Canon Pixma MP970
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 2181B002
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Canon Pixma MP970 isn't up to the company's usually high standards. You're better off spending more for last year's version.
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Where to buy
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| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Canon Pixma MP970 price range: $180.00
- Reviewed by: Felisa Yang
- Edited by: Matthew Elliott
- Reviewed on: 10/23/2007
- Released on: 08/21/2007
The good: Network-ready; auto duplexer; large LCD; control panel is easy to use and menus are well-thought-out; memory card slots and PictBridge port.
The bad: Task speeds are slower than the last generation's; print/scan quality is not up to Canon's usual standards and needs improvement across the board; USB port doesn't support hard drives or flash drives.
The bottom line: The Canon Pixma MP970 isn't up to the company's usually high standards. You're better off spending more for last year's version.
The Canon Pixma MP970 is the 2007 refresh of last year's Pixma MP960. We were looking forward to a top-notch photo-oriented photo multifunction, as we've come to expect stellar quality from Canon, and we loved last year's version. Unfortunately, we were surprised to find slower task speeds and print quality that doesn't meet Canon's usual standards. On the plus side, at $300, it's $100 less than the MP960 and it includes Ethernet networking standard (otherwise, it offers a very similar feature set). Aside from the performance and quality issues, we'd like to see Canon take some steps to improve the onboard image editing options and include support for USB hard drives and flash drives via the front-mounted USB host port; many other manufacturers have done so and we wonder why Canon hasn't. Overall, we feel let down by the Pixma MP960. If you don't need network-support, we suggest you go with the Pixma MP960, if you can spare the extra $100. And for a networked, photo-oriented multifunction, we recommend the HP Photosmart C6180, though it's a bit slower than the MP970.
Design
The Canon Pixma MP970 is a monster of a printer, so make sure you have enough desk space for it. It measures 18.5 inches wide, 15.6 inches deep, and 8.4 inches tall, and weighs just over 26 pounds. The body is silver with black highlights. Hidden behind a door are two memory card slots, and a PictBridge USB port resides beneath the slots.
The control panel is similar to last year's model, the Pixma MP960, with some minor differences. It's embedded in the scanner lid, hidden under a fold-up panel. Embedded on the underside of the panel is a large, 3.5-inch LCD. Like the MP960, the MP970 has a very simple control panel, due in part to the fact that most of the functionality is accessed via the onscreen menu. The menu options are arranged in a circle that revolves on the screen as you turn the scroll wheel on the control panel. The wheel gives a tactile response as it turns, which we liked. Arranged in a ring around the wheel are four direction keys that you can use instead of the wheel, and an OK wheel resides in the center of the wheel. Other control panel buttons include a feed switch, a Home key (to take you back to the top menu), a Navi button that serves as a shortcut to tutorials on advanced features, two start buttons (color and black), and two soft keys that change function by menu.
The MP970 offers two paper input sources: a rear input and a cassette. Both hold up to 150 sheets of plain paper. Canon recommends using the rear input for photo paper and some other specialty media, as these papers can jam when forced around a roller, as media coming from the cassette must do. The printer's front panel folds out to serve as the output tray.
Canon loaded up the MP970 with a seven-ink print system with individual ink cartridges. The pigment-based black ink is ideal for text prints, while the six dye-based inks (including a dye-based black, and photo magenta and photo cyan) make for better photo prints. The pigment-based black ink tank costs $16.25 to replace, while the dye-based tanks cost $14.25 apiece. Canon estimates per-page costs as follows: 3 cents for a black-and-white document, 5 cents for a full-color document, and 29 cents for a 4x6 borderless photo. These costs are in line with the competitions'.
Features
The Pixma MP970 serves up a boatload of features that will keep photocentric home users happy. It's network-ready with an Ethernet port in the rear, making it a great choice for multiuser environments (the MP960 is not network-ready). It also has a built-in duplexer for automatic double-sided prints. The memory card slots, PictBridge port, and IrDA interface make it easy to print images from digital cameras, camera phones, smartphones, and memory cards--all without using your PC. It prints, scans, copies, and prints; there's no fax functionality, but that's normal for photo-oriented home multifunctions.
