Canon Pixma MG7550 review

The Canon Pixma MG7550 is a great all-in-one photo printer/scanner/copier that can also print direct to disc (CD, DVD, Blu-ray), and is available in white and a curious Burnt Orange colour as well as the usual printer black.

Update: Canon now has a newer model, the Pixma TS8150 – we reviewed the Canon Pixma TS8050 model without the CD-printing option, which is a better choice if you never print to discs. But if you do, then check out the white Pixma TS8151 that is the same as the black TS8150 and the red TS8152.

Also see: Best Black Friday Printer Deals

While being available in white as well as black might not mean much when choosing the best multifunction inkjet printer, the option is a welcome one. And the Pixma MG7550 is a good-looking printer that isn’t as bulky as many of its rivals. See: Best Multifunction printers

The added disc-printing functionality is also a bonus for printers, if you regularly make CDs or DVDs for work or pleasure. Printers that print on DVDs, CDs and Blu-ray discs are hard to come by, and Canon leads the field from a consumer printer point of view.

When reviewed the Canon MG7550 cost around £130, but it can sometimes be found cheaper online. For the latest, best Pixma MG7550 prices check the top and bottom of this review.

Canon Pixma MG7550: photo print quality, speed and cost

Let’s get right to the point. The MG7550 produces great photo prints, although its six inks can make this a little more expensive than some other inkjets. We think you’ll be more than happy with the results, though.

The colours are rich and saturated colours, and with a lack of graininess you can really see the sharp details. Tones and shading are well rendered. Some have found (or rather not found) a lack of detail in darker shadows, but this is not uncommon.

Colours look smooth and bright even on plain paper, but you’ll want proper glossy photo paper for the best results.

Print speeds don’t quite match Canon’s claimed 15-page-per-minute on mon and 10ppm on colour, but the reality is respectable enough. It takes 20 seconds to turn on and print the first page, 16 seconds from standby, and just 9 seconds when already up and running. Black text prints at 14.3 pages per minute and an A4 photo prints in less than two minutes.

Print costs aren’t the cheapest but if you buy the high-yield XL-sized ink cartridges you’ll save money. The MG7550 comes with standard-sized ink cartridges as standard.

Turning the printer on and off for multiple jobs can cost you money as the printer (like many) indulges in frequent cleaning of its print heads.

This printer uses six inks to achieve such results: C, M, Y, BK, PGBK (pigment black) and GY (grey). The black and grey inks allow clear contrasts with deep and detailed blacks.

You need change only the ink cartridge colour that runs out rather than all, which should save money, but the printer won’t print at all if one of the cartridges is empty – even if that colour is not required for the job.

Canon Pixma MG7550: scanning, copying

We were impressed by scanning speeds and quality for both text and photos. Ditto photocopying speeds.

Canon Pixma MG7550: design and features

With its sloped, rounded edges and glossy case the Pixma 7550 is a good-looking printer – and we love the white and orange options. Online we found the orange model to be more expensive, but it looks wonderful. Our home envirnment favoured the white printer, and it’s excellent to have a choice of colour for a multifunction printer.

Physically it measures 435mm-x-370mm-x-148mm.

On the front there’s a large (8.8cm) touch control so you can quickly navigate the menus and preview images.

It has two paper trays (so can simultaneously handle photo and plain paper): one tray holds 125 sheets of plain paper, and the other 20 photo blanks up to 13 x 18cm. A slot above takes a CD/DVD carrier, which is handily stored in a clip under the photo tray. Double-sided (duplex) printing is supported as standard.

Canon Pixma MG7550: connectivity

The MG7550 has USB and Ethernet (10.100) for wired connectivity to a home network, plus Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11 b/g/n). It’s compatible with Apple AirPrint and Google CloudPrint, and boasts its own Pixma Cloud Link that lets you print photos from Facebook, Twitter and online photo albums, and print/scan documents to cloud services like Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox.

On the front panel, inside the front cover, are twin SD and MemoryStick slots.

It also has Near Field Communication (NFC) so you can print from compatible phones by holding the handset up to the printer. It can also be used to print from wireless cameras.

By using Canon’s Pixma Printing Solutions app for your smartphone or tablet you can access cloud services, and check printer status, the manual or real-time ink levels over Wi-Fi.