Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer Review: The Home Office Workhorse That Sips, Not Gulps, Ink

I remember the feeling all too well. It’s a Sunday evening, my daughter has a major school project due tomorrow, and just as the final, crucial colour chart begins to print, the dreaded “Low Ink” warning flashes. A frantic search reveals we’re out of the Cyan cartridge, and every local shop is closed. This scenario, a minor domestic crisis born from the relentless churn of expensive ink cartridges, is a frustration shared by countless families and home office workers. For years, the printer industry felt like a trap; the hardware was affordable, but the running costs were astronomical. We were held hostage by tiny, overpriced plastic cartridges that seemed to run dry after printing just a handful of holiday photos. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it stifles productivity and creativity, making you think twice before printing anything that isn’t absolutely essential. The search for a better way, a more economical and sustainable solution, led us directly to the new generation of tank-based printers.

What to Consider Before Buying an All-In-One Printer

An All-In-One Printer is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for consolidating the essential functions of a modern office or busy household into a single, compact device. It solves the problem of clutter by replacing a separate printer, scanner, copier, and sometimes even a fax machine, with one central hub. The main benefits are efficiency, space-saving, and often, cost-effectiveness. Instead of managing drivers, power cords, and supplies for multiple machines, you have a single point of contact for all your document management needs, from printing school assignments and scanning important receipts to making quick copies of legal documents.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing a consistent, moderate-to-high volume of printing and scanning. This includes students printing research papers, families managing schoolwork and photo printing, or small business owners creating invoices and marketing materials from a home office. For these users, the long-term value and versatility are paramount. However, an all-in-one might not be suitable for those who print only a few pages a month. For such light users, the features of an AIO might be overkill, and a simpler, more basic printer could suffice. Similarly, professional photographers or graphic designers who require gallery-quality prints with specialised colour accuracy might look towards dedicated, high-end photo printers rather than a general-purpose AIO.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: Printers, especially AIOs, can have a surprisingly large footprint. The Canon PIXMA G4570 measures 41.6W x 33.7D x 21.2H cm, which is relatively compact, but you must also account for clearance. You’ll need space above to open the scanner lid and access the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), and space at the front for the paper output tray. Always measure your intended desk or shelf space before purchasing to ensure a comfortable fit.
• Capacity/Performance: This is where you separate the workhorses from the toys. Look beyond just print speed (measured in ipm – images per minute). Consider the paper tray capacity; the G4570’s 100-sheet input is standard for home use but might be small for a busy office. Most importantly for a tank printer, look at page yield. With up to 6,000 black and 7,700 colour pages from a single set of bottles, the G4570’s performance metric is endurance and low running cost, not just raw speed. The inclusion of a 35-page ADF is also a massive performance booster for multi-page scanning tasks.
• Materials & Durability: The vast majority of consumer-grade printers are housed in plastic. While it may not feel as premium as metal, modern plastics are robust and designed to withstand the rigours of daily home office use. Look for a solid feel in moving parts like paper trays and scanner hinges. Canon has a long-standing reputation for building reliable hardware, and the G4570 feels sturdy and well-constructed, with no excessive creaking or flimsy components.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: A printer should simplify your life, not complicate it. Consider the setup process, wireless connectivity, and the user interface. An intuitive LCD screen, like the one on the G4570, can make standalone copying or settings changes much easier. For maintenance, ink tank printers like this one have a different approach. Instead of swapping cartridges, you refill tanks from bottles, a process that happens far less frequently but requires a steady hand. The keyed, spill-proof bottle design on the G4570 makes this process remarkably clean and simple.

Keeping these factors in mind, the Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer stands out in several areas, particularly in performance and long-term maintenance. You can explore its detailed specifications here.

While the Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

Unboxing the G4570: A First Look at Canon’s MegaTank Solution

Pulling the Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer from its box, the first impression is one of dense, functional design. It’s a compact black box of productivity, feeling solid and well-put-together at 7.2 kilograms. There are no flimsy panels or worrying creaks; it feels like a serious piece of equipment designed for longevity. The setup process, often a point of anxiety with new printers, was refreshingly straightforward. The real highlight, however, was the ink. Instead of tiny, foil-wrapped cartridges, the box contains four substantial bottles of ink—Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. Filling the tanks is the most satisfying part of the setup. Each bottle has a unique nozzle that keys perfectly with its corresponding tank, preventing you from accidentally pouring magenta into the cyan tank. You simply upend the bottle, and it fills the tank automatically, stopping when full without squeezing or spills. Watching the clear windows on the front of the printer fill with vibrant ink is a visual confirmation that you are ready for thousands of pages, a stark contrast to the fleeting life of a traditional cartridge.