The copy options are standard on the MP970: you can resize between 25 percent and 400 percent, using fit-to-page, preset ratios, or custom values in 1 percent increments. Special copy offerings include two-sided copy (from either one- or two-sided originals), borderless copy, 2-on-1 and 4-on-1 copy, image repeat, frame erase (for when the original is smaller than the target paper), trimming (copying just a selected area of the original), and masking (blocking out areas of the original).
Scan options include Save to PC, Attach to e-mail, Open in an application, and Scan to PDF. If you choose Save to PC, the files are saved to a folder created in My Pictures called MP Navigator EX (in a sub-subfolder labeled with the date). You can use the MP Navigator EX utility to change the default location, or you can scan from the program (versus initiating the scan using the control panel) and choose a different location. Scans can be saved as TIFF, JPEG, bitmap, or PDF files. Not only can you scan documents and photos with the MP970, but you can also scan 35mm negatives and slides--six at a time for negatives and four at a time for slides (you can also make prints from slides and negatives). The negative and slide holders are hidden behind the platen protector on the underside of the scanner lid. On the MP960, you could only store one of the two holders there, so you essentially had to decide which one you were willing to misplace or lose. Happily, Canon solved this issue on the MP970: the two guides snap together for storage.
When printing from a memory card, you can do a Print All (all or just those within a date range) or step through the contents of your card to pick particular shots. When viewing the photos, you can see them in the normal view, thumbnails, full screen, or enlarged, or you can start a slide show of your photos. Alternatively, you can print a scannable photo index that lets you bubble in the number of copies of each photo, specify paper type and size, and then scan in the sheet to print photos. If you want to do this, make sure you choose the Photo Index Sheet option that lives in the top-level menu. If you delve into the memory card menu, you'll find another option called Photo Index Print, but that just prints thumbnails with file name, image number, and date--it's not scannable. Canon needs to rename one of these options so it's not so confusing. Aside from printing standard 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 photos, the MP970 also offers various multi-image layouts and sticker prints.
Image enhancement options are fairly standard, though we found fewer options than we expected from a high-end photo multifunction. The first choice you have to make is whether you want to make manual adjustments to the photo or let the machine make auto adjustments via Auto Image Fix. If you go the manual route, it's still not particularly manual. You can pick and choose among several adjustments--red-eye correction, vivid photo, photo optimizer pro, noise reduction, face brightener, image optimizer--but your choices are binary: on and off. You can tweak brightness, contrast, and color hue a bit and you can apply sepia or illustration effects. While these are standard features for Canon printers, we'd like to see more advanced features, particularly on such an expensive model.
While you can print from PictBridge USB devices, we'd like to see Canon support USB hard drives and flash drives. Some models, such as the Kodak EasyShare 5500, allow you to not only print from storage devices, but also scan to them and memory cards, as well.
Performance
The results of the CNET Labs' performance tests were a bit surprising to us. Generally, when a product is refreshed year after year, we expect to see speed and quality improvements. At the very least, the product should show comparable speed and quality. Unfortunately for the Pixma MP970, it was slower than the MP960 across the board. It scored 7.85 pages per minute (ppm) for text prints, a full 1.5ppm slower than the MP960, which scored 9.42ppm. The MP970 scored 2.07ppm when printing color graphics--just a hair slower than the MP960, but half a page slower than the Kodak EasyShare 5500 and the HP Photosmart C6180. When printing 4x6 photos, the MP970 scored 1.61ppm, again, behind its predecessor. It scored 7.20ppm when scanning grayscale pages, the second slowest of the bunch, and 6.36ppm with color scans.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Color scan | |
Grayscale scan | |
4x6 photo | |
Color graphics | |
Text |
Unfortunately, a similar pattern applied to the quality prints. The text print was nicely dark, but we saw quite a few jagged edges. The color graphics print showed pleasing color saturation and sharp detail in photo elements, but we saw the same problem with jagged edges on what should be smooth curves and sharp lines. (Keep in mind, the quality prints were done on Canon's own coated inkjet paper.) The 4x6 photo also showed sharp details, but the colors looked a bit washed out, particularly in flesh tones. We were surprised and disappointed by the print quality, as we've come to expect excellence from Canon products, particularly from their high-end offerings.
