Canon Pixma MP980
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 2922B002
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Canon Pixma MP980 multifunction printer, copier, and scanner are a step up from its predecessor, but the print quality isn't up to standard and it doesn't perform as quickly as the competition. The HP Photosmart Premium Fax all-in-one is a less expensive alternative that adds value with a fax machine and faster, higher quality output.
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CNET editors' review
Canon Pixma MP980 price range: $194.99 - $299.95
- Reviewed by: Justin Yu
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 05/11/2009
The good: Space-saving design; robust software; interactive LCD menu; dual-paper feeds; fast graphics and photo prints; auto-duplexer included.
The bad: Poor print quality; expensive; no fax machine; flimsy paper cassette; slow text output speed; unreliable wireless performance; unique gray ink can be hard to find.
The bottom line: The Canon Pixma MP980 multifunction printer, copier, and scanner are a step up from its predecessor, but the print quality isn't up to standard and it doesn't perform as quickly as the competition. The HP Photosmart Premium Fax all-in-one is a less expensive alternative that adds value with a fax machine and faster, higher quality output.
The Canon Pixma MP980 is a capable all-in-one device that prints, faxes, and copies documents in full color 4,800x9,600-pixel resolution, thanks to a unique six color ink bay that includes a special gray cartridge for more distinct grayscale photo prints. The $300 MP980 lends a hand to amateur photo enthusiasts with a large 3.5-inch LCD screen, an easy-to-use control panel, and a media card reader, but we're unsatisfied with the difficult wireless setup, the slower-than-average output speeds, and the inflated price. Compared with the HP Photosmart Premium Fax all-in-one that throws in a fax machine and an auto-document feeder for less, we think HP offers a better deal.
Design
The Pixma MP980 AIO takes the same shape as the rest of the Canon's MP series, but this year's model gets the shrinking ray, measuring 7.9 inches high by 18.5 inches wide by 15.2 inches deep. The all-in-one weighs a hefty 24 pounds because of the auto-duplexer built into the back for double-sided prints, so you probably won't want to move it around a lot on your work space. The silver and glossy black body exudes stylish professionalism, and the scanner lid sits so flush against the main body that you can barely tell its there. In addition, the main output tray and control panel fold in to save space.
The control panel rests on the lid and houses a bright 3.5-inch color LCD similar to the screen on the Pixma MP970. The menu is arranged in a circle, and you use the tactile dial on the base panel to access the different settings. The wheel and "OK" buttons offer a satisfying click with each selection, but there's also a four-way directional pad surrounding the dial if you don't feel comfortable with the wheel. Most of the time, we preferred the scroll wheel, but the buttons are also easy to use when you know exactly where to go.
The rest of the pad contains the rest of the shortcut buttons, including a Navi button for help with onscreen menus, a home button, instant color and black copy keys, two buttons to increase and decrease the amount of copies, as well as a stop button to cancel a job in progress. Finally, two soft buttons sit directly underneath the screen to navigate through the onscreen menus.
The printer handles paper input by the main 150-sheet cassette as well as another 150-sheet tray that folds out of the rear. We always prefer two input trays to one and found that using the main tray for plain and the rear tray for smaller photo paper is much more convenient than constantly switching the different sizes. We do have a gripe with build quality of the main tray, which rolls out of the bottom and feels as if it's made out of cheap plastic. Only time will reveal the tray's true durability, but we're disheartened by its flimsy feel out of the box.
Canon uses six individual ChromaLife100 ink cartridges including one dedicated gray cartridge for better quality monochrome photos, but many users on the MP980 product page have complained about not being able to find the gray cartridge in retail stores. Canon's online store seems to carry an abundance, so be sure to order one before the gray runs out. All of the dye-based color inks cost $12.99 to replace, and the pigment-based black tanks run a bit more at $14.90. Canon estimates a black-and-white document to cost 3 cents, a full-color document costs 5 cents, and it costs 29 cents per 4-inch-by-6-inch color photo; these prices are average for today's typical photo printer.
