Canon MP950 Ink
PIXMA MP950 Ink Cartridges

Canon MP950 Printer Review

The Canon Pixma MP950 is an all-in-one inkjet printer designed mainly for amateur or semi-professional photographers and basic personal needs. It would work in an office setting, but the lack of faxing capabilities and networking options will limit the benefits of having it. The quality of prints, copies and scans exceeds the competition and the output rate is impressive. The Pixma MP950 ink can produce a grain free, vivid 4"x6" color photo in only 46 seconds. It prints and copies at a rate of 29 pages per minute using black Canon MP950 ink and 22 pages per minute in color.

On the top panel of the MP950 there is a 3.6" color LCD for previewing and enhancing images before printing. This is helpful when using the memory card slot or USB direct connect, thus eliminating the need for a PC. There is an auto enhance feature that automatically cleans up images and improves the sharpness and lighting. There is also an Auto exposure feature that optimizes the quality of copies based on the original type of document. The Canon Pixma MP950 inkjet unit has two paper trays and a duplexer for double sided printing.

There are 7 different tanks for Canon MP950 ink cartridges. The standard colors of printer ink are cyan, magenta, yellow and black. However, this inkjet unit offers Photo cyan and Photo magenta printer ink, which were manufactured to improve the color quality. There is also a second black Pixma MP950 ink cartridge that is pigment based rather than dye based. The pigment base makes more crisp and solid text. Canon inkjet printers use new technology known as FINE, which uses nozzles to dispense Canon MP950 ink. There are over 3,500 nozzles in this unit.

The quality and speed of the Canon Pixma MP950 are high, just like its price tag of around $400. However, critics and consumers agree that the features and results of this unit are worth the extra money.