The scan quality is improved over that of the MP960, but still leaves plenty of room for improvement. The grayscale scans showed good pattern reproduction and sharp details, but it was a bit washed out, as if scanned through a filter. The color scan was perfect, except that the entire white background had a pale blue cast to it. Again, we were disappointed. Overall, we preferred the quality of the Pixma MP960 or the HP Photosmart C6180.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Color scan | |
Grayscale scan | |
Photo | |
Graphics | |
Text |
Service and support
Canon offers a standard one-year warranty for the Pixma MX700. Toll-free phone support is available weekdays from 8 a.m. to midnight PT and on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. E-mail support is available 24-7 via a Web-based form. Canon's standard online support options include downloadable drivers and software, manuals, and FAQs.
User reviews
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C/Net Missed The Boat On This One
by shootngo on February 15, 2008
Pros: photo quality. Scans slides & photos. All around workhorse
Cons: Look elsewhere for top of the line B&W photo prints...and add $300.00
Summary: C/net reviewers blew it on this little gem. I initially passed over the printer after reading their reviews. But it had all the features I was looking for, so ...
Summary: C/net reviewers blew it on this little gem. I initially passed over the printer after reading their reviews. But it had all the features I was looking for, so I kept coming back to it. Then I found that nearly every other pro reviewer loved it. Editors choice... etc.
Setup is a snap. I own and operate and eBay store and use it continuously for printing, scanning, photo manipulation, label printing, and it rocks.
I am also a serious FILM photo buff and love the fact I can scan slides & film and manipulate and organize with ease.
It does everything I was looking for well and with ease...what's not to like
LB9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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What a nice surprise!
by pilgrimone on December 12, 2007
Pros: Superb finished prints, easy to set up, fast prints and quality scans.
Cons: so far...none what soever
Summary: I was hesitant at first to order the 970 instead of the 960, but gov't red tape forced my hand. I am not disappointed at all in the 970. ...
Summary: I was hesitant at first to order the 970 instead of the 960, but gov't red tape forced my hand. I am not disappointed at all in the 970. Love the versatility of the hardware and the software provided. Have used store brand photopaper and have had no problems with finished quality.
I get fast prints while maintaining realistic and rich prints. I appreciate the warning about cropping when I have selected borderless printing feature. The front paper feed is great for plain paper and is not reccommended for photos. The rear feed is fine for photos and does not really need tons of space from the wall for using. Will give the neg scanning feature another try now that I have an antistatic cloth to clean my negs. ALL THUMBS UP!!Updated
Well...am I pleased or what? The quality of photo prints on card stock is wonderful...the efficient ink usage is remarkable (the tank is actually empty when the indicator says so)... ink level warning when getting low is well in advance...the ease of tank replacement is superb. Occasionally a false warning comes on to tell me that it has problems recognizing one specific tank, but turning the unit off then back on solves the issue. Colours are so realistic and the text is well formed.9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very good printer! If you are replacing an old printer, you will be impressed.
by sttwil on November 19, 2007
Pros: Good speed and qualtity. Love the networking feature for my home network!
Cons: None that I know of.
Summary: I replaced an HP R60 multifunction (~7-8 years old) with the MP970. From this reference point, the MP970 is smaller, and much, much faster! Document quality and photo quality are ...
Summary: I replaced an HP R60 multifunction (~7-8 years old) with the MP970. From this reference point, the MP970 is smaller, and much, much faster! Document quality and photo quality are very good. I know the MP960 is better rated by the CNET Pros, but for average home use, I think this printer is superb. It is smaller than the MP960. I closely followed the installation isntructions and it installed flawlessly. The MP960 may be faster and have better quality by CNET's standard, but an extra $100.00 is a lot of money when you are spending $300.00. Additionally, I think with the MP960, you would need a print server (another expense) to network the printer (if you don't already have one), when the MP970 comes network ready. For average home use, I think this printer will not disappoint! I have had it for 3 weeks now and am impressed.
