Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer Review: The Budget Home Office Workhorse?

In the modern home office or family study, the need for a reliable printer often sneaks up on you. One moment, you’re entirely digital; the next, you’re scrambling to print a concert ticket, a signed contract, or your child’s last-minute school project. The panic is real. The search begins for a machine that won’t dominate your desk space, drain your bank account, or demand a degree in IT to set up. We’ve been there, staring at a dizzying array of models, all promising the world. The real challenge is finding a device that balances cost, functionality, and ease of use—a true “all-in-one” solution that handles printing, scanning, and copying without fuss. This is the exact problem the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer aims to solve, positioning itself as the go-to choice for the budget-conscious user who needs dependable performance without unnecessary frills.

What to Demand from Your Next All-in-One Printer

An All-in-One Printer is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for centralising your document management needs at home or in a small office. It eliminates the need for separate scanners and copiers, saving valuable space and money. The main benefits are convenience and versatility. You can scan old family photos, copy important IDs, and print crisp documents or vibrant photos, all from a single, compact device. The rise of wireless connectivity means you can print directly from your phone, tablet, or laptop from anywhere in your home, untethering you from a mess of cables and a fixed workstation.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing intermittent but essential printing needs: a student printing essays, a family managing school forms and creative projects, or a home-office professional who occasionally needs to produce hard copies of invoices or reports. It’s a perfect fit for those who value convenience and a low initial investment. However, it might not be suitable for those who run a busy office with high-volume printing demands. In that scenario, the cost-per-page of inkjet cartridges can become prohibitive, and a laser printer or an inkjet with refillable tanks might be a more economical alternative in the long run.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: Printers can be surprisingly bulky. Measure your intended space carefully, accounting for not just the printer’s footprint but also the clearance needed for paper trays and opening the scanner lid. The compact design of the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer, measuring just 12.9 x 17.1 x 5.7 cm, is a significant advantage for those with limited desk real estate.
• Capacity/Performance: Look beyond the purchase price to the long-term performance. Key metrics include print speed (measured in pages per minute or ppm), print resolution (in dpi, or dots per inch), and the paper tray capacity. A 60-sheet tray, like the one on this model, is adequate for home use but would be a constant source of frustration in a busier environment requiring frequent refills.
• Materials & Durability: Budget-friendly printers are typically constructed from plastic. While perfectly functional, they may not feel as robust as their more expensive, business-oriented counterparts. Pay attention to the feel of the paper trays and access doors; these are the parts you’ll interact with most often and are the most common points of failure.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: The setup process, especially wireless connectivity, can be a major pain point. Look for models with intuitive apps and clear instructions. Maintenance primarily revolves around ink replacement. A two-cartridge system (one black, one tri-colour) is simpler to manage than a five or six-cartridge system, though potentially less efficient if you use one colour heavily.

Keeping these factors in mind, the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer stands out in several areas, particularly its compact size and straightforward functionality. You can explore its detailed specifications and features here.

While the Canon PIXMA TS3451 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:

First Impressions: Unboxing the Canon PIXMA TS3451

Opening the box of the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer, the first thing we noticed was its clean, minimalist aesthetic. The crisp white finish gives it a modern look that blends seamlessly into a home office environment rather than screaming “utility device.” It’s surprisingly lightweight at just 4 kilograms, making it easy to position on a desk or shelf without needing an extra set of hands. The contents are spartan but sufficient: the printer unit itself, a power cable, a set of starter ink cartridges (one PG-545 Black and one CL-546 Colour), and a basic user manual.

The build is, as expected for its price point, predominantly plastic. It feels solid enough for its intended purpose, though the paper support trays feel a little flimsy. The control panel is simple, featuring a 1.5-inch monochrome LCD screen and tactile buttons for basic operations like making copies or checking Wi-Fi status. There’s no fancy colour touchscreen here, but the physical buttons are responsive and straightforward. It’s a design philosophy that prioritises function over flair, a decision we appreciate in a budget-friendly machine.

Putting the PIXMA TS3451 Through Its Paces: A Performance Breakdown

A printer’s true worth is only revealed through use. We spent several weeks with the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer, using it for a variety of tasks from printing multi-page reports and scanning documents to printing the occasional borderless photo. We wanted to see if its performance lived up to its promise of simple, effective home printing, and to investigate the mixed feedback we’d seen from other users.

