Canon PIXMA™ MP780 All-In-One InkJet Printer

Inkjet. Print, Scan, Copy, Fax. The Canon MP780 stands out in reviews as the best all-in-one printer. Although there are no memory-card slots, the PictBridge port allows direct printing from digital cameras. There's also an automatic document feeder for multi-page copying (up to 35 pages) and a built-in fax modem which allows color faxing. Experts say photo quality is excellent. In tests, the MP780 prints text pages at 6.9 pages per minute, much faster than the cheaper Epson below. The Pixma is both PC and Mac compatible.

Was there a bad batch?
Review created: 01/24/06
by: bgemmell

You may need to completely uninstall the older units' software and then do a clean install of the new printers' software.
Hope this helps.

This ALL-IN-ONE is built like a tank, not like the plastic toys from the competitors.
You can use the third party ink which is very cheap.
Most important, it ink jet does not clog up and get plugged up after a few weeks of inactivity.

Simply the best.

Thou it has no memory card readers, it is ultra quiet and a bit better designed than the 730. Generic INK use is the major reason to have it and the 830 breaks far to often (per a Canon authorized repair center)

CONS:

1. Printer is designed to destroy itself:

a. Leave ink cartridge lever up for 10 minutes and it smashes into the side, stripping the gears (Canon knows about this but will not fix the firmware)
b. Print head is designed to burn out after 1 year by deliberate micro power surges which gradually burn out electrical traces (HP cartridges do this too and most other printer companies probably employ this dirty trick.)

2. No firmware updates! (you're stuck with the version that ships; there are about 20 different versions, some work better than others)

3. The NORTH AMERICA version omits the CD label printing tray & software (wow, they saved 25 CENTS worth of plastic... MONEY-MONEY-MONEY-MONEY-MONEY!)

4. Canon will not fix the firmware to make it auto-adjust the print head height when printing envelopes (so they always smear). It can be manually changed but then you have to change it back for photos... and you are always forgetting because there is no reminder. Canon knows about the problem but they just don't care--once you have bought it you're screwed.

5. The fax modem can't be used as a regular modem (due to artificial firmware/driver crippling, not because of a hardware limitation). A waste of hardware capability!

6. Purposely sprays several pages worth of ink into the waste ink tank every time you turn it on (to make you buy more ink).

7. When the waste ink tank fills up you can't use the printer anymore. It must be completely disassembled to empty the tank (which isn't worth it, so you have to buy a new printer every 2 years).
_________

PROS:

The print quality is good... for a while. But this is a "high maintenance" unit for sure. The speed is good & the automatic double-sided printing is nice, but all of the problems with this printer are just not worth it. Some people I know have gone through 2 or 3 Canon printers and printheads under warranty before giving up. It's a shame that Canon products are not designed to last--the feature set on this printer is good but the firmware bugs & reliability problems just ruin the experience. I will NEVER buy another Canon or HP printer, they are hell to maintain (and costly) and they are intentionally designed to break after a year or two. Don't know what I will try next but these greedmeisters just don't deserve any more business. There must be mountains of Canon & HP printers in the garbage dumps. These irresponsible companies should be made to pay--not just for ripping us off, but for trashing the environment too.

Bought this printer two years ago due to its print/scan/fax/copy capability. Didn't think I'd print many pictures (for home office use) but it sure does come in handy at times.

The newer printers from Canon have a microchip embedded in them, to make it harder to use generic (i.e. refilled) inks. This model doesn't require special Canon ink, I use a quality generic for $3/tank (or so) and have had good results. And there are five tanks (Magenta, Cyan, Yellow, and two black tanks) so if you are out of one color you don't have to replace the entire unit (like with HP). Another nice thing is that the printhead is separate from the ink, so the ink tank is simple (and not so expensive).

Another nice thing (compared to the HP unit that failed on me after only 2 years, requiring a very expensive repair which I refused to do) is that the printer driver software doesn't have a heavy 'footprint' on the computer, yet has a lot of useful utility (i.e. two levels of print-head cleaning, many options for additional color, duplex printing etc.)

I wish the printer was a bit more 'sturdy' when lifting up the top to use the flatbed portion for copying and faxing, it also feels a bit flimsy when lifting up the top to replace the ink cartridges, but other than that minor quibble it works great.

I have the same printer and having trouble with it printing.
Got this one for parts and print head.

I replaced an Epson R600 All-in-One 'Photo' printer with the Cannon MP780 and I have not been disappointed with the result. This Cannon can print just as fast as the Epson. The picture quality is not noticably different and that has been my number one criteria for a photo printer, excellent. The fact that the Cannon has a paper tray frees up the back slot for feeding photo paper, a very nice arrangement. Scanning can either be by top feed through or flatbed where the flatbed is far superior and is the only way to do photo copying. Generally this is an excellent choice for an All-In-One Photo printer.

It has an old engine, but with some of the newer Canon compatible inks and an inventory of print heads .. these may very well continue to deliver competitive service for years to come. I notice the prices for used machines .. have really maintained their value. Some used ones sell for HIGHER than their original purchase price. Go figure.