Canon G3270 Review: MegaTank Printer Worth Buying?

Printer shopping feels frustrating when ink costs more than the machine itself. You buy a cheap printer, then spend a fortune refilling it every few months.

The Canon PIXMA G3270 tries to fix that problem. It uses refillable ink tanks instead of tiny cartridges, and Canon ships it with enough ink for roughly two years of home printing.

But cheap ink alone does not make a good printer. Speed matters. Print quality matters. Wireless reliability matters even more when three people share one machine.

I dug into lab tests, owner feedback, and Canon’s own specification sheets to see how this model actually performs. This review covers every angle, from setup to scan quality to long term running costs.

By the end, you will know exactly who should buy the G3270 and who should walk away.

In a Nutshell

Here is the short version for readers who want answers fast.

• Running cost is the headline feature. Canon includes ink for about 6,000 black pages and 7,700 color pages. After that, refills work out to roughly 0.3 cents per black page and 0.8 cents per color page, which crushes most cartridge printers.
• Print speed sits at entry level. You get around 11 images per minute in black and 6 images per minute in color. That is fine for homework and receipts, but slow for long reports.
• Wireless works well. Dual band Wi Fi covers both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, plus Wireless Direct, AirPrint, and Mopria support.
• Paper handling stays basic. One 100 sheet rear tray, manual two sided printing, and a letter size flatbed scanner with no document feeder.
• Print quality is solid for the price. Black text looks sharp and readable, and photos land at good drugstore quality on matte paper.
• Best fit: families, students, and home offices that print 100 to 500 pages a month and hate buying ink.

Canon PIXMA G3270 Overview

Last update on 2026-06-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Canon PIXMA G3270 is a wireless all in one MegaTank printer built for homes and small home offices. It prints, scans, and copies. It does not fax.

Canon launched this model as a refresh of the popular G3260. The core printing engine stayed the same, but the control panel, display, and wireless radio all improved.

The machine measures 16.4 by 13.3 by 7 inches with the trays closed. It weighs about 13.2 pounds, so one person can move it without help.

The MegaTank name refers to four visible ink tanks bolted to the front right side of the chassis. You fill them from squeeze bottles instead of snapping in plastic cartridges.

Canon rates the printer for up to 3,000 pages per month. That duty cycle covers heavy family use, though the small paper tray makes hitting that number tedious.

The list price sits at $249.99, but street prices tell a different story. The G3270 regularly drops to $159 during sales events, which makes it one of the strongest value picks in the tank printer category.

You get a 1.35 inch backlit monochrome LCD, a set of physical buttons, and a rear paper feed. There is no touchscreen and no automatic document feeder.

Think of it as a no frills workhorse. Canon spent the budget on ink capacity and print head quality rather than flashy extras.

Design and Build Quality

The G3270 looks like a typical Canon home printer. The body uses matte black plastic with a slightly textured finish that hides fingerprints well.

Canon moved the ink tanks to the front, and that decision matters more than it sounds. You can check ink levels at a glance without lifting a lid or opening software.

The tank windows are clear and easy to read from across a desk. Each tank has a fill line molded into the plastic, so overfilling becomes hard to do by accident.

Build quality feels a step above the older G3260. Panels fit tightly, the scanner lid closes without wobble, and the paper support arm feels sturdy.

The rear paper tray folds flat against the body when you finish printing. This keeps the footprint small on a crowded desk.

The output tray slides out from the front and extends the depth to about 21.9 inches. Measure your shelf before you buy, because that extension needs clearance.

The control panel sits on a slight angle at the front. Buttons give clear tactile feedback, and the labels stay readable in dim light thanks to the backlit screen.

One design weakness stands out. The monochrome LCD shows limited information, so you often need a phone or computer to see detailed status messages.

Canon also uses a replaceable print head on this model. If a nozzle clogs beyond repair, you can swap the head yourself instead of replacing the whole printer.

That single detail extends the useful life of the machine by years. Many competing tank printers bury the print head permanently inside the chassis.

Setup Process and First Impressions

Unboxing takes about ten minutes. Canon packs the printer with orange tape, foam blocks, and a plastic sheet over the scanner glass.