Putting the Canon PIXMA G4570 to the Test: A Performance Deep Dive

A printer’s true worth is revealed not on its spec sheet, but through weeks of real-world use. We integrated the Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer into our busy home office environment, subjecting it to a barrage of tasks: printing lengthy text-heavy reports, scanning stacks of invoices, copying kids’ artwork, and producing the occasional glossy family photograph. It’s in this daily grind that the G4570 truly begins to show its character—that of a reliable, cost-conscious workhorse.

The MegaTank System: A True Game-Changer for Printing Costs

Let’s be blunt: the single most compelling reason to buy this printer is the MegaTank system. It fundamentally changes your relationship with printing. In our testing, after setting it up and printing over 500 pages of mixed documents and photos, the ink levels in the front-facing windows had barely moved. This visual feedback is incredibly reassuring. The psychological freedom from “ink anxiety”—the fear of running out of ink at a critical moment—cannot be overstated.

The numbers are staggering. Canon quotes up to 6,000 pages in black and white or 7,700 in colour from a single set of bottles. For the average family or small business, that could easily translate to one or two years of printing before needing a refill. When you compare the cost of a full set of replacement ink bottles to the cost of the dozens of traditional cartridges you would have needed to achieve the same volume, the savings are not just significant; they’re transformative. The cost-per-page plummets to a fraction of a penny, making it feel almost free to print. This encourages you to use the printer more freely, whether it’s for printing drafts, colouring pages for the kids, or archiving digital photos physically. The long-term savings are significant, making the initial investment in the Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer an incredibly smart financial decision for anyone who prints regularly.

Print Quality: From Crisp Text Documents to Vibrant Photos

All the ink in the world is useless if the output is poor, but we found the G4570 delivers impressive quality across the board. Leveraging its 4800 x 1200 dpi resolution, text documents were a standout. We printed a 50-page business proposal, and the text was consistently sharp, with clean edges and deep blacks that could easily be mistaken for a laser printer’s output at a glance. There was no smudging or feathering, even on standard, inexpensive copy paper.

Colour performance was equally strong for business graphics and general use. Charts and graphs in our reports were rendered with vibrant, accurate colours and smooth gradients. Where the G4570 surprised us was in its photo printing capability. We tested it with a few 4×6 and A4-sized photos on Canon’s glossy photo paper. The ability to print borderless is a huge plus for photos, giving them a professional finish. Colours were rich and well-saturated, and while it may not match the nuance and colour gamut of a dedicated six-ink photo printer, the results were more than beautiful enough for framing, scrapbooking, or sharing with family. It strikes an excellent balance, making it a true all-rounder for document and creative printing needs.

All-in-One Functionality: Scanning, Copying, and the Mighty ADF

The feature that elevates the Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer from a simple printer to a true office hub is its 35-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). For anyone who needs to digitize multi-page documents, this is a non-negotiable feature. We tested it by scanning a 25-page signed contract. Instead of the tedious process of lifting the lid, placing a page, scanning, and repeating 25 times, we simply placed the stack in the ADF and started the job from our PC. It processed the entire stack flawlessly in a few minutes, creating a single, organized PDF. This feature alone is a massive time-saver and a productivity booster.

The flatbed scanner itself performs well, offering enough resolution to capture fine detail in old photographs or create clear digital copies of IDs and receipts. The copier function is simple to operate directly from the printer’s control panel and LCD screen, perfect for when you need a quick copy without turning on a computer. The inclusion of fax functionality feels a bit dated in the age of email, but for certain legal, medical, or business professions that still rely on it, its presence adds another layer of utility, cementing the G4570’s status as a comprehensive office tool.

Connectivity and Usability: Setup, Software, and Day-to-Day Operation

Getting the G4570 onto our Wi-Fi network was handled smoothly through the Canon PRINT mobile app. The app guided us through the steps, and within about ten minutes, we were printing wirelessly from our laptops, tablets, and smartphones. This wireless freedom is essential in a modern home where documents and photos live on multiple devices. The printer supports a range of services, including Apple AirPrint and Mopria for Android, ensuring broad compatibility without the need for dedicated drivers on mobile devices.