9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The Best Photo AIO
by kheim on January 21, 2008
Pros: Photos are better then lab prints
Cons: Kind of large
Summary: I have owned Epson, Canon and Hp photo printers. Photography has been a very serious hobby of mine for 20 years. I never invested in the large format printers because ...
Summary: I have owned Epson, Canon and Hp photo printers. Photography has been a very serious hobby of mine for 20 years. I never invested in the large format printers because I never needed anything bigger then an 8x10 printed. Also owning many different types of quality scanners, in which some have allowed me to scan slides or negatives. That being said I would like recommend this MP970. I have not had, or seen any of the problems that c/net observed in their review of the MP970. Anyone buying this AIO machine should keep in mind that it is ment to be an AIO photo lab. Its not pretending to be an office AIO or just an eveyday AIO. Anyone buying it for a basic copy machine can find something a lot cheaper. It is for photos, slides and negatives.
Canon over the years, has had excelent drivers and ink costs compared to Epson or HP. Don't ever underestimate the importance of good drivers. Bad drivers can destroy the performance of a really good piece of hardware. This AIO is as perfect for photos, slides, and negatives, as anything you can buy under $500.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent quality
by djlaw3 on February 7, 2008
Pros: Provides all the features one could ask for
Cons: Takes up a big foot print
Summary: Have owned many different printers and must say this Canon machine is the best of the best. For at home use, there is plenty of speed nad performance is flawless. ...
Summary: Have owned many different printers and must say this Canon machine is the best of the best. For at home use, there is plenty of speed nad performance is flawless. Purchased at Circuit City and received a $30 instant rebate and a mail in $100 rebate making it a steal for $169 after rebates.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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You'll want this one...............AWESOME Printer!
by whjacobs on March 7, 2008
Pros: Print Quality, Great Software, Flawless Set-Up
Cons: Nothing Yet
Summary: Purchased the Canon after returning an HPC6280 AIO (the HP6280 is a piece of junk). I couldn't be happier with the Canon. And it has great software & drivers--don'...
Summary: Purchased the Canon after returning an HPC6280 AIO (the HP6280 is a piece of junk). I couldn't be happier with the Canon. And it has great software & drivers--don't underestimate the importance of that! The HP software is buggy and slowed my computer to a crawl. And let's discuss HP customer support later. Staying with the Canon and not looking back. And it is a pretty cool looking printer too!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent, but here's an insider's tip...
by longbow_shelly on May 6, 2009
Pros: Bold colors, crisp, professional looking pics
Cons: Haven't found a way to make the pics as top quality with photo print programs other than the accompanying Easy PhotoPrint app. It's probably me, tho.
Summary: Great, especially if you know ....... Date: May 6, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, Lightweight/Portable, Easy Setup, Easy to use, Sharp Tones & Colors
I used it a couple of times ...Summary: Great, especially if you know ....... Date: May 6, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, Lightweight/Portable, Easy Setup, Easy to use, Sharp Tones & Colors
I used it a couple of times with excellent results and then after some time came back and tried to use it again. But the second time, I used it with some other picture application besides the Easy PhotoPrint EX. The picture quality was grainy and yuck. So use the Easy PhotoPrint application that comes with it, or if you lost the driver, get it from this website again. It's a free download and is available for Macs as well as PC. *Also, VERY IMPORTANT***on the Easy PhotoPrint, when you go to select the type of paper in your printer (tab on the left side of the screen), look within the dialogue boxes at the top that come up for a block to check that says, "Vivid Photo" and check that box. Otherwise, it will come out grainy. If you don't check that box, you might think you are getting a worse product than you really have. B/c this is a magnificent printer! You will be surprised at the clarity and boldness of the colors! Best "photo" printer I have ever bought! -
Gorgeous prints, work horse
by AdminExtraordinnaire on February 24, 2009
Pros: Photo quality is excellent, love the 7 ink system, card reader is terrific!
Cons: Its a bit slow and the rear-feed can be a pain at times. It occasionally misaligns things like pre-cut business cards.