Features
The Pixma MP980 offers a collection of features that make life much easier for the home photo enthusiast. You can connect the printer to a computer through a standard USB cord, or to your network with the Ethernet port on the back, or even go wireless with the built-in 802.11b/g wireless print server. There's also a PictBridge USB port on the bottom as well as a full media card reader for transferring and printing photos directly from a digital camera. Unlike the competition, Canon doesn't include a wireless configuration tutorial with its software, so you might encounter problems similar to ours during setup, which requires you to establish a USB connection first. After several days of trying to get our router to connect with the printer, we finally just started clean and reinstalled the driver. After that, everything went smoothly, but it might take you a couple tries before your system connects with the MP980.
The copier on the MP980 has all the features you'd expect from a multifunction printer. You can enlarge the original up to 400 percent or simply fit the entire document to a page. Other special features include two-sided copying, borderless copying, exact duplication, cropped copy, and 2-on-1 and 4-on-1 photo collages.
Scanning is also typical, with save options that include sending the file straight to your PC, as an e-mail attachment, scanned as a PDF, or simply open it to an application. You can save all documents as TIFF, JPEG, bitmap, or PDF files, and the scanner now supports film and negatives as well. The negative and slide holders are accessible underneath the document protector underneath the lid. The scanner supports document sizes up to 8.5 inches by 11 inches, but the fixed hinge makes it difficult to stretch the scanner cover over thicker documents and books.
Performance
The Pixma MP980 showed significant speed improvements across the board with the exception of the color text test, where the MP970 scored 7.85 pages per minute to the MP980's 5.75 pages per minute. Compared with the rest of the competition, though, the MP980 fared about average. It was unable to get ahead of the chart-topping Epson Artisan 800 and the HP Photosmart Premium Fax all-in-one, which remains our favorite home photo printer.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Photo speed (1 Sheet) | |
Color graphics speed | |
Presentation speed | |
Color Text speed |
Print quality on the MP980 suffers from the same problems as its predecessor, specifically in our test of color graphics. Text prints look fine at first glance, but upon closer inspection, we saw many jagged edges and malformed lines. Color text is marred with white blotchy marks within the letter bodies, and where smaller text should be clearly formed turned out thick and barely legible in two point size. As usual, we also printed out a page of color graphics on plain paper to test print quality, and we're disappointed again by the washed-out colors and undersaturation. All of the pictures on the document look hazy and dim, especially in facial tones that normally appear vibrant on our monitor.
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.
Find out more about how we test printers.
User reviews
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Ok copier and good imaging - poor paper feed mechanism
by StaffFryes on November 15, 2008
Pros: High speed imaging capability is very good which is about you can say positively about the MP 980.
Cons: Absolute nightmare to set up wireless printing. Finally gave up. The paper feed mechanisms are poor quality and I doubt they will last. I expected a lot more from a printer in this price range.
Summary: The imaging capabilities are significant plus but aside from that I can not recommend this product. You have to wonder what the Canon engineers were thinking when they threw this ...
Summary: The imaging capabilities are significant plus but aside from that I can not recommend this product. You have to wonder what the Canon engineers were thinking when they threw this thing together. The printer heads on our EPSON CX6400 gave out. Otherwise I would not have gone to a multifunction printer. Stick with a good scanner and a good quality printer.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very user friendly I find it a Dream to use
by brendonpenn on November 25, 2008
Pros: Very Fast Scanning at 600dpi I do not need more but is there if you do
I find the printing to Disks, Text.doc, and photos extremely good quality
It has more fetchers? than I will ever need
Very Nice Unit !Cons: It is quite a big & heavy unit and requires a bit of desk space
The scanning program could be a bit better (Very Fast to scan) but a bit of a pain to rename and move Photos about (in the Scanning Program)Summary: All in all the scanning and printing are exceptionally very good in both speed and quality I am Very Very Happy with the MP980!
As I use the program more ...Summary: All in all the scanning and printing are exceptionally very good in both speed and quality I am Very Very Happy with the MP980!
As I use the program more I will get use to using it as it is a bit different to my old one (scanning only) my biggest problem will be trying to teach the Wife to use the scanning program.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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its a great printer
by bbrittneyc on January 25, 2009
Pros: prints nice photos (esp on matte or soft-gloss paper). very simple wifi and bluetooth setup. built-in templates are fun and can be used directly from the printer using a memory card or scanner (no computer needed)!
Cons: paper choice is limited, even the paper feed options are determined by the printer, not customizable. Some of the photo prints on glossy paper look kind of grainy to me.
Summary: I think it's a great printer. i got it on a trial basis, expecting to return it and get something different but was pleasantly surprised by how well I ...
