In the modern household, the humble printer has become an unsung hero. It’s the silent partner that brings school projects to life, prints last-minute concert tickets, churns out shipping labels for online returns, and even preserves family memories in glossy photo form. Yet, for such an essential device, finding one that just *works* can feel like an impossible task. I’ve been there myself: battling cryptic error messages, wrestling with Wi-Fi connections that drop at the most inconvenient times, and staring in disbelief at the astronomical cost of ink cartridges. The frustration is real. A printer that fails is more than an inconvenience; it’s a roadblock to productivity, a source of family tension, and a drain on the wallet. That’s why we were so eager to put the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer through its paces. It promises affordable, high-quality, wireless printing for the home. The question is, does it deliver on that promise, or is it another chapter in the saga of printer despair?
- WIRELESS PRINTER: Enjoy crisp prints & photos (with up to 100 years of album life) direct from your phone - ideal photo & document printer
- PHOTO PRINTING: Enjoy vivid, long-lasting photos from this photo printer with Canon XL or FINE ink cartridges & ChromaLife100 Ink - ideal for creative projects
What to Consider Before Buying an All-in-One Inkjet Printer
An All-in-One Inkjet Printer is more than just a box that puts ink on paper; it’s a key solution for consolidating your home office needs into a single, compact footprint. It solves the problem of needing separate devices for printing documents, scanning old photos or important receipts, and making quick copies. The main benefits are significant savings in space, cost, and convenience. Instead of cluttering your desk with three different machines, you have one that handles everything, often with the added freedom of wireless connectivity, allowing you to print directly from your phone, tablet, or laptop from anywhere in the house.
The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the daily demands of a busy household or a small home office. This includes parents printing homework and creative projects for their children, students needing to submit hard copies of essays, or remote workers who occasionally need to print reports or scan signed documents. It’s for the family that wants to print holiday photos without a trip to the photo lab. Conversely, it might not be suitable for those who run a business with high-volume monochrome printing needs, as the cost-per-page of an inkjet can be higher than a dedicated laser printer. For them, a monochrome laser printer might be a more economical alternative for text-heavy tasks.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: A home printer needs to fit into your life, literally. Measure the space on your desk or shelf where you plan to put it. The Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer measures 42.5 x 31.5 x 14.7 cm, which is relatively compact, but you still need to account for the space required to open the scanner lid and extend the paper trays. Always check the dimensions to avoid a frustrating surprise upon unboxing.
- Capacity/Performance: This covers print speed, resolution, and paper handling. Print speed is measured in pages per minute (PPM)—the TS5150 offers 13 ppm for black and white and 6.8 ppm for colour, which is standard for home use. Resolution, measured in dots per inch (DPI), determines quality; its 4800 x 1200 DPI is excellent for photos. Also, consider paper capacity; a 100-sheet tray is fine for home use but might feel limiting for a bustling office. Thinking about these performance metrics can help you find a model that perfectly matches your needs.
- Materials & Durability: Most home printers, including this one, are constructed from durable plastic. This keeps them lightweight and affordable. While they aren’t built like industrial machines, a well-cared-for home printer should last for several years. Look for solid-feeling trays and hinges, as these are the parts you’ll interact with most frequently.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: This is arguably the most critical factor. How easy is the initial setup? Can it reliably connect to your Wi-Fi? The cost and availability of ink cartridges are a huge part of long-term maintenance. The Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer uses a two-cartridge system (one black, one tri-colour), which is simple but can be wasteful if you use one colour more than others.
Understanding these elements will empower you to choose a printer that not only meets your immediate needs but also proves to be a reliable and cost-effective partner for years to come.
While the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer is an excellent choice for many, 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:
- Wide range of features
- More for you in it! original HP 2-pack ink cartridges
- CANON INK: Value Pack includes black & colour inks & 50 sheets of Glossy Photo Paper - genuine Canon Ink provides consistent quality prints 100% of the time
First Impressions: Compact Design, Big Potential
Unboxing the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer revealed a surprisingly compact and sleek device. In a world of bulky office equipment, its modest footprint is a welcome sight for any home desk. The matte black plastic finish feels solid enough for its price point, and the design is clean and unobtrusive. The front panel, which tilts manually, houses a small but functional colour LCD screen and straightforward navigation buttons. This is a nice touch, allowing you to operate the printer without needing a computer for basic copy or scan functions.