You install two print heads first, then pour the four ink bottles into the matching tanks. The bottles use a keyed nozzle design, so you physically cannot pour cyan into the yellow tank.

The bottles do not require squeezing. You invert them, let gravity work, and they stop flowing when the tank fills.

Ink charging takes roughly six to seven minutes after you close the cover. Do not unplug the printer during this stage.

Canon does not include a printed setup manual with full instructions. You scan a QR code or visit the Canon website to walk through the process on your phone.

Wireless setup went smoothly in most owner reports. The printer displays a QR code on the LCD, and the Canon PRINT app reads it to join your network.

You can also press the wireless connect button and pair through your router’s WPS function. Both paths took under five minutes in testing.

Windows and macOS drivers download from Canon’s site. Chromebook users can print through the cloud without installing anything.

One small annoyance appears at the end of setup. Canon links to a page about its ink subscription plan, which does not apply to tank printers at all. Ignore it.

Run the print head alignment before your first real job. The setup wizard suggests it rather than forcing it, and skipping it leads to slightly soft text.

Print Speed and Everyday Performance

Speed is where the G3270 shows its budget roots. Canon rates it at 11.0 images per minute for black documents and 6.0 images per minute for color documents.

Real world testing lines up with those numbers. Consumer Reports clocked five text pages in 31 seconds, which lands right around the rated speed.

First page out time runs slower than the rated speed suggests. The printer wakes, primes, and pulls paper before anything hits the page, which adds a few seconds per job.

For a two page email attachment, you wait roughly 15 to 20 seconds from click to finished sheet. That feels normal for a home inkjet.

Color graphics slow things down noticeably. Dense charts and full page images can take 30 seconds or more per page at standard quality.

Photo printing is the slowest task. A 4 by 6 inch borderless photo averages about 53 seconds at default settings.

Competing printers in the same price range print faster. The Brother MFC J4335DW and HP OfficeJet Pro 8035e both beat the Canon on every speed test, though both cost far more per page in ink.

The G3270 handles small jobs well and long jobs poorly. Printing a 50 page document means refilling the 100 sheet tray more often than you would like.

Copy speed follows the same pattern. Single page copies take about 20 seconds, and stacks require you to lift the lid for every sheet.

Bottom line on speed: this printer suits homes that print in short bursts, not offices that push through long documents on deadline.

Top 3 Alternative for Canon PIXMA G3270

If the G3270 misses your needs, these three tank printers cover the gaps. Each one trades something different.

The Epson EcoTank ET 2800 sells for less and matches the low ink cost philosophy. It prints slightly faster in black at around 10 pages per minute and uses a front paper cassette instead of a rear feed.

Last update on 2026-08-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Epson EcoTank ET 2850 adds the single feature most G3270 owners miss, which is automatic two sided printing. It also includes a 1.44 inch color display and a slightly faster 10.5 pages per minute black speed.

Last update on 2026-06-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The HP Smart Tank 5101 targets buyers who want the simplest possible experience. It ships with two years of ink, offers a compact body, and works well with the HP Smart app for mobile scanning.

Last update on 2026-06-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Pick the ET 2800 to save money upfront. Pick the ET 2850 if manual duplexing sounds annoying. Pick the HP 5101 if you already live inside the HP app ecosystem.

All three stay in the same general price band as the Canon. None of them dramatically outperform it on print quality, so the decision comes down to features and habits.

Print Quality for Documents and Photos

Text quality ranks as a genuine strength here. Canon uses pigment black ink for documents, which produces crisp edges and dark letters on plain paper.

Standard business fonts stay readable down to 5 point type. Most fonts remain legible at 4 point, though edges get slightly ragged at that size.

Black text does not quite match laser output for density. Hold a page next to a laser print and the Canon looks a shade lighter.

For homework, invoices, contracts, and shipping labels, the difference does not matter. Everything reads cleanly and scans well on the receiving end.

Color graphics land in the good but not great category. Default settings on plain paper produce slightly muted colors compared to the source file.

Testers noticed minor posterization in gradients and some banding in dark fills. Thin lines held up nicely, including one pixel lines over black backgrounds.

Switching to Canon photo paper and raising the quality setting improves color output considerably. Presentations and school projects look sharp.

