Overview

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a is a feature-packed all-in-one inkjet printer designed for home offices that need printing, scanning, copying, and faxing in a compact package. With a 4.3-inch LCD touchscreen, dual paper trays, and a five-individual-ink system, it offers impressive versatility for its price range. It competes with the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e and Epson WorkForce WF-2930, targeting users who want robust functionality without a large footprint.

Design & Build

The TR8620a measures approximately 431 by 391 by 181 mm and weighs 8.4 kg, with a clean black-and-white aesthetic that blends into a home office environment. The centerpiece is a generous 4.3-inch tilting LCD touchscreen that provides intuitive access to print, copy, scan, and fax functions, along with cloud service integration. Dual paper handling includes a 100-sheet front cassette for plain paper and a rear tray for photo paper and envelopes, giving users flexibility to keep different media loaded simultaneously.

Performance

Print speeds reach approximately 15 ipm for monochrome and 10 ipm for color documents using Canon’s FINE (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) print head technology with 4,800 by 1,200 dpi maximum resolution. The five-ink system adds a pigment-based PGI-280 black for sharp text and dye-based CLI-281 color cartridges for vibrant photos, with an optional XL cartridge for increased page yields. The 20-sheet automatic document feeder supports multi-page copying and scanning, while the flatbed offers 1,200 by 2,400 dpi optical resolution.

Features

The TR8620a stands out for its comprehensive connectivity, including Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth 4.0, and PictBridge for direct camera printing. Auto duplex printing and scanning save paper, and Canon’s PRINT app enables mobile printing from iOS and Android devices through AirPrint and Mopria. The fax function supports PC fax send and receive, and cloud integration with Google Drive and Dropbox allows direct scanning to popular cloud storage services.

Pros

• Large 4.3-inch tilting LCD touchscreen with intuitive menu navigation and cloud service shortcuts
• Dual paper trays: 100-sheet front cassette for plain paper plus rear tray for photo paper/envelopes
• Five-ink system (PGI-280 pigment black + CLI-281 dye color) produces vibrant photo prints
• Auto duplex printing and scanning save paper on two-sided documents
• Fax, Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, and cloud connectivity (Google Drive, Dropbox)

Cons

• Standard-yield PGI-280 black (~180 pages) and CLI-281 color (~120 pages per cartridge) lead to high running costs
• Pigment-based black ink can clog print nozzles after 1-2 weeks of inactivity
• 20-sheet ADF is half the capacity of competing HP (35-sheet) and Epson (50-sheet) models
• ADF does not support TIFF format scanning, limiting some document workflows
• Paper output tray is small and prone to curling prints, especially borderless photos

Verdict

The Canon PIXMA TR8620a earns an 8.0/10 out of 10, offering an impressive array of features for its $180 price point including a large touchscreen, dual paper trays, and fax functionality that rivals many business-focused alternatives. It loses points for relatively high ink costs and a small automatic document feeder, but for home office users who value versatility and print quality across documents and photos, it remains a strong contender. Consider the EcoTank alternatives if you print at very high volumes and want to minimize consumable costs. The TR8620a differentiates itself from the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e with its larger touchscreen and five-ink photo system, though HP offers faster document print speeds and a larger ADF.

Sources

1. Canon PIXMA TR8620a Product Specifications - Canon (via ij.start.canon)
2. Canon PIXMA TR8620a All-in-One Printer - Amazon
3. Canon PIXMA TR8620a Spec Sheet - Icecat |