The Canon Pixma MP980 is a capable all-in-one device that prints, faxes, and copies documents in full color 4,800×9, 600-pixel resolution. The additional features of MP980 include 3.5-inch LCD screen, an easy-to-use control panel, and a media card reader.
The Canon Pixma MP980 measures 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. Canon MP980 uses six individual Chroma Life 100 ink cartridges including one dedicated gray cartridge for better quality monochrome photos. 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. The scanner of the printer also 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.
The cheap Canon Pixma MP980 offers a collection of features that make life much easier for the home photo enthusiast. This printer can be connected to the computer through a standard USB cord and to the network with the Ethernet port on the back, or even go wireless with the built-in 802.11b/g wireless print server.
The text print speed of cheap Canon Pixma MP980 is fairly good. It prints about 5.75 pages per minute. Compared with the rest of the competition, though, the MP980 fared about average.