This is The Digital Story Podcast #954, July 2, 2024. Today's theme is "How Megatank Printers Change Everything - Canon G620 Review." I'm Derrick Story.
Opening Monologue
When my aging All-In-One Canon printer rattled out its final 5x7, I began shopping for a replacement. There are many options in this category, but I wanted to take advantage of the latest innovations. That's when I discovered that mega-tank printers were becoming viable for cost-consciousness photographers. I opted for a 6-ink Canon Pixma G620. And Oh My how things have changed. Find out how on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.
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How Megatank Printers Change Everything - Canon G620 Review
My dedicated photo printer is the venerable Canon Pro-100. It has 8 ink cartridges, each with 13 ML of fluid. A full replacement set costs $120. Based on the reporting of other photographers, ink costs per 4"x6" print is about 50 cents per. The Pro-100 produces lovely prints and has served my well for years.
My new Canon PIXMA G620 Printer ($249) is a 6-ink printer with user-replaceable print heads and is refueled with 57 ML ink bottles that cost $15 each - $90 for a complete set which can output approximately 3,800 4"x6" prints at about 2.5 cents each.
One Canon GI-23 bottle of ink contains more fluid than 4 Canon CLI-42 cartridges for the Canon Pro-100 that sell for $17 each.
This is quite a difference! Are we giving up print quality or longevity? Not at all. Both printers are dye-based. The Chromalife 100 System 3 ink in the G620 protects your photos from fading up to 100 Years in a photo album, 30 Years behind glass (Light Fastness), or 20 Years without the glass (Gas Fastness), approximately the same as prints from the Canon Pro-100.
The Canon G620 is developing an interesting reputation among reviewers. Across the board they agree that the photo output is amazing, worthy of serious enthusiast photographers.
But as a multi-functional device is has shortcomings compared to the competition - slower page output, no duplex printing, no automatic document feeder, and a very basic LCD panel. I agree with all of these nits.
But I'm a photographer who sometimes prints documents. And the photo output is more important to me than document speed. The Canon PRINT app allows me to set up jobs directly from my iPhone. And the scanner and copier work great.
Maximum print size is 8.5"x14". So, for the bulk of my daily work, the G620 works fine. And if I need bigger, my Pro-100 is still firing on all cylinders.
But there is one important drawback for Mac users. Canon leans on the AirPrint driver for the Mac, so you can't use ICC profiles. Red River paper has published a set of ICC profiles for the G620, but they can only be used via Windows machines.
I was more worried about this until I actually started printing. Setting up the jobs with the proper parameters such as paper surface and quality, the output was fantastic. I know I should be missing the ICC profiles. But to be honest, I can't say that I would get anything better out of the printer using them.
Bottom Line
The Canon PIXMA G620 Printer has changed my everyday printing. It's affordable to run, had great image quality, and I feel much better about tossing less stuff in the landfill.
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Virtual Camera Club News
The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.
Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.
Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.
If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.
The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.
Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.
Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.
See you next week!
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