Summary: Printer is a work horse. The scanning is great though the software for it is a bit stripped down. The built in card readers are great and makes for a ...
Summary: Printer is a work horse. The scanning is great though the software for it is a bit stripped down. The built in card readers are great and makes for a much easier transfer of photos.
Photos print out excellent: whether from scanned prints, negatives or memory card. The negative option is a great thing for us. Its easy to use and the results are reliable and high quality.
I use this machine A LOT so needing to replace the ink so often can be a pain. Stock up and buy in bulk!
The machine itself is quite sleek. For upper scale offices, this was a big plus for me. I realize for most this won't matter, but in my world it was a big win-win. -
This printer covers most of my needs
by tarz22 on January 5, 2009
Pros: easy to use and quite efficient
Cons: has a couple of problems that may be due to the operator not reading the manual properly ???
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 2181B002
- Description: Ready to print, copy and scan at the highest levels? You'll create 4" x 6" photos with spectacular 9600 x 2400 color dpi resolution (max.) in only about 35 seconds. The 7-color ink system produces photos that are richer and more life-like than ever before. Scans of photos, negatives and even thick notebooks will yield superb 4800 x 9600 color dpi results, and copies will be more faithful to your originals. The Ethernet interface enables networking, and the large 3.5" TFT display lets you preview images in high resolution, then print directly from compatible memory cards - without a computer.
General
- Copier Type Digital
- Printing Technology Ink-jet - Color - Photo printer
- Display Diagonal Size 3.5"
- Office Machine Features Print from memory card
- Width 18.6 in
- Depth 15.6 in
- Height 8.4 in
- Weight 26.5 lbs
Memory
- Supported Flash Memory SmartMedia, CompactFlash, Memory Stick, IBM Microdrive, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, Memory Stick Pro
Copying
- Max Copying Speed up to 30 pages/min (mono) / up to 22 pages/min (color)
- Max Document Enlargement 400 %
- Max Document Reduction 25 %
- Maximum Copies 99
- Exposure Control Automatic
- Automatic Duplexing Yes
- Copying Features 2 on 1, 4 on 1, BorderFree, Fit to page
Printing
- Max Printing Resolution up to 600 x 600 dpi (mono) / up to 9600 x 2400 dpi (color)
- Max Printing Speed up to 30 pages/min (mono) / up to 22 pages/min (color)
- Ink Cartridge Configuration 7 individual ink tanks
- Color 7-ink
- Minimum Ink Droplet Size 1 pl
Scanning
- Scan Element CCD
- Optical Resolution 4800 x 4800 dpi
- Interpolated Resolution 19200 x 19200 dpi
- Color Depth 24 bit
- Color Depth (Internal) 48 bit
Document & Media Handling
- Max Original Size 8.5 in x 11.7 in
- Max Copy Size Legal (8.5 in x 14 in)
- Supported Media Type Cards, Envelopes, Photo paper, Plain paper
- Speed Details Printing : up to 30 pages/min - B/W, Printing : up to 22 pages/min - Color, Copying : up to 30 pages/min - B/W, Copying : up to 22 pages/min - Color
PC Connectivity
- PC Connection Availability Yes
- PC Connection IrDA, Hi-Speed USB
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.2.8 - 10.4.x
- Software Included Drivers & utilities
Miscellaneous
- Direct Printing Specifications PictBridge, Canon Direct Print
- Microsoft Certifications Certified for Windows Vista
Environmental Standards
- EPA Energy Star Compliant Yes
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year, Technical support - Phone consulting
CNET Labs' Benchmarks
- CNET Labs Color Scanning Speed Test (pages per minute) 6.36
- CNET Labs Gray Scale Scanning Speed Test (pages per minute) 7.2
- CNET Labs Photo Speed Test (pages per minute) 1.61
- CNET Labs Presentation Speed Test (pages per minute) 2.59
- CNET Labs Printer Graphics Speed Test (pages per minute) 2.07
- CNET Labs Text Speed Test (pages per minute) 7.85
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Canon USA
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon USA products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://estore.usa.canon.com/
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