Photo prints reach high end drugstore quality on matte photo paper at standard settings. Skin tones look natural and detail holds in midtones.

Shadows lose some detail in dark photos. This printer uses four inks rather than a dedicated photo ink set, so deep blacks flatten out.

Smudge resistance is mixed. Black text survives highlighter contact without bleeding and resists light water contact, while color graphics show visible water stains after drying.

Some owners report that greeting cards and heavy card stock print less vibrantly than expected. Adjusting the paper type setting in the driver fixes most of those complaints.

MegaTank Ink System and Running Costs

This section explains why people buy the G3270 in the first place. The economics are genuinely different from cartridge printers.

Canon includes enough ink in the box for approximately 6,000 black pages and 7,700 color pages. That covers about two years of typical household printing.

The printer uses GI 21 ink bottles. A full four color replacement set typically costs between $36 and $48 depending on where you shop.

That works out to roughly 0.3 cents per black page and 0.8 cents per color page. A comparable cartridge printer charges 5 to 8 cents per black page and 15 to 20 cents for color.

Run the math over three years and the savings become obvious. Printing 300 pages a month costs about $11 per year in ink on the G3270 and well over $150 on a cartridge machine.

Refilling takes two minutes. You pop the tank cap, invert the bottle, wait for the flow to stop, and close the cap.

The bottles do not spill easily thanks to the keyed nozzle system. Still, put a paper towel underneath while you work.

One warning worth repeating: low ink cost only saves money if you print enough. If you print 20 pages a month, a cheap cartridge printer costs less over its lifetime.

The break even point sits somewhere around 800 to 1,200 pages of total printing. Past that, the G3270 pulls ahead and never looks back.

Third party GI 21 compatible bottles exist and cost less. Canon’s warranty excludes damage caused by non Canon ink, so weigh that risk yourself.

Scanning and Copying Features

The G3270 includes a letter size flatbed scanner with 600 by 1200 dpi optical resolution. That specification covers documents and casual photo scanning.

There is no automatic document feeder. Every page goes on the glass by hand, which turns multipage scanning into a chore.

Scan quality rates as passable rather than excellent. Text comes through clearly and stays readable in OCR software.

Highly saturated areas show visible grain. Fine details in photographs appear slightly faint compared to dedicated photo scanners.

The scanner lid hinges lift a small amount to accommodate thin books. Thick textbooks will not sit flat.

Copying works through the control panel without a computer. You press one button for black copies and another for color copies.

You can adjust copy quantity and quality with the panel buttons. There is no preview, and the small LCD limits how many settings you can change on the device itself.

Mobile scanning works through the Canon PRINT app. Place the page, tap scan, and the file lands on your phone as a PDF or JPEG.

The app scanning feature is genuinely convenient. It handles insurance forms, receipts, and signed documents without touching a computer.

Scan speed is average. A color letter page at 300 dpi takes roughly 15 to 20 seconds from press to preview.

For a home printer at this price, the scanner does its job. For a small office scanning contracts daily, the missing document feeder becomes a dealbreaker.

Wireless Connectivity and Mobile Printing

Canon upgraded the wireless radio on the G3270, and the improvement is real. The printer supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands using 802.11 b, g, n, a, and ac standards.

The older G3260 only handled 2.4 GHz. If your router pushes devices onto crowded 2.4 GHz channels, the dual band support here reduces dropouts.

Security options include WPA PSK, WPA2 PSK, and WPA3 SAE. WPA3 support matters for anyone running a modern router with strict settings.

Wireless Direct lets you print without a router. Your phone connects straight to the printer, which helps when guests visit or the internet goes down.

Mobile printing works through AirPrint on iPhone and iPad, Mopria Print Service on Android, and the Canon PRINT app on both platforms. Chromebooks print natively.

Setup for mobile takes minutes. Download the app, let it find the printer, and confirm the connection through the QR code on the LCD.

Hi Speed USB provides a wired option. Some owners connect by USB for the main computer and use Wi Fi for everyone else.

There is no Ethernet port. Homes running wired networks will need to rely on Wi Fi or a print server workaround.

Owner reports on wireless reliability skew positive. The printer holds its network connection through router reboots and reconnects automatically after power loss.

