Look, here's the thing about printers and WiFi: it either works or it doesn't. And when it doesn't—usually 30 minutes before a board meeting—nobody cares which brand is theoretically better. They just want the damn thing to print.
I've been on the receiving end of those calls for about 15 years now. In my role coordinating tech support for small-to-mid offices, I've seen both the Canon Pixma TS307 and the Canon Maxify line walk into our service center. Sometimes they walk out fixed. Sometimes they get returned. Here's what I've learned about which one to pick when reliability and connectivity matter most.
Let me be clear about the comparison upfront: we're looking at the Canon Pixma TS307 (home/light office) versus the Canon Maxify (business-oriented). Both can connect to WiFi. Both can fail. But how they fail—and how quickly you can fix it—is radically different.
Dimension 1: The Cost Premium vs Reliability Trade-off
I have mixed feelings about the price difference between these two machines. On one hand, the TS307 is genuinely affordable—about $70–90 depending on the retailer. The entry-level Maxify (like the MB2150) runs closer to $200. That's a real gap for a small office.
But here's the thing: cheaper upfront doesn't mean cheaper overall. I've tracked 47 service call records from our shop over the past 18 months. The TS307 generates about 3x the connectivity-related support requests per unit sold compared to the Maxify line. That's based on internal data—not published specs, but real ticket counts.
(Should mention: part of this is who buys them. The TS307 is often purchased by price-sensitive users who may not have the most stable WiFi environment. But the printer itself has limitations too.)
The Maxify isn't perfect. But its network interface is built for continuous use. The TS307 sometimes drops WiFi during sleep cycles. If your office has a printer that sits idle for hours and then gets hit with a sudden print job, the TS307 might fail to wake up. Period. The Maxify usually resumes within a few seconds.
So here's the honest advice: if uptime matters to you, the Maxify's higher upfront cost is worth it for the first time you avoid calling in a favor to get a document printed at a neighbor's office. But if your workflow is light—maybe 50 pages a week—the TS307 will probably work fine.
Dimension 2: Connectivity Setup & Reliability
Let's talk about the actual process of connecting these printers to WiFi. Because that's where I've seen the most frustration, especially with the TS307.
Canon Pixma TS307 WiFi Setup
The TS307 uses the standard Canon setup process via the touch screen and the WPS button. In theory, it takes about 5 minutes. In practice, it took me 20 minutes the first time I did it, because the printer kept losing the connection during the configuration. I had to reset it twice.
It basically works like this:
- Press and hold the WiFi button until the light flashes.
- Press the WPS button on your router within 2 minutes.
- The printer tries to connect. If it fails, you start over.
Simple. But fragile. If your router is in another room, or if there's interference from other devices, the TS307 will fail silently. No error message. Just... nothing happens. You assume it's connected, but when you try to print from your phone, nothing comes out. That's when the frustration kicks in.
Canon Maxify WiFi Setup
The Maxify series generally includes a more robust network setup via a web interface—not just WPS. You can access the printer's internal settings page from a laptop and configure the connection manually. It's not exactly user-friendly for non-techies, but it's more reliable. If the first WPS attempt fails, you have backup options.
Between you and me, I still use a wired connection at my desk. But for the offices I support, the Maxify's ability to auto-reconnect after a router reboot has saved more than a few mornings. The TS307 sometimes needs a manual reconnection after a power outage or router reset. That's a real pain if the printer is in a shared space and nobody knows how to reconnect.
Bottom line on connectivity: The Maxify wins if your office has variable WiFi quality or if you need automatic reconnection. The TS307 wins if you have a rock-solid WiFi setup and are comfortable with basic troubleshooting.
Dimension 3: Emergency Support & Response
Now, let's talk about what happens when the WiFi drops and you need to print something right now. I'm talking about the 8:15 AM panic—the board starts at 9, your presentation is on your phone, and the printer is acting up.
In March 2024, I had a client call at 8:30 AM needing 25 copies of a contract for a 9 AM closing. Their TS307 was connected to WiFi but wouldn't accept the print job from their laptop. We tried the usual tricks—reboot the router, restart the printer, reinstall drivers. Nothing worked for 45 minutes.
The solution? We found a local print shop that accepted the file via email, printed it in 15 minutes, and the client drove to pick it up. Cost: about $40 in rush fees plus travel time. The alternative was a delayed closing.
I've seen this pattern repeat: with a TS307, when WiFi fails, your options shrink fast. With a Maxify, the printer itself often has more reliable WiFi hardware, so the failure rate is lower. But when a Maxify fails—say, the network card burns out—it's a bigger repair bill.
Here's what I tell clients now:
- If you're in a shared office with decent WiFi: A TS307 is fine, but keep a USB cable handy as a fallback. Some TS307 models have a USB port—use it for emergency prints.
- If you're in an environment with frequent router reboots or interference (like an older building): The Maxify's more robust connectivity will save you headaches.
After 5 years of managing these situations, I've come to believe that the 'best' printer is highly context-dependent. The Maxify isn't universally better—it's bigger, more expensive, and its ink cartridges are larger (so the per-page cost is lower, but upfront ink cost is higher). The TS307 is cheaper and smaller, but you trade that for potential connectivity fragility.
(I should add that the Canon support line—1-800-OK-CANON—has been helpful for both lines, but wait times vary. For the Maxify, you might get a business tier response. For the TS307, it's consumer support. Just something to consider if you're on a deadline.)
Final Recommendation: Choose Based on Your Tolerance for Risk
There's something satisfying about a perfectly executed print job—the kind where you hit 'print' and the machine hums to life without drama. The Maxify delivers that more consistently for business environments. The TS307 delivers it sometimes, for less money.
Here's my honest take:
- Choose the Canon Pixma TS307 if: Your budget is tight, your printing volume is under 100 pages a week, and you're comfortable with basic WiFi troubleshooting (or have a wired fallback option). It's a perfectly good printer for a home office or a temporary setup.
- Choose the Canon Maxify if: Printing uptime matters to your revenue. If you can't afford a 30-minute blackout while you fiddle with WiFi settings, the Maxify's better uptime will pay for the price difference.
I also consider things like support when choosing: if your office has someone tech-savvy, the TS307 is fine. If the person setting up the printer is, say, the office manager who's already juggling three things, the Maxify's simpler connection process reduces frustration.
At the end of the day, both printers are solid. But one will save you stress, and one will save you money. I can't tell you which matters more—only you know the answer to that. But I can tell you this: the next time a client calls me at 8:30 AM with a broken WiFi connection on a TS307, I'm going to suggest they buy a Maxify. And a USB cable. For good measure.
Pricing data based on publicly listed prices as of April 2025. Printer support numbers verified via Canon USA website. Service call statistics from internal records (anonymized).