Quick scoop before the ink dries

If you are still trekking into town every time you want a couple of 6x4s, you are working harder than this Canon ever will. The PIXMA TS3750i is a small, 4.19 kg all in one inkjet that quietly gets on with printing, scanning and copying without needing half your desk. At 4800 x 1200 dpi for colour it has more than enough detail for sharp text, kid’s projects and those “I swear the dog smiled” photos. Buyers keep saying the print quality is very good for the money, which is what I like to hear.

Setup is where a lot of cheap printers show their true colours, usually a blotchy grey. Here, Canon has actually kept things simple. One touch wireless connectivity, a basic LCD and support for Apple AirPrint, the Canon PRINT app and Mopria on Android means you can go from unboxing to printing from your phone in minutes, as several reviewers point out. There is USB 2.0 if you are old school, but for most folk this will live on Wi Fi, quietly waking itself up with Auto Power On whenever you send something to print.

For a compact unit (about 43.5 cm wide and 32.7 cm deep), the TS3750i packs the basics in sensibly. It handles A4, A5, B5 and custom sizes, with borderless photos up to 5x7 inch and a 6x4 inch print in around 65 seconds. So not instant, but fast enough to knock out a holiday album over a cuppa. There is a flatbed scanner on top for copying and scanning those bits of paper that people still insist on posting to you, with up to 20 copies per run. One tray, 60 sheet capacity in and out, so this is clearly meant for home use, not cranking out 200 page reports.

Ink wise it uses Canon PG‑575 / CL‑576 cartridges, with XL options if you prefer to change them less often. Several buyers mention that if you print a lot, you will burn through cartridges fairly quickly and the replacements can cost more than the printer itself. That is where Canon’s PIXMA Print Plan comes in: you can subscribe and have ink delivered automatically before you run out, paying per page rather than per cartridge. Handy if you print regularly, less so if the printer only gets used for the odd boarding pass. One important point buyers highlight: this model is not automatic duplex, so if you need double sided printing you will be flipping the paper yourself like pancakes.

If you want a cheap, compact all in one that prints crisp documents and genuinely decent borderless photos from phones, laptops and tablets, the Canon PIXMA TS3750i is a sensible bit of kit, especially at 32% off. It is ideal for families, students, home offices that print in bursts and anyone who wants lab style 6x4s without leaving the house. Skip it if you churn out big volumes, absolutely need automatic double sided printing, or hate the idea of paying for ink more often than you water your houseplants. For everyone else, it is a tidy little workhorse that earns its corner of the desk.