Canon Pixma TS8050: the shape changes, the qualities remain

Ergonomics

The TS8050 is one of the 3-in-1 multifunction printers (print, scan, copy) of the Pixma range which have been renewed by Canon at the very end of 2016. It represents, with the TS9050, the top of this new series inkjet printers, which Canon has seen fit to completely rework the design in order to make it more compact.

We therefore discover a product with effectively reduced dimensions, which measures - all shutters closed - only 37.2 x 32.4 x 13.9 cm. It's slightly better than an Epson XP-445, already considered a compact model. It's very simple, the chassis is barely larger than the surface area of the A4 format glass of its flatbed scanner.

Available in black (TS8050), red (TS8052) or brown (TS8053), it is for our part the white model (TS8051) that we received for test. Unsurprisingly, the finishes of this model are of a very high standard. The modernized look going hand in hand with the use of quality plastics and a design that appeared to us to be mastered from start to finish.

The configuration of the printer, which does not offer fax or Ethernet port, is a breeze, knowing that it is enough to be guided by the instructions displayed on the large touch screen 10.8 cm integrated on the front can be tilted 90 °.

We open the cover to install the six ink cartridges - this model, like the TS9050, using additional gray ink and high density black ink to perfect the photo rendering - we print a test page which we then scan to perfect the alignment of the printheads, we take care of configuring the Wi-Fi, installing the drivers and plugging in the USB cable, and we're ready for the tests. Note, as if it were necessary, that the Canon TS8050 manages Wi-Fi Direct and the main cloud printing services.

These operations are an opportunity for us to familiarize ourselves with the new interface and the touch screen which, good news, is readable, contrasted, and above all reactive. Its large size facilitates all adjustment operations and contributes to the overall good ergonomics of the machine. The buttons have completely disappeared from the control panel; only the ignition button remains. Note the presence of an NFC chip to facilitate pairing with a compatible smartphone, as well as that of an SD card reader. Also, on this point, the Canon Print application is well thought out to facilitate certain uses, such as printing photos available on Facebook or Instagram, for example (a new paper format is supported, the 13 x 13 cm Polaroid way).

Going around the printer, we continue to discover one by one the new specifications of this chassis. The connections are strangely positioned in a corner at the rear, at a bevel, which poses no practical concern. A new paper insertion flap appears on the back thanks to a folding guide. It compensates for the deletion of one of the two lower cassettes. There is indeed only one paper cassette with a capacity of 100 sheets on the front, completed by the print drawer for optical media. Note that once positioned so that A4 sheets can be received, this cassette slightly protrudes from the printer chassis.

Another novelty, the Canon Pixma TS8050 uses paper output not a simple flap that unfolds automatically, but a specific motorized module that comes out at the front of the printer. Nothing to say about this system, which is quite practical, but you should know that its deployment takes a good ten seconds. Those in a hurry will choose to leave it out when the printer turns off - yes, it is possible.

---

Consumption

In terms of power consumption, the Pixma TS8050 remains pretty much at the level of what we knew from the models of the previous ranges. It does a little better in standby than a MG7750 (0.7 W against 1 W), but its consumption is higher on a photo job in A4 (20 W against 16 W). In this respect, Epson printers do better, whether it is an Expression Home XP-445 (9 W) or an Envy 5640 (11 W).

On the noise side, however, there is something better. The Pixma of the MG series were clearly not very quiet, but the motors, rollers and mechanisms of this TS8050 seem to have benefited from particular efforts in this direction. At around 1 meter, our sound level meter detects nuisances of the order of 51.3 dB in standard printing and 39.5 dB in photo printing. This is good, especially since the mechanical noise remains acceptable during multipage printing. As always, switching to "silent" mode significantly reduces noise.

---

Cost per page

In terms of cost per page, no change is expected for the simple reason that the Pixma TS8050 uses the same set of cartridges as an MG7750, for example. By opting for the XL (more economical) versions of the six cartridges required, and based on the cheapest prices observed, we obtain an average cost per page of around 0.097 €, which drops to 0.03 € in black and white. 9.7 euro cents which place the TS8050 in the average of inkjet printers, nothing more.

---

Scanner and copies

The scanner of the Canon TS8050 is a flat model, without automatic document feeder, which works in a definition up to 2400 x 4800 dpi on 48 bits. There is nothing wrong with the speed of execution, since it only takes 12 seconds to scan a 10 x 15 cm photo at 300 dpi and 9 seconds to archive an A4 document at 100 dpi.

The copy function maintains this speed, knowing that it takes 11 seconds for the TS8050 to copy an A4 document in black and white, and 14 seconds to perform the same operation in color. On an MG7750, these two tasks were timed in 10 and 19 seconds respectively. The result, inevitably and slightly washed out compared to the original documents in the graphics area, is of a very good level overall.

---

Photo

Capable of printing up to 9600 x 2400 dpi with ChromaLife 100 inks, the TS8050 obviously supports borderless printing and many formats up to A4. Regarding its execution speed, it does not revolutionize that observed on the MG7750, requiring 40 seconds for a 10 x 15 cm print and 1 minute and 9 seconds to output an A4 photo. This represents respective flow rates of 1.8 pages / minute and 0.9 ppm, against 1.9 and 0.8 ppm on the model of the previous range. A difference which therefore remains minimal.

What does not move either - and this is very good news - is the excellent rendering of the TS8050 in photo printing. Not surprisingly with unchanged printheads and ink cartridges. Things have even been slightly improved, since the delta E measured at 5.3 on the MG7750 drops to only 5 on the TS8050. There is therefore a small chromatic drift visible to the human eye, but Canon confirms its status as king of inkjet photography on this range of products with one of the very best results in our comparison. Obviously, beyond the colors, the rendering is impeccable.

---

Office

The MG7750 and its fellows sinned a little in office automation because of too low bit rates in black and white, these printers lengthen the printing time between two pages to allow time for the black ink to dry. This is still the case here. When the MG7750 delivered 6 ppm in black and white, the TS8050 did a little worse (5.7 ppm). In the same vein, but in color, the MG7750 came out of the red zone thanks to honorable performance, at 13.6 ppm. This is not the case with the TS8050 which is slower in this exercise (7.8 ppm).

Despite this, we must welcome very good quality prints, and even slightly improving if we believe what we see with a magnifying glass by analyzing the delicate areas to be printed, such as the colored graphics. The characters stand out better from the background and the general precision is a little better. Nothing to say obviously on the side of the text or black and white, highly contrasted and flawless precision. Very good print quality in general.

---

Conclusion

This TS8050 is a benchmark in terms of print quality, both in office and photo. Its design has been tastefully renewed and the manufacturing quality is clearly visible. The contribution of the large touch screen is an undeniable plus and there is ultimately only its small flow in office automation that we can blame it.

---