PRINTING. The Canon PIXMA TR7520 prints using inkjet technology, which sprays liquid ink onto the paper from a moving head. Its text printing is Good, though not as good as most inkjets. Text printing was very quick, 11.5 pages per minute, costing 5.9 cents per page. It prints color graphics well enough for most purposes, such as school reports, at 3.3 pages per minute, costing 23.3 cents per page. It prints Excellent photos on glossy paper, making it one of the best models for photographers. It has auto-duplex printing to print both on sides of the page, loss of quality. If the black ink runs out, it stops printing—it can't be set to just use the remaining color ink. The capacity of the main paper tray is 100 sheets, a typical size. There's a second input tray that can hold another 100 sheets.
SCANNING and COPYING. Scanning performance was Very Good, fine for general-purpose scanning. It can scan or copy an area up to 11.7 x 8.6 inches (letter size). Copying performance was Very Good, suitable for most purposes. It has an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for easily scanning/copying a stack of pages.
CONTROLS and DISPLAY. The printer has a 2.9-inch (diagonal size) color display screen and a touchscreen.
CONNECTIVITY and NETWORKING. You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router wirelessly with WiFi. Apple AirPrint is built in, to print wirelessly from Apple devices via your local network. You can also install Canon's app on your smart phone or tablet, as another option for printing over your WiFi network. This model has built-in faxing, can store incoming faxes if the paper runs out, and can send faxes from an attached PC.
COST OF OWNERSHIP AND INK. When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $80, cheap 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-280XXL, CLI-281XXL C, CLI-281XXL M, CLI-281XXL Y and CLI-281XXL BK. At the time, their prices were $35 for black and $27 (each) for the other four. We estimate the ink cartridges to last a reasonable amount of time — 10 months — following a typical printing schedule. After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total equivalent cost to be $246, low for an inkjet. The estimated yearly cost is $83, typical for this printer type. So the 3-, 4- and 5-year estimates are $329, $411 and $494 respectively.
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 TR7520 was 1.02.
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 3.10.2.40.
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.
