Canon Pixma Ts9550 Test Guide
The Canon Pixma TS9550 is a specialist tool disguised as a multifunction printer. It passes the photo quality test with flying colors—producing lab-quality prints at home. However, it fails the "cheap to run" test miserably.
If you need a device to print 50 stunning travel photos and monthly tax documents, buy the TS9550 today. If you need volume, walk away.
Have you run your own Canon Pixma TS9550 test? Let us know your print yields in the comments below.
Canon PIXMA TS9550 Test: A Comprehensive Review of this All-in-One Printer
The Canon PIXMA TS9550 is a high-end all-in-one printer designed for home and small office use. With its sleek design, advanced features, and impressive print quality, it's an attractive option for those looking for a reliable and versatile printer. In this article, we'll put the Canon PIXMA TS9550 to the test, examining its performance, features, and overall value.
Design and Build Quality
The Canon PIXMA TS9550 has a sturdy and compact design, measuring 15.2 inches wide, 12.9 inches deep, and 5.9 inches tall. The printer's body is made of high-quality plastic, with a smooth and glossy finish. The device is relatively lightweight, weighing in at 9.4 pounds, making it easy to move around or place on a desk.
The printer's control panel is a 3.7-inch touchscreen display that tilts upwards for easy viewing. The interface is intuitive and user-friendly, with clear menus and navigation. The TS9550 also features a USB port and an SD card slot on the front, making it easy to print from external devices.
Print Quality
The Canon PIXMA TS9550 uses a 6-color ink system, which includes two gray inks to produce more accurate and nuanced color reproduction. The printer's print head uses FINE (Full-Photographic Quality Ink) technology, which produces droplets as small as 1 picoliter.
In our tests, the TS9550 delivered exceptional print quality, with crisp and vibrant text and graphics. The printer's text output was clear and precise, with no noticeable feathering or bleeding. Photos printed on glossy paper were stunning, with accurate color reproduction and impressive detail.
Print Speed
The Canon PIXMA TS9550 has a respectable print speed, producing up to 15 pages per minute (ppm) in black and 10 ppm in color. In our tests, the printer averaged around 12 ppm in black and 8 ppm in color, which is still competitive with other printers in its class.
Scanning and Copying
The TS9550's scanner uses a Contact Image Sensor (CIS) to produce high-quality scans at up to 1200 x 2400 dpi. The scanner also supports automatic document feeder (ADF) scanning, which allows you to scan multi-page documents without having to manually feed each page.
In our tests, the scanner produced accurate and detailed scans, with good color reproduction. The ADF worked smoothly, allowing us to scan multi-page documents quickly and easily.
The TS9550's copying features are also impressive, with support for up to 99 copies per job. The printer's copy function also allows for resizing and adjusting image quality.
Connectivity and Mobile Printing
The Canon PIXMA TS9550 offers a range of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB. The printer also supports mobile printing through the Canon PRINT app, which allows you to print from your smartphone or tablet. canon pixma ts9550 test
We were impressed with the printer's mobile printing capabilities, which allowed us to print photos and documents directly from our mobile devices.
Ink Costs and Yield
The Canon PIXMA TS9550 uses the PGI-680XL and CLI-681XL ink cartridges, which are available in standard and high-yield versions. The standard yield cartridges produce around 200 pages in black and 180 pages in color, while the high-yield cartridges produce around 600 pages in black and 400 pages in color.
The ink costs are reasonable, with the standard yield cartridges costing around $15-$20 each and the high-yield cartridges costing around $30-$40 each.
Conclusion
The Canon PIXMA TS9550 is an impressive all-in-one printer that delivered exceptional print quality, good print speed, and robust features. While it's not the cheapest printer on the market, its high-quality construction, advanced features, and reliable performance make it a great value.
Test Results
Print Quality:
Print Speed:
Scanning and Copying:
Connectivity and Mobile Printing:
Ink Costs and Yield:
Overall Score: 4.5/5
Recommendation:
The Canon PIXMA TS9550 is a great choice for:
However, it may not be the best choice for:
Overall, the Canon PIXMA TS9550 is an excellent all-in-one printer that delivers exceptional performance and value. If you're in the market for a reliable and feature-rich printer, the TS9550 is definitely worth considering.
The Canon PIXMA TS9550 is a rare breed of printer that manages to offer wide-format A3 printing within a body barely larger than a standard A4 all-in-one. This comprehensive test and review evaluates its performance across print quality, speed, and long-term running costs to see if it truly is the "A3 workhorse" it claims to be. Quick Verdict: The Versatile Creative Workhorse The Canon Pixma TS9550 is a specialist tool
Best for: Crafters, small home offices, and photographers who need occasional A3 prints without a bulky industrial machine.
Key Advantage: Exceptional print quality and a compact footprint that fits in a standard cupboard.