Two features immediately stood out during our initial inspection. First, the dual paper feeder system—a front cassette for plain A4 paper and a rear tray that can be used for photo paper or envelopes. This is a genuinely useful feature, saving you the hassle of swapping paper types every time you want to print a photo. Second, the promise of extensive wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cloud services set high expectations. Initial setup involves removing a few pieces of orange transit tape, installing the two FINE ink cartridges (one black, one colour), and loading paper. From a hardware perspective, it’s a five-minute job. The real test, as we would soon discover, lay in the software and network configuration. But out of the box, it presented itself as a capable and thoughtfully designed machine ready for home duty.
What We Like
- Excellent print quality, especially for photos on dedicated paper.
- Automatic duplex printing saves paper and effort.
- Versatile connectivity options (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cloud).
- Dual paper trays for handling different media types simultaneously.
Drawbacks
- Wireless setup can be extremely difficult and time-consuming.
- Tri-colour ink cartridge system can be wasteful and costly.
A Deep Dive into the Canon PIXMA TS5150’s Performance
A printer’s value is ultimately determined by how it performs day-to-day. It’s about more than just the specs on a box; it’s about reliability, quality, and the overall user experience. We pushed the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer through a gauntlet of real-world home and office tasks to see where it shines and where it stumbles.
The Setup Saga: A True Test of Patience
Let’s be blunt: setting up the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer can be a deeply frustrating experience. This was a sentiment echoed in numerous user reviews and one we can personally corroborate. While the physical setup is a breeze, getting the printer to reliably connect to a Wi-Fi network and be recognized by multiple devices is another story entirely. Our initial attempt, following the included paper instructions, failed when the printer refused to see our BT Home Hub. As one user with an IT background noted, you often have to abandon the manual and “go by instinct.”
We spent the better part of an evening wrestling with it. The process involved downloading drivers, using the Canon PRINT app, and eventually resorting to a direct USB connection to force the wireless settings onto the printer. It required router resets and multiple attempts across a Windows 10 PC, an iMac, and an Android smartphone. The good news? Once the connection was finally established, it was stable. Like other users, we found that once the initial hurdle was cleared, all our networked devices—PCs and Macs alike—could see and print to the TS5150 without issue. However, the path to that point is not for the faint of heart or the technologically impatient. This initial setup is the single biggest flaw of this otherwise capable machine.
Print & Scan Quality: The Redeeming Grace
If the setup process is the printer’s greatest weakness, its output quality is its greatest strength. This is where the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer truly shines and justifies the initial frustration. For a budget-friendly all-in-one, the results are genuinely impressive. Text documents are sharp, with crisp, dark black lettering that rivals more expensive models. We printed everything from school reports to business invoices, and the text was consistently clean and professional.
But the real star of the show is photo printing. Leveraging its 4800 x 1200 dpi resolution and ChromaLife100 ink system, the printer produces vibrant, detailed, and colourful photos when paired with Canon’s own glossy photo paper. We printed a series of high-resolution images, and the colours were rich and accurate, with smooth gradations and no noticeable banding. One user shared a photo printed on plain paper that looked remarkably good, and we found this to be true—even on standard A4, colours pop more than you’d expect. The flatbed scanner also performs admirably, capturing documents and photos with excellent detail and colour fidelity. The ability to preview a scan directly on the printer’s LCD screen, as another happy user pointed out, is a small but highly convenient feature. For anyone who values the final printed product above all else, this printer’s outstanding quality is a major selling point.
Connectivity and Day-to-Day Use: A Mixed Bag
Once you’ve conquered the setup, using the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer can be a joy… when it works. The wireless freedom is fantastic. Being able to print a document directly from a smartphone using the Canon PRINT app or AirPrint from an iPad is incredibly convenient for a modern family. We found ourselves printing recipes from the kitchen and photos from the living room sofa with ease.
However, the experience isn’t flawless. We, like other users, encountered periods where the printer would seem to fall asleep on the network. A print job would be sent, and the printer would either churn and whir for ages with a “processing data” message that went nowhere, or simply do nothing at all. These moments of unresponsiveness often required either restarting the printer or the device sending the job. Several users reported resorting to a USB cable just to get a reliable connection, which defeats the purpose of a wireless printer. Furthermore, the physical design has its quirks. The paper cassette that slides under the output tray was described by one user as “clunky and frustrating,” and we agree. It feels a bit flimsy and awkward to operate. These intermittent connection issues and design quirks prevent the printer from being the seamless device it aspires to be.