The Setup Experience: Plug-and-Play or Plug-and-Pray?

The setup process is often the first major hurdle for any new piece of tech, and user experiences with the PIXMA TS3451 seem to vary wildly. Some users report a seamless connection in minutes, while others describe hours of frustration. In our testing, we found the truth lies somewhere in the middle and depends entirely on the method you choose. The included paper manual is sparse and not particularly helpful for Wi-Fi setup, which likely explains some of the user difficulties. Our advice: ignore the paper manual and go straight to the Canon PRINT app on your smartphone.

Using the app, the process was remarkably smooth. It guides you step-by-step, from removing the packaging tape and installing the ink cartridges to connecting the printer to our home Wi-Fi network. The entire wireless setup took about 15 minutes. From there, printing from our phones (both Android and iOS) was immediate and painless. We also tested the connection from a Windows 10 PC, which also connected quickly once the printer was on the network. However, we could see how things might go wrong. One user noted the difficulty in connecting without a home hotspot, and indeed, using the Wi-Fi Direct feature is a less intuitive process that requires you to manually connect your device to the printer’s own network. For the vast majority of users, connecting through a standard home Wi-Fi router via the app is the path of least resistance and delivers on the promise of easy wireless printing.

Everyday Print Quality: Documents, Reports, and Photos

For a printer in this category, the primary job is to produce crisp, legible text documents, and here, the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer excels. With a maximum resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi, black text is sharp and clear, with no smudging or feathering, even on standard copy paper. It’s more than adequate for school reports, business letters, or printing web pages. The print speed for black and white documents is rated at 7.7 ppm, which is slow but acceptable for light home use. You wouldn’t want to print a 100-page manuscript, but for a few pages at a time, it gets the job done without issue.

Colour printing is more of a mixed bag. The speed drops significantly to 4 ppm, so printing a full-page colour graphic feels noticeably slow. The quality is decent for embedded charts, graphs, or school projects. Colours are reasonably vibrant, though not as punchy as you’d get from a dedicated photo printer. We tested the borderless photo printing on 13 x 18 cm glossy paper. The results were pleasant, producing nice-looking snapshots for a family album or a pinboard. However, one user reported significant colour accuracy issues after just a few prints, with a green image coming out orange. This often points to a clogged nozzle or a faulty cartridge, highlighting that while the quality can be good, consistency might be an issue, especially as the ink levels drop. This isn’t a machine for professional photographers, but for the occasional family photo, it’s a perfectly capable performer.

The Elephant in the Room: Ink Costs and Cartridge Longevity

This is arguably the most critical aspect of owning the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer. The low initial purchase price is incredibly attractive, but it’s a classic “razor and blades” business model. The real cost lies in the ink. A flood of user feedback confirms our own findings: the included starter cartridges have a shockingly low yield. Several users reported receiving “tanks empty” warnings after printing as few as 30-40 pages. We experienced the same, with the low ink warning appearing after printing about 20 mixed text and colour pages and a handful of photos.

These starter cartridges are designed for setup, alignment, and a few initial prints—nothing more. It is essential that any potential buyer factors in the cost of a new set of cartridges almost immediately. The printer uses the PG-545 (black) and CL-546 (colour) cartridges. Our strong recommendation is to purchase the high-yield XL versions (PG-545XL and CL-546XL) from the outset. While more expensive upfront, they contain significantly more ink and offer a much more reasonable cost-per-page, saving you money and hassle in the long run. As one user lamented, the cartridges are not designed to be refilled, locking you into Canon’s ecosystem. This ink system is the single biggest trade-off you make for the printer’s low price.

All-in-One Functionality: Scanning, Copying, and Usability

Beyond printing, the scanner and copier functions add significant value. The flatbed scanner is simple to use, both from the printer’s control panel and through the Canon software on a PC. It’s perfectly adept at scanning documents for digital archiving or capturing old photos at a decent resolution. The copy function is also a highlight, allowing you to make black-and-white or colour copies with the press of a single button, no computer required. This is incredibly convenient for quick jobs like copying a receipt or an ID card.