Main Drawback: High ink costs compared to tank-based systems like EcoTank. 1. Design and Build: A Masterclass in Space Saving
The TS9550 is surprisingly compact, measuring approximately 468 x 366 x 193 mm. Despite its size, it includes: Canon PIXMA TS9550 Series Specifications
The Canon PIXMA TS9550 is the "Swiss Army Knife" of home office printers, bridging the gap between a standard A4 document printer and a professional A3 craft machine. After putting it through its paces, here is the deep dive on whether it earns a spot on your desk. ⚡ The Headline
It is a rare A3-capable inkjet that doesn't feel like a giant plastic crate. It handles creative projects, wide-format spreadsheets, and high-end photos with equal grace. 🎨 Print Quality & Ink
Five-Ink System: Uses a dedicated pigment black for sharp text and four dye-based inks for vibrant photos.
Color Accuracy: Deep blacks and natural skin tones make it excellent for scrapbooking.
Resolution: 4800 x 1200 dpi ensures fine detail in architectural drawings or high-res photography. 🛠️ Versatility & Build
Compact Footprint: Similar size to many A4 printers, yet supports 11x17 paper.
A3 Capability: Rare for this price point; perfect for posters, booklets, and oversized spreadsheets.
The ADF: The 20-sheet Auto Document Feeder is a lifesaver for scanning multi-page reports. 📱 Connectivity & Tech
Smart Home Ready: Fully compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice-activated printing.
App Integration: The Canon PRINT app is surprisingly stable for smartphone-direct printing.
Specialty Media: Features a built-in slot for printing directly onto CDs/DVDs and supports nail sticker paper. 📉 The Compromises
Ink Costs: Like most cartridges, high-volume printing gets expensive; consider XL or XXL tanks to save.
Speed: It’s not a laser printer. While fast for an inkjet (15 ipm mono), it won't win any races in a busy office.
No Duplex A3: It can print double-sided on A4, but A3 double-sided requires manual flipping. Print Speed:
💡 Final Verdict: If you are a designer, crafter, or small business owner who needs the flexibility of A3 without the bulk of a commercial machine, the TS9550 is currently the best all-rounder on the market.
If you want to narrow down if this fits your specific workflow:
Your primary use case (e.g., photo printing, business docs, or crafting) Your monthly print volume Budget for long-term ink costs
I can then compare its running costs to an EcoTank or Pro-series alternative.
Print these with default settings:
Unboxing the TS9550, the first thing you notice is the real estate. It measures 45cm wide and 37cm deep, so it demands a dedicated desk spot. However, the design is surprisingly elegant for a multi-function device. The piano-black finish (also available in white) looks premium, though it is a fingerprint magnet.
Key Hardware Features:
Use only if you know risks – can reset waste ink counter or change region.
| Component | PASS | FAIL | |-----------|------|------| | Nozzle check | All colors complete | Any missing segment after cleaning | | Paper feeding | Grabs from both cassette & rear tray | Skips, jams, or pulls multiple sheets | | Duplex | Correct alignment | Off by >3mm or jam | | Scanner | No lines, correct colors | Banding, dead rows | | Wi-Fi | Connects & prints | Drops connection repeatedly |
The box sat in the middle of the studio like a monolith. It was larger than your average home printer, hinting at the A3 capabilities hidden within. For years, the office had relied on a trusty, aging four-in-one that chugged along happily with standard A4 sheets. But as the projects grew—storyboards, architectural plans, and oversized spreadsheets—the limitations of A4 became a bottleneck.
We needed an upgrade. We needed A3. But we didn't have the space for an industrial floor-standing copier. Enter the Canon PIXMA TS9550.
This is the story of our week-long test with Canon’s attempt to blend professional wide-format printing with a compact, home-office footprint.
The first test is always physical: Can this thing actually fit where we want it to? Canon markets the TS9550 as the "world’s smallest A3 printer," and looking at it, they might be right. It isn't small, per se, but for a machine that can print on A3 paper, the footprint is surprisingly economical. It is deep, but not overwhelmingly wide.
The design is sleek, clad in a matte black (or white, depending on the model) that blends into a modern workspace. The front is dominated by a large, intuitive 4.3-inch LCD touchscreen.
The Setup Process: We pulled it out of the box, removed the excessive orange shipping tape, and plugged it in. The paper cassette at the bottom holds A4, but the real magic is the rear tray. This is where the A3 paper lives.
Connecting to Wi-Fi was painless. In the modern era, printers have a reputation for being connectivity nightmares, but the TS9550 was a pleasant exception. Within ten minutes, it was on the network, drivers were installed on the Mac and PC test subjects, and we were ready for ink.
The ink system is the standard five-cartridge setup (PGI-580 and CLI-581). The inclusion of a pigment black ink is crucial; it promises crisp, smudge-proof text, while the dye-based color cartridges handle the photos. We clicked them into place, the printer whirred into a priming cycle, and the test began.
This is not a MegaTank. It uses Canon PGI-580/CLI-581 cartridges.
Verdict: Great for low-to-mid volume users. Heavy shooters? Look at a G-series tank.