The on-device controls are managed via a small LCD screen and tactile buttons. While it lacks the slickness of a colour touchscreen found on more expensive models, we found the physical buttons to be reliable and the menu system logical and easy to navigate. However, there is one significant usability compromise: the manual duplexing. To print on both sides of a page, the printer first prints all the odd-numbered pages. Then, you must take the entire stack from the output tray, flip it over, and re-insert it into the input tray to print the even-numbered pages. While it works, it’s a clunky process that interrupts workflow. For those who frequently print long, double-sided documents, the lack of automatic duplexing is the G4570’s most notable weakness.

What Other Users Are Saying

While we conducted our own extensive testing, we also analyzed user feedback to get a broader perspective. The sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, centering on one key theme: the incredible value and freedom provided by the MegaTank system. Users consistently express delight and relief at no longer being tethered to expensive ink cartridges, with many noting they’ve printed for months without seeing the ink levels drop significantly. The convenience of the ADF is another frequently praised feature, highlighted by small business owners and students who regularly scan multi-page documents.

On the critical side, the feedback aligns perfectly with our own findings. The most common point of frustration is the lack of automatic duplex printing. Several users mentioned that while manageable, the manual process is cumbersome and feels like an odd omission on an otherwise feature-rich device. A smaller number of users noted that the initial Wi-Fi setup could be a bit temperamental, sometimes requiring a second attempt to connect successfully, though most eventually get it working without major issues.

How Does the Canon PIXMA G4570 Compare to the Competition?

The Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer exists in a competitive market. To understand its place, it’s helpful to compare it against some popular alternatives, each catering to a different user need.

1. Epson WorkForce WF-2110W

The Epson WorkForce WF-2110W represents the traditional cartridge-based printer model. Its primary advantage is a lower upfront purchase price and an extremely compact design, making it suitable for users with very tight spaces and infrequent printing needs. However, the comparison ends there. The WF-2110W uses standard ink cartridges, meaning its long-term running costs will be significantly higher than the G4570’s. It also lacks an Automatic Document Feeder and fax capabilities. This Epson is a better choice for someone who prints perhaps 10-20 pages per month and prioritizes the lowest possible initial cost and smallest footprint over all other factors.

2. Brother DCP-1612W Wireless Mono Laser Printer

The Brother DCP-1612W is a completely different beast: a monochrome laser printer. If your printing world consists exclusively of black-and-white text documents—like reports, invoices, or shipping labels—this Brother model is a strong contender. Laser printers offer faster print speeds for text and produce incredibly sharp, smudge-proof output. The toner cartridges also yield a high number of pages, though typically not as many as the G4570’s ink bottles. The choice is clear: if you need colour, photo capability, or a full-featured scanner with an ADF, the Canon G4570 is the only option. If you value speed and crisp text above all else and never need to print in colour, the Brother is a more specialized tool for the job.

3. Canon PIXMA TS3450 Multifunction Inkjet Printer

This is Canon’s own entry-level, cartridge-based alternative. The PIXMA TS3450 is designed for the extremely budget-conscious user who prints very rarely. Its initial cost is a fraction of the G4570’s, making it highly accessible. However, it operates on the classic “razor and blades” model; the printer is cheap, but the ink cartridges are expensive and have a low page yield. It also lacks an ADF and fax capabilities. Choosing between these two Canons is a simple matter of economics and usage. The TS3450 is for the person who might print a concert ticket once a month. The G4570 is a strategic investment for anyone who prints weekly, saving them a substantial amount of money over the life of the printer.

Our Final Verdict: Is the Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer Right for You?

After weeks of rigorous use, our conclusion is clear: the Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer is a superb machine that delivers on its core promise of high-volume, low-cost printing. It successfully dismantles the frustrating and expensive cycle of ink cartridge replacement. The upfront cost is higher than a basic inkjet, but this is an investment, not an expense. The astronomical page yields mean the printer will pay for itself many times over in ink savings for any moderately active user.

Its strengths are undeniable: fantastic running costs, great document and photo quality, and the huge productivity boost from the 35-page ADF. The only significant drawback is the manual duplexing, which is a workflow inconvenience for those with heavy double-sided printing needs. If you can live with that compromise, you’re getting a powerful, versatile, and incredibly economical hub for your home or small office. If you print regularly and are ready to declare independence from the tyranny of the ink cartridge, this is one of the smartest purchases you can make.

If you’ve decided the Canon PIXMA G4570 MegaTank All-in-One Printer is the right fit, you can check its current price and purchase it here.