Left: official picture. Right: Scanned copyI want to start off by saying that I am 36 years old and have owned several printers in this time. I have hated every single one of them. I used none for more than a year before I gave up on them. Everytime I noticed prices go down on the “newer” technology, I would try again. My most recent try (before this one) was an Epson all-in-one. I gave up on that one rather quickly for several reasons. First there was no way to only print in black, The 3 colors came in one cartridge, so although only the cyan was empty and the others were half full I would still need to replace. Lastly, I noticed the ink would empty without being used. It seemed their ink dried out incredibly fast, in a matter of 2 months. Connection was a nightmare, lost connection for no apparent reason, and was quite stubborn when trying to reconnect. Lastly, the touch screen was barely responsive.I did a lot of research this time around in hopes of avoiding these issues. Of course Epson was out because color still comes in one cartridge. HP is suggested as another option to this Canon but I discovered you can no longer buy one without “instant ink” being offered. When I say offered, I mean forced. From what I read you cannot finish set up without picking a plan. The 0-15 pages a month plan is free but they still require a credit card number. This is clearly a marketing tool, everyone connects their printer to WiFi, then it’s connected to HP themselves, so they can monitor your printing habits. The only other major brand is Brother, who are better known for their laser printers. I don’t have $250 to spend on a printer.I admit, the negative reviews made me nervous. Though every tech site gave this model high scores. I’ve been using it for a week and I am in love. I set it up on my own. The inks are all separate so you only need to replace the one that’s out. VERY reputable companies make generic ink for this model. I was able to purchase the XXL size with “photo blue” for $50, less than the cost of the standard size brand name. Despite some reviews claiming the ink provided is “mini” or “sample” size, it is not. The cartridges that come with the printer purchase are Canon’s standard size, something to keep in mind when deciding to go the brand name route or the generic.Connection was a breeze. I connected an iPhone, iPod, Samsung tablet, Android phone, and ancient laptop (HDD, with disc drive), none took more than 2 minutes, most of that time was downloading the app. Using the front and back loader had a slight learning curve, turns out only the back loader can hold paper of A5 size or smaller and is for color image/photo printing. The front loader fits B5 through letter size, can print colored text, and ejects to catch paper on its own. No more papers falling on the floor! The touch screen is huge! Just as responsive as a new smart phone. I tried out the scanner by using it to copy my daughter’s school picture. I was very impressed. The printer paper was glossy so the colors are more vibrant than the original. I would believe my scanned copy was official.Final plus was that you can print in black only. A quick google shows a link to the cannon website with instructions. You can’t just click grayscale, but at the moment I can’t remember the second step.This is the least amount of money I’ve spent on a printer and is the only one I’ve loved, or even liked really.I say it’s worth a try, maybe the negative reviews were duds. And hey, if you have prime you can always return. Calling usually gets you a free return even if it says no free returns. Call BEFORE returning though. But based on my experience, it won’t be necessary.*UPDATE*So I have had this printer for over a month now and I still stand by my initial review. I have had ZERO issues with connectivity, jamming, ink, or general errors. I have noticed a few points with my continued use. I am surprised by how long the ink has lasted. Especially given the reviews indicating these tanks are “mini” size. I have only used it to print in color so far, full letter size photo images, B5 prints, and A5 full color planner pages for my DYI dayplanner. Though 1 color is low the others are about even at half full. Along with using above average paper weight, 32lb vs 24lb. I have printed both letter and A5 size at 270lb. This is quite stiff cardstock generally used for DYI greeting cards. Though I have only used them in the rear loader since they were for images, I have experienced no jams and no smearing on any prints regardless of size or paper type.On the rear loader there is a plastic flap that flips out when loading paper, then back in, to assist with an even feed. If while printer is off you move this flap, even to adjust your current paper, or open front loader, the printer knows. Upon powering on, the screen will show an alert that says “paper may have been changed, would you like to register paper type?” If you have changed paper, tap on the size or type to change. If current paper matches what is shown, you tap the register button. This option is given but I have not had issues if the registered paper is incorrect because you can change these settings when you are on the print page window, even the app has the ability to choose print size and type.I noticed some complaints that the printer times out and turn off automatically. For some this is a negative with wireless printing. For me it’s a plus. I did check to see if it will still time out when paper catcher is pulled out, it does. It takes several hours to turn off automatically, whether it was used after powering on or not. Electricity is expensive and a device just being plugged in draws power, let alone actually being on. I’m sure this adds up if your printer is on 24/7...forever. This is still my favorite printer thus far.