Customer Reviews
Researched it, bought it, use it, love it! 
2006-12-01
I did a lot of research, am glad I chose the Canon PIXMA 950, and highly recommend it. I've been hooked on Canon cameras for many years and models, my newest are digital - the EOS Rebel XT and the PowerShot A540, so feeling comfortable with a Canon product seemed natural. However, I also like and use HP so considered and researched their line as well as other name brands. Though the PIXMA 950 isn't the least expensive all-in-one, the feature that sold me (along with the favorable reviews of the product) is the ability to print from negatives and slides. I have hundreds of pics from the '70s and '80s that have turned or faded and I knew I couldn't afford lab prices to restore them. Plus, no lab will be as picky or spend as much time as I will. If the negative has degraded I scan directly from the picture. The fade restoration feature is nothing short of spectacular -- I've seen fabulous colors reappear from a photo or negative that looks like a sepia. Since I'm picky I always use the high rather than standard setting. I prefer the bordered setting because it doesn't crop like the borderless. Inks are not cheap but colors are excellent. The first time it queried "The following ink is low. Continue?" I immediately said no and changed the tank. I've learned that the question appears early and I can print a lot of pics before it tells me "Ink has run out. Replace the ink tank." I still use my HP PSC 500 for copies and text documents because the inks are cheaper. Paper does make a difference; but, in addition to the recommended Canon, I like very much and use both Staples and Office Depot professional quality stocks. Kodak hasn't worked for me, prints look squishy. I still take hundreds of pictures and still use a lab because it's cheaper and quicker for 4x6 in large quantity. But, I do my own 5x7 and 8x10 (or 8 1/2x11)prints,love the credit card ability too, and am totally pleased with the quality of the final product. Love it!
Eats up INK...DON'T BUY IT 
2006-11-14
Beware
I had a very bad experience with Canon printers. I have called their tech support to explain why my printer was using up all the color inks, when in fact I was printing documents that were in black and white. Apparently they designed the printer so it uses all the color inks to make the black color, very smart haaa. This way they force you to go buy color inks that run up to $60 to $70. Why??? I should be able to select weather I want to print in color or black. They couldn't explain why, in fact I am responsible for using the printer and so I am at fault. I love Canon camera's and Camcorders, but never again I buy a Canon printer. Tech support gets very poor rating.
Works poorly with linux 
2006-10-11
I was disappointed that the printer does not work properly with linux, which is my primary work platform. I ended up giving it to my daughter to use with her MS windows.
faulty product, terrible support 2006-09-24
Failed after 3 uses. Amazon cust. serv. kept me on the phone for nearly 1/2 hour while agent, i assume, learned how to parse english sentences. After having to ARGUE with this person about whether or not i actually placed this order, finally, i received help -- the 1800 number for canon. Thanks Amazon!
MP950 Printer is incredible! 2006-09-14
After some extensive research, I settled on the Canon MP950 printer. Ordering from Amazon gave me a very competitive price and it arrived in less than two days! I haven't even hooked it up to a computer yet, but I used it in the first day to print photos from my digital camera memory card. Impressive quality! The features on this printer are too numerous to mention. I haven't even scratched the surface of what it can do yet. Very easy to use. Can't wait to take advantage of all it offers!!
Short Life of Ink Tanks 2007-05-27
The ink cartridges in the PIXMA MP950 dry out in a few weeks whether or not I print any pages. This makes the ongoing cost of running this printer very high.
If you want real quality 2007-03-16
This printer has great quality scanning, photo printing and copying.
Of you don't need a fax, and just want the best quality sanning and printing you can buy, go for it.
A Great All-in-One printer 
2007-01-28
My previous printer was very old so the PIXMA MP950 is beyond words. I looked at the Canon Pro9000, Canon i9900 and the HP 8750. I chose this printer after finding out I could order something on e-bay that would allow me to print on printable CD's with any Canon printer. I haven't done this yet, though.
I am extremely pleased with the quality of the photos. I wanted a printer with excellent print quality, wanted one that could print on CD's and wanted one that would print decent text because this would be my primary printer. I also had to ask myself how often I would actually print out a photo larger than an 8 X 10. I thought I wouldn't, but I probably would have if my printer had that capability.
It had a few additional features that were a pleasant surprise. It can copy your film or slides to a jpeg file and you can use them then in making video or printing as a photo. The quality is good. I am going to try putting the negative directly onto the glass to see if the image becomes sharper. I have a 3 megapixel camera. I also discovered that if I take a nice photo I can print out the picture in 8X10 size then scan it and save it on my hard drive as 3200dpi and could then have the photo printed out really large if I wanted. The image size at 3200dpi is 6028 X 4866. That's one way of getting more megapixels out of a camera. I did try this out and print out a 4 X 6 and was happy with the print quality. It was virtually the same as the origional I printed.
I like how this printer shows when you're getting low on ink, or you can check under printer preferences under maintainance.
If you print out black and white photos you may want to look for a printer that has more definition in those shades.
I was also quite surprized by all of the options of sizes that could be printed with this printer. Proof pages, credit card size, passport size, etc.
I have been sticking with the Canon inks. They produce very vivid and bright colors. They are more expensive, but to me, worth it. Nice looking pictures was the reason I bought the printer in the first place.
I have been very satisfied with the scanner and think it has a very good quality.
When ordering this product, you will also want to order an AB USB cable. If you plan to print a lot of photos right away like I did, order an extra photo Magenta CLI-8PM. If you photos have a lot of green in them, order an extra yellow CLI-8Y. Also, you might like to order some photo paper. I love the matte and fortunatly for me it's the least expensive.
I read with other brands that the print cartridges would block if you didn't use it regularly. I've gone away on vacation so it had no use for more than a week and at times it has light use and this isn't any problem.
The printer was easy to set up. I like that the ink cartridges are separate so I can replace only the ones I use. I've this printer for 3 months now and would buy it again.
Great Purchase 2007-01-14
This is my first all-in-one printer and I have really been pleased with its performance. I have used almost all of its features and it has worked very well. I'm not a very computer literate person, but I was able to install the printer quickly and with no problem at all. The directions were very clear and easy to follow. It's also been easy to learn to use the various features. I know some organizations didn't rate it quite as well because it does not fax, but for my purposes it worked perfectly because I didn't need that feature. The ability to scan negatives and slides is a real bonus. The photos I've printed have turned out beautifully. I would recommend this printer to anyone interested in an all-in-one (that doesn't need a fax too).
Don't buy this unreliable printer 2006-12-28
After reading all rave reviews from PC Magazine, PC World, CNET, etc., we decided to buy the Canon MP 950. We bought in in August of 2006, and the printer was used very lightly. Well in December it failed. Canon's website suggested it was a USB cable problem. I replaced the USB cable and it still didn't work. I called Canon Tech support, and after an hour on the phone, the choices left to me were to have it repaired or get a refurbished unit. Why, after spending this much money on a printer would I want a refurbished one? I took it in to the repair center and they ordered the part. Once this was repaired, the repair center called and said that the scanner now doesn't work, and he'll have to order another part. A week later, the repair center called and said the part is on backorder and there is no telling when it would arrive. So now I'm left with only one option, to get a refurbished unit. A printer that fails under light use, limited parts on hand for repairs, and replacements with refurbished units. Why would you want to buy this printer.
