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Canon Pixma MP970

Discontinued

Reviewed

March 2009

Pros

Professional photo quality
35 mm film-scanning capability
Ethernet networking

Cons

Awkward network installation
Lack of flash- and hard-drive USB support
Slow duplex printing
No fax

Where to Buy

for $309.00

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Reviewers love the Canon Pixma MP970 multifunction printer for its photo printing, but it's been replaced by the MP980 (*Est. $300), and the new model has a significant upgrade. The MP980 has a gray ink cartridge that offers great black-and-white photo prints, reviews say. Otherwise, the Canon Pixma MP970 offers a lot of upside, reviews say. It produces lab-quality photos with or without the aid of a computer, scans 35 mm film and slides, and offers Ethernet networking as a standard feature. Some reviews, however, complain about cumbersome network setup, slow print speeds (especially in duplex mode) and limited hardware support.

PCMag.com and CNET both deliver highly detailed reviews of the Pixma MP970 multifunction printer, with objective performance measures and comparisons. However, the two reviews reach markedly different conclusions. TrustedReviews.com has a less thorough overview that largely pits the Canon Pixma MP970 against the Pixma MP610. User reviews from Amazon.com and CNET complete the picture.

Where To Buy

Canon Pixma MP970 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer (2181B002)
(133 reviews) Buy new: $309.00 1 Used from $249.50

Our Sources

1. PCMag.com Details/Subscribe

The cornerstone of PCMag.com's reviews is a standard set of tests and measures by which all reviewed printers can be pitted against one another. M. David Stone finds the Canon Pixma MP970 to be the best in its class and worthy of an Editors' Choice nod. Though it has some quirks and is a bit on the slow side, Stone praises the feature-rich multifunction printer for outstanding photo output quality and value.

Review: Canon Pixma MP970 Photo All-In-One, M. David Stone, Dec. 3, 2007

2. CNET

Felisa Yang's evaluation is extremely thorough, charting the speed and quality performance of the Pixma MP970 against its competitors. Descriptions are precise, as is Yang's conclusion: The MP970 is a disappointment and not worth the expense. However, CNET readers' adamant disagreement with the review casts a bit of doubt on these findings.

Review: Canon Pixma MP970, Felisa Yang, Oct. 23, 2007

3. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe

ConsumerReports.org ranks the Canon Pixma MP970 among the approximately 40 multifunction printers it tests. But only subscribers have access to the coverage.

Review: All-In-One Printer Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org

4. TrustedReviews.com

Simon Williams compares the Canon Pixma MP970 mainly against its down-market sibling, the Pixma MP610. Although helpful for those with a loyalty to Canon, we would have preferred to see this model compared with printers with similar features (notably, film scanning). The MP970 is a recommended multifunction printer.

Review: Canon Pixma MP970 All-in-One, Simon Williams, Feb. 15, 2008

5. Amazon.com

More than 100 Amazon.com users have contributed to the site's review pages for the Canon Pixma MP970. Fewer than a dozen are unhappy with their MP970, and those complaints are inconsistent, ranging from the lack of an included USB cable to Mac compatibility issues.

Review: Canon Pixma MP970 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer, Contributors to Amazon.com

6. CNET

Though not as numerous as the user reviews on Amazon.com, the contributed reviews at CNET are notable because they are in stark contrast to the MP970 review written by CNET's expert -- they are much more complimentary.

Review: Canon Pixma MP970, Contributors to CNET

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