One tip that solves most connection problems: give the printer a static IP address in your router settings. This prevents the driver from losing track of it after a DHCP lease renewal.

Paper Handling and Manual Duplexing

Paper handling is the weakest part of this printer. Canon kept it simple to keep the price low.

You get one rear input tray holding 100 sheets of plain paper. It accepts sizes up to legal, which means 8.5 by 14 inches.

The output tray holds about 50 sheets. Print more than that in one run and pages start sliding onto your desk.

Envelope printing requires removing your plain paper and loading envelopes instead. There is no bypass slot for one off jobs.

Two sided printing is manual only. The printer runs all the odd pages, then prompts you to flip the stack and reinsert it.

Canon handles the manual step better than most. The driver shows illustrated instructions on your screen explaining exactly how to reload the pages.

The rear top feed position helps here. You slide the flipped stack straight in without kneeling or reaching behind furniture.

Manual duplexing still means standing near the printer. Wireless printing from another room loses much of its appeal when duplex jobs need a human present.

The G3270 does include multi feed detection, which the older G3260 lacked. This sensor catches double sheets before they cause a jam.

Media support covers plain paper, photo paper, matte paper, envelopes, and light card stock. Heavy card stock above 300 gsm can struggle through the curved rear path.

Jams happen rarely in owner reports. When they do, the rear access panel opens easily for cleanup.

Canon G3270 vs G3260 vs G2270

Canon sells three closely related MegaTank models, and the differences confuse a lot of buyers.

The G2270 is the same printer without wireless. It connects by USB only and costs about $30 less at list price.

Choose the G2270 only if one computer will ever use it. No phone printing, no tablet printing, no sharing with a spouse across the house.

The G3260 is the previous generation. It uses the same print engine and the same GI 21 ink, so speed and running costs are identical.

The G3270 improves on the G3260 in three specific ways. It adds 5 GHz Wi Fi support, a better control panel with a clearer display, and multi feed detection.

Build quality also feels tighter on the newer model. Reviewers noted sharper black text output from the G3270 in side by side document tests.

The G3260 holds one small advantage. Testing showed it produces a slightly wider color gamut, which favors photo printing over document printing.

Price usually decides this matchup. When the G3260 sells for significantly less, it remains a smart buy for anyone on a 2.4 GHz network who prints mostly photos.

When both sell for similar money, take the G3270. The wireless upgrade and paper sensor are worth the small premium.

None of these three models offer automatic duplexing or a document feeder. Stepping up to those features means moving to a different Canon series or a competing brand.

Pros and Cons of the Canon G3270

Here is the honest breakdown after weighing every test result and owner report.

Pros

• Ink cost per page is extremely low at roughly 0.3 cents for black and 0.8 cents for color
• Two years of ink included in the box covers about 6,000 black and 7,700 color pages
• Dual band Wi Fi supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks plus WPA3 security
• Sharp black text quality that stays readable down to 5 point type
• Replaceable print head extends the useful life of the machine
• Compact 13.2 pound body fits on a normal desk or shelf
• Front facing transparent ink tanks make level checking effortless
• Energy Star certified with low 16W power draw during operation
• Works with AirPrint, Mopria, Chromebook, and the Canon PRINT app
• Frequently discounted to around $159, which is strong value

Cons

• No automatic two sided printing, only manual duplexing
• No automatic document feeder for multipage scanning
• Single 100 sheet input tray requires frequent refills
• Print speed lags behind similarly priced cartridge printers
• Small monochrome LCD shows limited information
• Photo prints reach drugstore quality rather than gallery quality
• Color graphics on plain paper look slightly muted at default settings
• Color ink smudges and stains when exposed to water
• No fax function and no Ethernet port
• Setup instructions live online rather than in the box

Who Should Buy the Canon G3270

This printer fits a specific type of buyer very well. Match yourself against these profiles before you order.

Families with school age kids get the most value. Homework, permission slips, science project images, and printable worksheets add up fast, and the included ink lasts for years.

Students living in shared housing benefit too. The compact size fits a dorm desk, and wireless printing lets roommates send jobs from their own laptops.

Small home offices printing invoices, shipping labels, and client documents will appreciate the running cost. The missing document feeder only hurts if you scan contracts daily.

