Canon PIXMA G650 MegaTank printer review

Canon’s latest MegaTank high-volume printer runs on six dye-based inks, aimed squarely at delivering quality photo output

Canon Pixma G620 / Canon Pixma G650
(Image: © Matthew Richards/Digital Camera World)

Digital Camera World Verdict

Like Epson’s EcoTank printers, Canon’s MegaTank models have ink tanks that can be replenished with bottled ink, instead of running on cartridges. The Canon PIXMA G650/G660/G620 is designed with photo output in mind, running on six dye-based inks. It’s ideal for photographers who want to print photos at any size up to A4 (8.5x11-inch), and even for panoramic output up to 1.2 metres in length. The purchase price is very competitive and the printer can save you a small fortune in running costs, while delivering excellent quality output for both mono and color photo prints.

Pros

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    Up to a 90 per cent saving in ink costs.

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    Impressive photo print quality

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    Intuitive refilling system

Cons

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    Not as fast as most cartridge-based printers

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    No touchscreen

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    No internal paper feed cassette

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Wouldn’t it be great if you could print photos without the perpetual worry of ink cartridges running out, and the expense of replacing them? That’s the idea behind the Canon PIXMA G650 (G660 in Australia, G620 in North America). Like Canon’s previous MegaTank inkjet printers, it’s a cartridge-free machine that has relatively high-volume ink tanks, topped up by 60ml bottles of ink. As expected, the printer costs more to buy than regular cartridge-based models and, as such, it’s about twice the price of the popular 6-ink PIXMA TS8350 (TS8320 in America). However, that printer comes with relatively low-capacity ‘setup cartridges’ so you’ll soon need to buy replacements. And that’s the frustration. A full set of XXL cartridges will set you back around £121/$170, and the five that are used for photo printing only contain 11.7ml of ink each. By stark contrast, the MegaTank printer comes complete with a full set of 60ml, and a replacement set only costs around £80/$95. Suffice it to say that ink costs per page are only about one tenth of the cost.

See also Best Canon printer •  Best ink refill printer

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.