Canon TS202 Inkjet Photo Printer
✅ PROS
- Compact 16.4-inch footprint fits narrow shelves; weighs just 8.6 lbs
- Genuine Canon ink is cheap — two-cartridge setup (PG-245/CL-246) runs about $30 a set
- Wireless setup via Canon PRINT app works reliably with iOS and Android
❌ CONS
- No auto document feeder — single-sheet scans only, which gets tedious fast
- Print speed crawls at 7.7 ppm black / 4.0 ppm color; a 4x6 photo takes over a minute
- Flimsy rear paper tray warps under humidity and mis-feeds cheap paper
The Verdict
Let’s cut through the marketing. The Canon TS202 is a $50-ish entry-level inkjet that promises photo printing without the price tag. The question isn’t whether it’s a great printer — it’s whether it’s good enough for what you actually need. After digging through 195 Amazon ratings and testing the specs against real-world expectations, here’s the honest picture.
What’s Actually in the Box
You get the TS202, two starter ink cartridges (PG-245 black, CL-246 color), a power cord, and a setup manual that assumes you already know what you’re doing. Notably absent: a USB cable. The printer has a USB 2.0 port on the back, but you’ll need to buy your own cable if you want wired connectivity. Most users go wireless anyway, so this is more annoying than fatal.
The physical footprint is genuinely compact — 16.4 x 12.1 x 5.7 inches, weighing just 8.6 pounds. It’s designed for a dorm desk or a cramped home office corner. As shown in the product image, the input tray folds up flush when not in use, which keeps the profile clean. But that folding mechanism is also where things start to feel cheap.
Real-World Performance: The Good and the Slow
Let’s be direct: this is not a speed demon. Canon rates it at 7.7 pages per minute for black-and-white and 4.0 ppm for color. In practice, expect closer to 5 ppm black with mixed content. A single 4x6 borderless photo? Budget 60 to 90 seconds. If you’re printing a 20-page document, go make coffee.
Where the TS202 actually shines is photo quality for the price. The FINE print head technology — inherited from Canon’s higher-end PIXMA line — produces surprisingly crisp 4800 x 1200 dpi output. Colors are punchy, skin tones render naturally, and borderless 4x6 prints look like they came from a drugstore kiosk. For a printer in this price tier, that’s genuinely impressive.
What Buyers Keep Saying
The 3.9-star average tells a mixed story. The praise focuses on value. One reviewer put it plainly: “For the price, this is unbeatable. I’ve printed hundreds of photos and documents without a single jam.” Another noted that “setup took about 10 minutes with the Canon PRINT app — much easier than I expected for a budget printer.”
But the complaints cluster around two issues. First, the paper handling. Multiple reviewers mention the rear tray warping — “after three months the tray started bowing and now thin paper misfeeds constantly.” Second, the scan function. There’s no ADF, so multi-page scanning means manually flipping each page. One frustrated buyer summed it up: “Why did I buy this for scanning? It’s a 5-page document and I’ve spent 15 minutes feeding pages one at a time.”
Where It Falls Short
The TS202’s limitations are real. The single-sheet scan bed is genuinely annoying for office work. There’s no duplex printing — flip pages manually for double-sided documents. And the ink situation deserves scrutiny: while individual cartridges are cheap, they’re also small. The standard-capacity black cartridge yields about 180 pages; the color cartridge roughly 180 pages too. Heavy users will burn through ink monthly.
Who Should Buy This
Buy it if: You’re a student or casual home user who prints photos occasionally, needs a compact machine for a small space, and won’t be doing heavy document volume. It’s also a solid choice for someone who wants a cheap secondary printer for a vacation home or rental property.
Skip it if: You need reliable scanning (get a multifunction with an ADF), print more than 50 pages a week, or want duplex printing. Also skip if you’re a photo enthusiast — the TS202 is fine for snapshots but won’t satisfy anyone chasing gallery-quality prints.
FAQ: What Shoppers Actually Ask
Q: Can I print from my phone? Yes — the Canon PRINT app supports AirPrint, Android, and cloud printing. Setup takes about 10 minutes and works reliably once connected. Just make sure your printer and phone are on the same Wi-Fi network.
Q: What ink does it use and how much does it cost? It uses Canon PG-245 (black) and CL-246 (color) cartridges. You can find a two-pack for around $30 on Amazon. That’s economical for light use, but you’ll replace them frequently with regular printing. Consider the XL versions if you print weekly.
Q: Is it good for photos? For casual 4x6 prints, yes — the color accuracy and sharpness punch well above the price. But it struggles with heavier card stock (above 200 gsm), which can cause paper jams.
The Verdict: 3.7/5
The Canon TS202 is a budget printer that knows exactly what it is. It delivers solid photo quality, a compact footprint, and genuinely low entry cost. It also has a flimsy paper tray, glacial print speeds, and a scan function that will test your patience.
Buy it if you want an affordable photo-capable printer for light, occasional use and don’t care about speed or scanning convenience.
Skip it if you need a workhorse for daily documents, multi-page scans, or heavy-volume printing — you’ll outgrow this machine in a month and end up spending more on a replacement than you saved on the initial purchase.
Where to Buy
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Last updated: 2026-08-06. Ratings and prices current as of review date. Verify on Amazon before purchasing.