Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon PIXMA MP980 Printer

This printer produces excellent quality output on both photgraphs and text and, in my view, sets a new (very high) benchmark in terms of capability especially in terms of photo printing. It is easy to set up and I managed to install the Canon software on 5 computers (3 running XP and 2 running Vista) and get them to connect to the printer wirelessly without any difficulty. The Canon software bundle is comprehensive and includes connectivity software as well as photo editing/printing programmes.

The MP 980 uses 6 ink tanks 5 of which are the same as those used on other Canon printers including the MP620 but I should mention that (at this time) the additional (grey) ink tank is not the easiest to get. The inks seem economical but I have not been using the printer for long enough to be definite about this aspect of performance.

In terms of aesthetics the Canon MP980 although not particularly compact, has clean lines and is uncluttered especially when the front tray and display lid are closed. It has a tray underneath the printer for standard A4 paper and a rear slot which will accommodate supplies of photo paper.

In summary, it is a premium printer both by virtue of its initial price and performance. However, it is also simple to install and holds the prospect of being economical to run.

As per the other two reviews (at the time of writing), this is a quality printer.

Photo print quality is absolutely superb - easily the equal of professionally done prints. Hopefully longevity and light-fastness will be good but it's too early to tell. Print speed for prints is very good.
Printing from memory cards works well, with features for cropping etc. built into the printer so it really is self-sufficient. Sadly doesn't support RAWs (does any photo printer?). Photo printing on CDs/DVDs is a bit light in tone and shadows aren't very deep but I don't find this a major problem.

'Normal' printing quality is fine - up there with the best inkjets around, though outclassed by lasers.

The 'copy' function, both mono and colours, is very good and far superior in quality to many photocopiers. Nice and quick too.

The scanner is just as good as a rather good and expensive - if aged - Epson flatbed I was using until I bought this - the only bugbear is the 600 DPI scan resolution limit when scanning (unless you are scanning slides), and the truly awful supplied software. Thankfully you can of course scan via the TWAIN driver into any decent graphics package (the DPI limit remains in force though). I was impressed with the scanner's ability to distinguish between nearly pure white sky and a white object against it on one of the photos I used as a test. Scan speed is nice and quick too.

The wireless aspect just works as advertised, though you need an initial USB connection to the first machine you set it up with to set the wifi network settings up.

Installation was unexpectedly time consuming - 6 minutes to do a head alignment, several minutes on the wifi bit, etc. All adds up to a minimum of half an hour of fiddling I'd say. Installing the print head and ink cartidges is best done in a very well lit room or with the aid of a torch due to the scanner lid being on top and casting shadows.

Physically it's nicely boxy so with the front and rear trays and control panel closed up it not only has a lot more resistance to dust ingress it also takes up less desk space.

As a general remark my previous Canon photo printer blew previous Epsons out of the water (and never had clogged nozzles), but performed best with Canon's own ink. Paper I found not quite so critical. I expect the MP980 to be the same and perform best with Canon ink (which bizarrely appears to be best priced from Canon themselves at the moment).

I need more desk space so have decided to replace my ageing Canon printer and Epson scanner with an All in One. My first choice was an Epson, similarly priced to the MP980 but it used up all the ink that came with the machine without producing one good photograph. It was noisey and subject to paper jambs. It was returned as faulty to the local retailer.

I then saw the reviews for the Canon MP970 but wanted a wireless connection. The MP980 has this facility so I took a chance that it would match the MP970 reviews.

It is VERY GOOD indeed. I was concerned about setting it up as some owners reported the complexity of the 970. The instructions are lengthy and detailed. Very off putting. In fact they are excellent. Taking you through each step carefully explaining what happens next. I have connected it to my 3 PC network without any trouble. The only foible being that the second and third PC's didn't find the printer first time. (Perhaps I'd not waited long enough after switching the printer back on) I just clicked on the search button again and up it came.

The build quality is superb. Every thing fits well and runs smoothly. It is extremely quite and even has a quiter setting for nightime use!

I've only had it a couple of days but am impressed with the ease of use. It guides you through how to do each task, even giving instructions on how to prevent envelopes jamming. (I guess we've all had some of that!)

Photographs are excellent, on Kodak Paper, Scanning is simple; it even presets the dots per inch depending on the original to be scanned. (It scans slides brilliantly) I love the independant copy function. Double sided copying is fun. Text print is sharp.

A realy nice touch is that if you forget to lower the output paper tray, it drops down automatically when you call for a print.

The help files are easy to access and understand.

It's a boxy shape but it has a flat top and clean sides. It provides a surface on which to place things temporarily!

One of my best purchases for quite a while. Let's hope that it proves reliable and economic. I'll let you know later

Canon PIXMA MP980 Printer

This has proved to be an excellent all round product. I have managed to load all my slides easily (four at a time) and all my photos (again up to four at a time). The scanner is excellent at getting the right angle even when the are out of line on the scanner.

As as straight forward copier the response is quite quick though the colours are not identical to the original.

As photo printer it provides high quality prints - as good as my dedicated photoprinter.

So far I have only had the printer for two months but it has met all of my needs.

After hours of trawling through reviews and spec listings on numerous printers I finally decided to take the plunge and chose this printer even though at the time there were no reviews available for this newley released machine. I based my choice on the comments other users of the MP970 had made and crossed my fingers. My reason for purchasing a new printer was as a result of my enthusiasm for photography gathering pace and my main criteria was that it would be able to produce excellent quality photos. I am pleased to say that I have not been at all disappointed. Even on the Canon "Everyday" photo paper the quality is fantastic. I have found that the high grade Canon papers can be difficult to get hold of but after some searching I obtained the "Pro Platinum" papers to use for framing and the results are outstanding. I love the look of the printer and found setting up was easy and without issue. Occasionally I find that the self cleaning of the head prior to printing can go on a while before it will print. I have one concern since reading computer based instructions, in that it is stated that once the nozzle cleaning sponge is full, the printer would have to be returned to canon for it to be replaced. I have no idea how long it will be before this happens but am not looking foward to it! I find the supplied software easy enough to use but tend to use various other programs to deal with some of the functions, but that is purely due to being more familiar with those. The 35mm film scanning function is a brilliant attribute and produces excellent results in digitising old photos.
After two months of owning this printer I am still thrilled with it and would definitely recommend it to a friend. Although there are many other all-in-one printers out there for less money, for what you get with this, I think it is a great price and money well spent.