However, the machine’s budget origins are most apparent during operation. As several users noted, it is quite noisy. The printing process involves a series of whirs, clunks, and clicks that are surprisingly loud. One user aptly described it as “scarna” (bare-bones), with the sounds seeming to “rebound” inside the hollow plastic chassis. This is not a printer for a quiet library; it makes its presence known when it’s working. The rear paper tray holds only 60 sheets, which is fine for occasional use but means frequent refilling for any larger jobs. These are not deal-breakers, but they are reminders that this is an entry-level device built to a price point.

What Other Users Are Saying

Scouring feedback from a wide range of users, a clear consensus emerges. On the positive side, many are “absolutely satisfied,” praising the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer for its excellent price-to-quality ratio. Users frequently highlight that for a home user, “it does the job” perfectly, citing the easy mobile and PC connection as a major plus. One German user called it the “best printer I know” for its price and performance, specifically complimenting the affordable two-cartridge system.

On the other hand, the negative feedback is just as consistent. The most common and forceful complaint is about the starter ink. One user stated the supplied cartridges “don’t last long at all” and felt they were only “1/4 full.” Another was shocked to see an “ink tanks empty” message after printing just 40 pages. The second major theme is the operational noise, with multiple users describing it as “a bit noisy” or even loud. Finally, while many found the setup easy, a significant minority found it “rather complicated to connect to the phone,” particularly if the instructions weren’t followed precisely.

How Does the Canon PIXMA TS3451 Compare to the Competition?

The Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer operates in a crowded market. While it offers compelling value, specific needs might be better served by a different type of machine. Here’s how it stacks up against some popular alternatives.

1. Canon PIXMA TS7450i All-in-One Printer with Wi-Fi ADF

The TS7450i is essentially the TS3451’s more ambitious older sibling. For a higher initial cost, you gain several key features that make it better suited for a more demanding home office. The most significant upgrade is the 35-sheet Automatic Document Feeder (ADF), which allows you to scan or copy multi-page documents without feeding them one by one. It also boasts faster print speeds and supports a wider range of creative media, including magnetic photo paper and iron-on transfers. If you scan multi-page documents regularly or need slightly faster output, the step up to the TS7450i is a worthwhile investment.

2. HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 Wide Format All-in-One Printer

The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 plays in a completely different league. This is a business-focused machine whose standout feature is wide-format printing, allowing it to handle paper sizes up to A3. This makes it ideal for users who need to print spreadsheets, posters, or architectural drawings. With a much larger paper capacity, faster print speeds, and robust networking features, it’s designed for a high-volume small office environment. It is significantly larger and more expensive, making it overkill for the casual home user but an excellent choice for those with specialised, large-format printing needs.

3. Brother MFC-L2835DW Mono Laser Printer Auto 2-Sided

This Brother model represents a fundamental choice: inkjet versus laser. As a monochrome laser printer, the MFC-L2835DW cannot print in colour. However, it completely dominates in areas where the PIXMA TS3451 is weak. It offers lightning-fast print speeds, automatic duplex (2-sided) printing, and a far lower cost-per-page thanks to high-yield toner cartridges. This printer is the perfect alternative for a user who prints large volumes of text-based documents and prioritises speed and long-term running costs above all else. If you don’t need colour printing, a mono laser like this is almost always the more economical choice.

Our Final Verdict: Is the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer Right for You?

After extensive testing, our verdict on the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer is clear: it is an excellent machine for the right person. If your printing needs are light, infrequent, and varied—a school report one day, a concert ticket the next, a photo a month later—this printer offers incredible value. Its compact size, clean design, and easy mobile printing (when set up via the app) make it a wonderfully convenient addition to a modern home. It delivers solid quality for documents and acceptable quality for photos, all at one of the lowest initial price points on the market.

However, it is crucial to go in with your eyes open. The true cost of ownership is in the ink, and the included starter cartridges are fleeting. We would not recommend this printer for anyone running a business from home, students who need to print hundreds of pages of reading material, or anyone sensitive to operational noise. For those users, a laser printer or an inkjet with refillable tanks would be a much wiser long-term investment. But for the casual user who has been caught without a printer one too many times, the PIXMA TS3451 is a reliable, affordable, and capable solution.

If you’ve decided the Canon PIXMA TS3451 All-in-One Printer is the right fit for your home, you can check its current price and availability here.