you commit to using the high-yield (XL) ink cartridges. If you need to print hundreds of pages of text monthly or frequently scan multi-page documents, a different model with a more economical ink system or an ADF would be a better investment.