Craft hobbyists and card makers get mixed results. Print quality on photo paper looks good, but heavy card stock and vibrant greeting cards sometimes disappoint.

Skip this printer if you print fewer than 30 pages a month. The upfront cost never pays for itself at that volume.

Skip it if you need automatic duplexing. Manual flipping gets old quickly for anyone who prints double sided reports regularly.

Skip it if you scan multipage documents often. Lifting the lid 20 times per document wastes real time.

Photographers wanting gallery prints should look at Canon’s dedicated photo printers instead. Four ink systems cannot match six or eight ink models for tonal depth.

Everyone else printing 100 to 500 pages a month lands squarely in the target zone. That is a large group, and it explains why this model sells so well.

Final Verdict on the Canon PIXMA G3270

Last update on 2026-08-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Canon PIXMA G3270 does one thing exceptionally well. It removes the anxiety of expensive ink from home printing.

Everything else about it is competent rather than remarkable. Print speed is average, paper handling is basic, and the scanner does the minimum required.

That trade feels fair at this price. You give up convenience features and gain years of cheap printing.

The upgrades over the G3260 add real value. Dual band Wi Fi alone solves connection headaches for anyone with a modern router.

Print quality holds up well for documents. Text looks sharp, graphics read clearly, and photos satisfy casual needs on the right paper.

The replaceable print head deserves more attention than it gets. Most tank printers become landfill when the head fails, and this one does not.

At $159 during a sale, the G3270 is one of the best value printers you can buy for a home. At full list price of $249.99, the math gets tighter against the Epson alternatives.

Wait for a discount if you can. These printers go on sale several times a year.

If manual duplexing bothers you, spend a little more on the Epson EcoTank ET 2850. If you want the cheapest possible entry into tank printing, the Epson EcoTank ET 2800 undercuts everything.

For most homes, though, the Canon G3270 hits the right balance. Buy it, fill the tanks, and forget about ink for a couple of years.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the included ink last on the Canon G3270?

Canon rates the included ink at approximately 6,000 black pages and 7,700 color pages. For a household printing 250 pages a month, that translates to roughly two years before the first refill.

Your actual mileage depends on page coverage. Dense graphics and full page photos drain tanks much faster than plain text documents.

Does the Canon G3270 print double sided automatically?

No. The G3270 offers manual duplexing only, which means you print one side, remove the stack, flip it, and reload it into the rear tray.

The driver displays illustrated instructions to make the flip easy. If automatic duplexing matters to you, look at the Epson EcoTank ET 2850 instead.

What ink bottles does the Canon G3270 use?

The G3270 uses Canon GI 21 ink bottles in pigment black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. A four bottle set typically costs between $36 and $48.

The bottles use keyed nozzles that only fit the matching tank. This prevents color mixing mistakes during refills.

Can the Canon G3270 connect to 5 GHz Wi Fi?

Yes. The G3270 supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless bands using 802.11 b, g, n, a, and ac standards.

It also supports WPA3 security and Wireless Direct for router free printing. The older G3260 only handled 2.4 GHz networks.

Is the Canon G3270 good for printing photos?

It produces good photo prints for casual use. Testers described output as high end drugstore quality on matte photo paper at standard settings.

Deep shadows lose some detail because the printer uses only four inks. Serious photo enthusiasts should consider a six ink photo printer instead.

Does the Canon G3270 have a document feeder?

No. Scanning happens on a letter size flatbed only, which means you place each page by hand.

This slows down multipage scanning considerably. Offices that scan stacks of documents daily should choose a model with an automatic document feeder.

How noisy is the Canon G3270 during printing?

Canon rates the noise level at approximately 48.5 dB during plain paper printing. That sits in the range of a normal conversation.

A Quiet Mode setting reduces the sound further by slowing print speed. It helps if the printer shares a room with a sleeping baby or a home office call.

Can I use third party ink in the Canon G3270?

Physically, yes. Several third party GI 21 compatible bottles sell for less than Canon originals.

Canon’s warranty excludes damage caused by non Canon ink, so you take on that risk yourself. Many owners stick with genuine ink for the first year, then switch after the warranty expires.