Canon Pixma MP970 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer (2181B002)

I purchased this printer about 2 months ago and have used it daily since then. The scanner is very fast and yields great quality images. I do all of my image editing in photoshop so I can't say how well the scanning software works regarding editing. I'm a painter and I use this printer for creating prints of my original work. I have used the canon photo paper with excellent results and I also print on fredrix archival print canvas which is canvas that is made for use with inkjet printers. The results with the canvas are unbelievable! All of my customers have been very happy with their prints.
The one downside to this printer is that the ink runs out FAST!!! I blew through the black and the yellow very quickly. Cost for replacement tanks at staples was around $13 + change, although there are cheaper prices to be found online.
Overall, very satisfied. Gave 4 stars due to the ink running out quickly.

Easy to use, high-quality color printer/scanner.

As a Mac user, I experienced no problems with the installation, except one minor flaw --- it is almost ready to use out-of-the-box but there's no USB cable included, which was VERY disappointing since I had to go buy one AFTER the printer arrived!

I have used the MP970 for about a month. It is easy to use and set up. The quality of printed photos is very good to excellent, expecially on Canon photo paper. The scanner and its driver are very easy to use and they operate efficiently. Scans are quick and accurate. I am using it with Paperport and have not had any compatibility issues. It also performs well as a copier, even if the computer is not turned on. The two paper trays are a nice convenience. Duplex printing is great for saving paper. The only negative, and it is a minor one, is that text is not as crisp as I have seen on other printers. Otherwise, I highly recommend this multifunction printer.

I have a Mac OS X and a Windows XP machine. Both machines installed with problems. Customer service was very helpful. However, they concluded that there was nothing they could do to fix the problem... that the problem is mostly on the Windows side and they have no patches for it yet.

The XP operates as the hard wired machine to both the Canon and to the wireless router (so the Mac can access the Canon wirelessly). However, the XP would not even install correctly and kept generating an error message. I spent about 1 to 2 hours on the phone with customer service and was finally able to get the drivers installed except for scanning. So, Canon tells me I cannot scan into the XP machine.

As for the Mac, the drivers installed fine, however, there is a clitch somewhere such that the scanner function will only work when I click scan from the Mac itself -- pushing the scan button on the Canon results in nothing. So I have to run from the Mac to the room with the scanner to keep changing the item to be scanned and then run back to the room with the Mac to click scan, etc, etc. Canon customer service spent 1.5 hours on the phone trying to find a solution -- none found.

All the PC mags gave this Canon great reviews, however, it seems to have severe problems with its drivers interfacing with Windows XP in a network setting. I'd suggest one that is easier to network and sacrifice a little one the photo quality, like an Epson or something else.

The printer seems well built. It is much quieter than my old one. What little printing and scanning I have done seems excellent. Duplex printing works fine, but would be a little slow for large volumes. I have not tried slide scanning yet.
Now for the bad part. When I received the printer, the setup was very straightforward and went well. I printed one page and it was great. For the next page, I got a paper jam. I found that there was not a jam, but I kept getting the error message. After a while I called tech support. They quickly determined that the printer had a problem and shipped me a replacement. While waiting for the replacement, I questioned them about what I would have to change because the new printer would have a different network address. They assured me it would just be plug and play. When the replacement arrived, I plugged it in and my PC could not find it on the network. After several email exchanges, I discovered that the printer had been shipped without locking the scanner. I tried a scan and got a bad result. I then found that a local dealer would do warranty repair. I shipped back the apparently reconditioned replacement and took the new one to the local shop. He had to order a new part. After a week, I took it home and found he had made a mistake in putting it back together. I took it back again and he fixed it while I waited. So about a month after I received the printer, I finally had a working machine. All the Canon support people I dealt with were polite and responsive. [....]