Summary: I think it's a great printer. i got it on a trial basis, expecting to return it and get something different but was pleasantly surprised by how well I like it - I still have it!
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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DO NOT BUY unless you like buying ink.......
by conradva on November 15, 2009
Pros: small and compact
Cons: Can't scan when you are out of ink...oh by the way that is pretty often.....7 different cartridges = $$$$$$
Summary: I wish I had done more homework....upset the entire functionality is dependent upon the inl which apparently is lacking...do not use but occasionally and it is costing a ...
Summary: I wish I had done more homework....upset the entire functionality is dependent upon the inl which apparently is lacking...do not use but occasionally and it is costing a fortune in ink....oh did I forget to tell you, the other functions such as scanning to a file (not printing) when the inl is out does not work as well??? RIP OFF...wish I could return!!!!!
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Quality cant be beat for the money.
by MichaeleneEnglish on October 13, 2009
Pros: Black and White photo's, LCD Menu, 35mm film, software, very solidly constructed Very fast printing from sleep mode. Scanner is fast and detailed.
Cons: 1) You can't connect both wirelessly and wired on a network. I like to connect wired to my work PC because it presents fewer problems with my VPN client. 2) The directions are not the easiest to follow. 3) Black ink goes fast.
Summary: I actually have two printers and I got this one 4 months back for photo printing. B&W photos are truely amazing on this thing. Color is the best ...
Summary: I actually have two printers and I got this one 4 months back for photo printing. B&W photos are truely amazing on this thing. Color is the best I've seen this price range too. Unless your really going to dish out for a pro photo printer in the 700-1k range, this is your best choice. I compaired painstakingly to the Epson Artison 810 which is also a great printer and you won't go wrong with either, but the deciding factor was black and white photo results like I've never seen before!
All that said, the directions are not the easiest in the world to follow - it's never been a Canon strong point for any product, but I'd rather have them continue to focus their investments on the excellent product and not the manual. I say this because if you read it and I mean seriously read it and don't skip stuff because you think you know what your doing which I myself am guilty of doing all too often. If you do this, you will not have any problems whatsoever. The manual isn't but 15 pages anyway. The second thing is, and this hold true especially for any other B/W photo enthusiests out there, run to Office Depot or Staples and stock up 2 or 3 things of the Gray ink. They both carry it but there just about the only ones, or you can get it through Cannon, but don't waste the money there.
I don't think that anyone who chooses this model will be disapointed at all (except maybe for the reviewer who broke the print head during install - that is not Canon's fault and READING the manual would have avoided that - it looks like it goes in one way and it doesn't) -
Don't bother!
by bluecardinals on August 22, 2009
Pros: The overall document and photo quality has been good.
Cons: LCD screen didn't function after only 3 months. Had to have printer exchanged. You have to order gray ink online, not sold in stores. Shipping cost almost double the price! Printer is non functional if it's out of ink, can't even scan!
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Truly appalling printer
by chriswalsh1961 on August 13, 2009
Pros: I haven't found any yet!
Cons: Messed up self-installation of printer head.. This lead to a customer service call where my options were 1. pay a service center to fix the problem or 2. swap my brand new printer for a refurbished one. Gee thanks Canon!
Summary: I still have not been able to get the thing working, so I have had no opportunity to identify a single redeeming feature of this piece of junk. Why is ...
Summary: I still have not been able to get the thing working, so I have had no opportunity to identify a single redeeming feature of this piece of junk. Why is Canon incapable of installing its own printer heads like every other printer manufacturer? Totally lame that they have lost customer/user focus so badly.
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Love the film scanner
by mnagaya on August 13, 2009
Pros: 35mm film scanner works very well.
Opens the front cover automatically.
Does everything reasonably well.Cons: No auto power up/down option.
Summary: If you need to buy/repalce a printer and also want to have an inexpensive film scanner, buy this one.
Summary: If you need to buy/repalce a printer and also want to have an inexpensive film scanner, buy this one.
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A great all -rounder!!
by donatello77 on July 27, 2009
Pros: Have great features like built-in card reader, Wifi, scanning and quality photos
Cons: none so far
Summary: Affordable quality
Summary: Affordable quality
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Great Printer
by seesharp4me on July 3, 2009
Pros: I'm not sure what CNET is having issue regarding wireless? My MacBook Pro works flawlessly with this printer. Frankly it works better with the printer than my router. I've been very happy with this printer.
