PRINTING. The Canon Pixma MG5720 prints using inkjet technology, which sprays liquid ink onto the paper from a moving head. It prints Very Good photos on glossy paper that most people would be happy with. Photo printing was reasonably fast, 1.3 minutes for a 4x6, costing 65 cents. It prints text very well, nearly as good as a laser printer. Text printing was reasonably fast, 8.3 pages per minute, costing 5.7 cents per page. Its color graphics printing is Very Good for reports, newsletters and web pages, at 2.5 pages per minute, costing 21.1 cents per page. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page, with no loss of quality. If any color ink runs out, it stops printing—it can't be set to just use the remaining black ink. If the black ink runs out, it stops printing—it can't be set to just use the remaining color ink.
SCANNING and COPYING. Scanning performance was Excellent, suitable for any task including archiving photos. It can scan or copy an area up to 11.7 x 8.5 inches (letter size). Copying performance was Very Good, suitable for most purposes.
CONTROLS and DISPLAY. The printer has a medium-size 2.5-inch display screen.
CONNECTIVITY and NETWORKING. It has Wireless PictBridge for direct printing from portable devices that have this feature. You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router wirelessly with WiFi. There's a WiFi Auto-connect feature that makes it easy to link to your wireless router. Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print are built-in, to print wirelessly from smartphones, tablets and PCs. You can also install Canon's app on your smart phone or tablet, as another option for printing over your WiFi network.
COST OF OWNERSHIP AND INK. When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $170, typical for an all-in-one inkjet printer. Printing uses up ink. Over time, as you print, the costs add up. This printer uses 5 cartridges. The Canon ink cartridges used in testing were the PGI-270XL BK, CLI-271XL C, CLI-271XL M, CLI-271XL Y and CLI-271XL BK. At the time, their prices were $25 for black and $20 (each) for the other four. We estimate the ink cartridges to last a short time — around 3 months — following a typical printing schedule. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total cost to be $602, very high for an inkjet. The estimated yearly cost is $216, high for this printer type. So the 3-, 4- and 5-year estimates are $818, $1034 and $1250 respectively.
NOTE. This printer was noisier than most while printing, so you might want to locate it away from sleeping areas.
PRINTER FIRMWARE. Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing. The firmware version of the Canon Pixma MG5720 was 1.030.
SOFTWARE. The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual, (and for all-in-ones:) scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a Windows 10 PC using the latest version of printer driver and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 2.90.2.20.
ABOUT THE INK CARTRIDGES, SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE. Our test results are valid only for the Canon-brand ink cartridges, and the software and firmware versions indicated. If your printer's software or firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware updates are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the Canon printer-update app installed on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or Canon's website for further guidance. Try searching online.