Running Costs: The Hidden Price of Admission
The initial purchase price of the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer is very attractive, but the true cost of ownership lies in the ink. This printer uses a two-cartridge system: one for black ink and a single tri-colour cartridge for cyan, magenta, and yellow. This system has a significant drawback. If you print a lot of blue documents and run out of cyan, you have to replace the entire tri-colour cartridge, even if the magenta and yellow chambers are still full. This is inherently wasteful and can become very expensive.
One user, who bought the printer for training handouts, reported having to change the colour cartridge twice and the black cartridge once within the first two weeks. This indicates a high ink consumption, especially for colour-heavy documents. While Canon offers higher-yield XL cartridges that bring the cost-per-page down, this printer is not designed for high-volume printing. It is best suited for households with light to moderate printing needs—a few pages of homework here, a shipping label there, and the occasional photo. For anyone planning to print dozens of pages every week, the ongoing ink costs are a critical factor to consider before you commit to this otherwise affordable printer.
What Other Users Are Saying
After thoroughly testing the printer, we turned to a wider pool of user feedback to see how our experience compared. The consensus on the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer is starkly divided, creating a classic “love it or hate it” scenario. On one hand, many users praise it as a fantastic value proposition. One happy customer noted, “A great printer for a low price easy to set up and easy to use prints well both documents and photos.” Another highlighted its family-friendly nature: “we use it for returns and for the children’s homework… I print from my phone, this is very easy and convenient.” These reviews reflect the printer’s core strengths: excellent output quality for an affordable price, and great mobile printing capabilities—once it’s working.
On the other end of the spectrum is a significant group of users who have been plagued by technical issues. The difficult setup is a common starting point, but the complaints often extend to long-term reliability. Reports of constant paper jams, even when no paper is stuck, are frequent. One frustrated user warned, “Worst printer ever! Keep getting paper jammed! But nothing there and not even a month old!! Avoid buying this at any cost!!!!” Others report persistent software glitches, faulty connections, and cryptic error messages that render the machine useless. This feedback confirms our own mixed experience: the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer is a machine of high potential but questionable consistency.
Alternatives to the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer
While the Canon PIXMA TS5150 is designed as a general-purpose home printer, your specific needs might call for a completely different type of machine. It’s important to consider specialized alternatives if your printing tasks go beyond simple documents and photos.
1. Procolored VF13Pro 2-In-1 UV DTF Printer
- Revolutionary All-in-One UV DTF Printer: Integrated Printing and Laminating System - Combines UV printing with instant film transfer in one step, creating 3D raised effects, glossy varnish,...
- High resolution and fast printing: Dual XP600 print heads provide 720x1440dpi accuracy, print speed of 1m2/hr, and maximum width of 33cm. Simultaneous color + gloss varnish printing ensures vivid...
Comparing the Procolored VF13Pro to the Canon PIXMA TS5150 is like comparing a professional chef’s knife to a standard kitchen utility knife. They both cut, but they are built for entirely different worlds. The Canon is your everyday tool for printing homework, recipes, and return labels on paper. The Procolored VF13Pro is a highly specialized commercial-grade machine for creative entrepreneurs and small businesses. It doesn’t print on paper; it prints durable, adhesive UV DTF stickers that can be applied to hard surfaces like cups, tumblers, metal, wood, and glass. If your goal is to start a side business creating custom promotional items or personalized gifts, the Canon is completely unsuitable. The Procolored VF13Pro, with its dual printheads and advanced capabilities, is the right tool for that specific, professional job, though it comes with a significantly higher price tag and learning curve.
Final Verdict: A Capable Printer for the Patient User
After extensive testing, our verdict on the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer is one of qualified recommendation. This is a printer with a dual personality. On its best days, it’s a fantastic home companion, delivering print quality that punches well above its weight class, especially with photos. Features like automatic duplexing and dual paper trays are genuinely useful and not always found at this price point. When the wireless connection is stable, printing from any device is a breeze.
However, its dark side is the profoundly frustrating setup process and a tendency for intermittent connectivity issues and mechanical errors that can bring your productivity to a screeching halt. The running costs, due to the tri-colour cartridge system, can also creep up if your printing is frequent or colour-heavy. We recommend this printer to the tech-savvy user on a budget who prioritizes final output quality and is willing to patiently troubleshoot the initial setup and occasional glitches. If you need a printer that works perfectly and seamlessly out of the box every single time, you may want to look at more premium options. But if you can navigate its quirks, the Canon PIXMA TS5150 All-in-One Printer offers incredible value for the quality it produces.
Last update on 2025-11-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API