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Canon Pixma MP970

Discontinued

Reviewed March 2009
Canon Pixma MP970

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
 
 
 

Average Customer Review

(124 customer reviews)

for $463.50

Search Reviews

I wish there were something better, October 14, 2009

I really had my heart set on getting a good scanner that would also do slides & negatives...I thought the price was out of whack...and the expensive, tedious ink cartridges are unnecessary...but I thought if it did a good job with negatives & slides, it's worth it...and...it didn't. It only scans one size...so all of those old negatives of different sizes you have...plan on taking them elsewhere for developing. The scanner & printer are OK if basic...on a positive note, certainly quieter, faster, and better quality than my $80 all-in-one...Consumer Reports even rated this the top "all-in-one"...but I think the price is impractical for the every day person. There's gotta be something else out there that's just as good for less.

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MP 970 still going strong!, September 17, 2009

I have owned two of these printers for over 2 years & they are still running well. One printer is connected to a PC & the other to a Mac. The printer software installed easily on both computers. The print quality for both documents & photos is excellent. This printer uses 7 ink cartridges. Since I print documents more often than photos,the printer mostly uses just four of the cartridges. The three other inks are used predominately for photo printing & I don't have to replace these quite as often. A plus is that it has two paper feeds, a rear feed & a lower tray feed & a place for media cards (Compact flash,SD/MMC/MS). The only problem I have had with the printer is that it doesn't like wrinkled paper & it will jam. Thankfully, this only happens on rare occasions when I'm not paying attention. I still have an older multifunction Canon printer (MP730) that I have replaced the print-head on & am currently using with another PC. The only con, & this goes for all the inkjet printers on the market, is the cost of the replacement ink cartridges. The MP970 handles ink usage very well. All in all this is a very reliable, quality printer. Canon makes a good product!

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Running for over a year perfectly, September 16, 2009

We use this printer via wired network and it replaced my previous canon inkjet and a laser printer. The photo quality is excellent if you get the right photo-cards/paper and set the settings correctly. We've replaced the ink about 3 or 4 times since we bought it on Amazon, and have used it for photo christmas cards, all our normal printing jobs, scans of old photos, and copies for an array of paperwork we needed copies of.

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Ink Cartridge failure, August 10, 2009

I have a Canon Pixma MP970 which is maybe 3 years old -- a birthday gift. It has had very little, sporadic use. After a couple dozen, maybe up to 50, printed pages, the printer refused to print with the message: "Ink cartridge ... cannot be recognized." I replaced that cartridge. After several more pages printed, a different cartridge produced the same message. I also replaced that cartridge. The new cartridge could not be recognized either. I must say, this is exasperating. The printer is out of warranty, and I've already spent nearly $45 on ink cartridges as replacements for cartridges that were barely used and obviously still full. I'm not inclined to pour more money down this sink hole. I've read several similar reviews on the NYTimes site (but did not see how to post a review there). This experience has soured me on the Canon name. I do own two high-end Canon cameras, but probably will not buy another Canon product.

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Canon's Customer Rip-off, July 13, 2009

This appears to be the same printer as MP810 which I owned for less than two years. LCD screen went out which makes the printer unusable. Priced a replacement screen from Canon's parts department. Cost was $188. plus postage and handling making the total price of a screen almost $200. In addition it was on backorder which indicates this has to be a well known problem. Canon has certainly strategized this correctly i.e. the printer breaks down in less than two years and the cost of repairing is the cost of a new printer. Not a way to build a satisfied customer base!!!!!

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Where To Buy

Our Sources

1. PCMag.com

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.org

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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