Cons: I agree on the availability of the gray ink, but that is what shopping the internet is for.
Summary: Overall a great printer. The only issue is that at times the photos can be a bit blotchy. My 9000 PRO seemed to have the same issue. I perform the ...
Summary: Overall a great printer. The only issue is that at times the photos can be a bit blotchy. My 9000 PRO seemed to have the same issue. I perform the standard maintenance regularly so, I'm not sure what causes this.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 2922B002
- Description: The Canon PIXMA MP980 is designed for analog and digital photography, this premium All-in-One delivers superior photo prints with dedicated gray ink for ultimate monochrome images as well as 35 mm film and slide scanning. Top-quality, fast printing is delivered by the combination of an impressive 9600 x 2400 dpi resolution, tiny 1pl ink droplets for smooth, grain-free color and monochrome images. The additional gray ink tank delivers superior-quality monochrome photo prints. The print speeds for a photolab-quality 10 x 15 cm borderless print in just 20 seconds. The PIXMA MP980 prints high-quality documents, with a pigment black ink delivering crisp, sharp text and dye-based color inks for vibrant graphics.
General
- Copier Type Digital
- Printing Technology Ink-jet - Color - Photo printer
- Display Diagonal Size 3.5"
- Office Machine Features Print from memory card
- Width 15.2 in
- Depth 18.5 in
- Height 7.9 in
- Weight 23.6 lbs
Memory
- Supported Flash Memory CompactFlash, Memory Stick, IBM Microdrive, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro, SDHC Memory Card
Copying
- Max Copying Speed up to 24 pages/min (mono) / up to 19 pages/min (color)
- Max Document Enlargement 400 %
- Max Document Reduction 25 %
- Maximum Copies 99
- Automatic Duplexing Yes
- Copying Features 2 on 1, 4 on 1, BorderFree, Fit to page
Printing
- Inkjet Technology Canon FINE (Full-lithography inkjet Nozzle Engineering)
- Max Printing Resolution up to 600 x 600 dpi (mono) / up to 9600 x 2400 dpi (color)
- Max Printing Speed up to 26 pages/min (mono) / up to 21 pages/min (color)
- Ink Cartridge Configuration 6 individual ink tanks
- Color 6-ink
- Minimum Ink Droplet Size 1 pl
Scanning
- Scan Element CCD
- Optical Resolution 9600 x 4800 dpi
- Interpolated Resolution 19200 x 19200 dpi
- Color Depth 24 bit
- Color Depth (Internal) 48 bit
Document & Media Handling
- Max Original Size Legal (8.5 in x 14 in)
- Document Feeder Capacity 150 sheets
- Supported Media Type Cards, Envelopes, Photo paper, Plain paper
- Standard Media Capacity 150 sheets
- Document & Media Handling Details ADF - 150 sheets, Paper cassette - 150 sheets
- Speed Details Printing : up to 26 pages/min - B/W, Printing : up to 21 pages/min - Color, Copying : up to 24 pages/min - B/W, Copying : up to 19 pages/min - Color
PC Connectivity
- PC Connection Availability Yes
- PC Connection Hi-Speed USB, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Ethernet 10 Base-T/100 Base-TX
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9 - 10.5.x
- Software Included ArcSoft PhotoStudio, Drivers & utilities, Canon Easy-PhotoPrint, Canon MP Navigator EX, Canon Easy-PhotoPrint EX
Power
- Power AC 110/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
- Power Consumption Operational 27 Watt
- Power Consumption Standby 2.7 Watt
- Power Consumption Sleep 0.8 Watt
Miscellaneous
- Direct Printing Specifications PictBridge, Canon Direct Print
- Consumables Included 1 x Ink tank ( Black ), 1 x Ink tank ( Cyan ), 1 x Ink tank ( Magenta ), 1 x Ink tank ( Yellow ), 1 x Ink tank ( Gray ), Ink tank ( Pigmented black )
- Microsoft Certifications Certified for Windows Vista
- Compliant Standards RoHS
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 - 1 year
Environmental Parameters
- Sound Emission 44.5 dB (operating)
- Min Operating Temperature 41 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 95 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 10 - 90%
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Canon USA
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon USA products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://estore.usa.canon.com/
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
