Ink cartridges are a racket and we all know it. It’s the not-so-hidden cost of buying an ink jet printer. The makers of these “affordable” machines love to discount the hardware price to hook you on a recurring cycle of buying the outrageously expensive ink cartridges.
When Epson announced a new ink tank system back in 2015, we saw a glimpse of what was to come (for the better, perhaps). And now, Canon has joined the party in typical Canon fashion with not one, but four new ink jet printers that use a new ink tank system instead of the tiny cartridges.
The new Canon PIXMA G-series MegaTank printers are all-in-one printers (except for the base model) and all use a basic CMY and black ink color system. While you can print photos with these printers, you aren’t going to get the same quality you get from Canon’s higher-end PIXMA Pro line of printers with their 8-12 color ink systems.
From a small office and home printing standpoint though, the new MegaTank printers look like they stand up in terms of value and capabilities to the Epson WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank printer. All of Canon’s MegaTank printers are priced lower than Epson’s ET-4550. The Canon models range in price from $249 to $399, while the Epson ET-4550 still runs $499.
The new models include the basic G1200, All-in-One G2200, as well as the wireless G3200 and G4200 options. Canon’s ink refills are also priced comparably at $17.99 for a 135 ml black refill that yields 6,000 pages and $11.99 (each) for the 70 ml CMY refills that yield a combined 7,000 color pages.
The new Canon MegaTank printers are available now direct from Canon USA.
