Canon TS302 Wireless Inkjet Printer, Black

I’ve been using a 15 year old Dell-branded (Dell 720) Lexmark printer that I bought new in the box about six years ago. It worked well in spite of the Vista driver for it being erased with every Windows 10 update, that is until it finally stopped “communicating” with the desktop computer and other laptops. It died. I got this Canon printer to just slip into the old Lexmark’s place, connected via USB. I’m not up on the modern world of printers so I wasn’t sure what the printer end of the USB cable was that’s been vaguely mentioned for this printer (that isn’t provided). It’s the same old printer cable type as always, as seen in one of my provided pics. You won’t see the back of this thing anywhere else on the internet. The printer comes with ink, some 4×6 photo paper and power cable. USB cable is NOT provided. I set it up with the disc and chose the USB option. I have no interest in it being wireless. The installation process was SLOW as if it was trying to install to a Windows 98 computer instead of Windows 10. But once I got passed that it finally printed the alignment pages. Again, SLOW. It had me worried that this was an abnormally slow printer, but once the printer head alignment was complete and it printed a test page, it zipped right out, no problems. The setup process was tedious but not difficult. There’s a grayscale printing option in the preferences before you print to save on color ink. That option is a must for me. Most things I print don’t need to be in color. I mainly mention that because another review said that option wasn’t available. It’s there and also three options for print quality if you don’t necessarily need it in high quality. I only print auto insurance documents twice a year and the occasional shipping label for holiday gifts or the odd ebay sale (shipping label+packing slip). I just like the convenience of a little document printer being around. Nothing fancy was needed. The ink cartridges seem easily attainable at Walmart or next door at Office Depot at “fairly” reasonable prices. Reasonable as far as ink cartridge prices go…still too expensive. If you need a printer for occasional use, this one should do the job. Read the instructions and be patient during the setup and everything should be fine. I have no doubt that connecting wirelessly should be just as easy. My network was already detected by the printer software and was asking if I’d like to connect. I’ve noticed that the cheaper Amazon stock of this printer runs out quickly but is quickly restocked. Don’t pay $100 for this thing. lol What I’ve always called a “ghetto scan” does not make a scanner. lol

Tuve que devolverla, pues el cabezal de tinta negra era defectuosa. Volveré a comprar, sin duda, no obstante este mal menor. Canon es confiable, salvo en esta única ocasión en décadas de adquisiciones con calidad exitosa.

There are some very mixed reviews here but thankfully I will be providing a positive one. I did not encounter nearly any of the problems others did, namely those with installation and connection.

It came in a straight up Canon box, not an Amazon box which surprised me a little. So used to seeing that Amazon smirk on the side of a box but nope this was jsut a Canon printer box as if I’d gotten it from Best Buy or something.

It was lightweight and the printer is lightweight.. super lightweight to me anyway. It had a bunch of little orange tape tabs to remove and whatnot.

Installation: It comes w cd rom installation disk that I did not use as I have a MacBook Air and can’t use cds. I followed all the instructions for not using the cd. They give you a website to go to in order to connect computer to printer. No one else mentioned this but the website I went to was entirely in Japanese. Luckily the icons are generally universal and I was able to navigate the options regardless, but jsut in case it happens to you, don’t panic, it’s totally still doable. I followed each page of directions and went through the various setup screens with general ease. I put a WiFi password in wrong at one point but that was the only hiccup. It’s not the fastest setup on earth and things take time to load or search or connect but it was overall fairly uneventful and straightforward. After computer was connected, I did my phone and installed the canon selphy app. Also easy to do. I did test prints and everything worked.

Printer comes with some low yield cartridges which is really nice. It also comes w some photo paper which is also nice but I’d have much rathered some printer paper instead, even if just 10 sheets.

I am not in love w the top loader feature I prefer a bottom loader but beggars can’t be choosers and I was on a serious budget so a beggar I was. I’ll manage. The flat top portion is where you place a document you want to “scan”, although I would not call it scan. It is more like a copy feature. Clearly you can’t copy on this printer so if you’ve acquired a worksheet or something that you want to make several copies of, the “scan” feature using your phone will come in handy. I already use JotNot Pro app on my phone to scan docs and print them or email them to myself so this printer feature isn’t exactly novel to me, but I could see myself using it for one document that I want more copies of.

I have included many pictures of setup, screenshots, etc; as well as a video of a good portion of the setup. I’d had more from the beginning but I got a telemarketing phone call from “Sri Lanka” in the middle of recording and it stopped my video. But the video I did get should be helpful.

I am generally happy w the printer. I do prefer a white printer and very much wish this came in white. Cheap printers have horrible reviews so it was impossible finding one that people didn’t have a problem with. You have to weigh pros and cons and take the chance. This one had better reviews than other Pixmas. I had previously thought I didn’t need a desk area but realized I do and have since had fun creating a little office space for myself. It’s all still a work in progress. Update: The videos are not processing bc of their size and I can’t upload more than one.

The desk in the pics is from Amazon, but is a Walmart product from Mainstays and was only $55, for those interested. I reviewed that product as well and I am right now the only review for it if you’re considering a cheap desk. Gold wire desktop document holders are from Walmart store.

Hope this review was helpful, and that you too are someone who does not encounter any problems 🙂