Canon PIXMA MG3122 Ink Cartridges

Canon MG3122 Printer Review

The Canon PIXMA MG3122 is designed mostly to tackle home photo printing, but its inclusion of scanning and copying features expands the range of projects it can handle. Photos print quickly, at maximum output speeds of 44 seconds per 4x6-inch image, while this inkjet device prints at slower speeds of only 9 pages per minute for monochrome documents and 5 pages per minute for color. Although slow speeds and low-yielding PIXMA MG3122 printer ink supplies limit it to light-duty use, this multifunction unit is an affordable solution for printing lab-quality photos, as well as scanning and copying documents out of a home office.

The MG3122's photo-centric design is built into a small size of only 17x12x6 inches that unfortunately omits an LCD display for previewing images. To make up for this the device includes a range of photo software like fun filter effects for specific editing features. An automatic photo fix feature will sort images into categories like portrait and scenery, and then optimize them accordingly.

The unit's automatic paper feeder can store up to 100 pages and supports automatic duplexing for printing double-sided on paper. The MG3122 can handle a range of different media types such as high-resolution paper, glossy photo paper and matte photo paper. Combining the high-resolution paper and Canon MG3122 printer ink, the device can print photos with a sharp resolution of 4800x1200 dpi.

The MG3122 comes with a USB port for PC connectivity and built-in Wi-Fi that supports wireless printing and scanning from compatible mobile devices like iPads, iPhones and Androids. With compatible Canon EOS Digital and PowerShot cameras, the unit's full HD movie print feature will also allow users to take snapshots and print photos from videos.

The device comes with starter Canon MG3122 ink cartridges that snap in easily under the front panel. The color supply contains cyan, magenta and yellow PIXMA MG3122 ink and will need to be replaced after approximately 300 pages. The black Canon MG3122 ink cartridge can yield up to 400 pages and is suitable for minimal day-to-day printing.

There's much to admire about the MG3122's flexible design, from its all-in-one features and lab-quality photo printing to its ample software support. This inkjet unit does suffer in certain areas like output speeds and lack of an LCD, but this shouldn't hold it back from benefitting most home users.