Pixma MP970 only for scanning?

[calden]

Greetings,

I have an old MP970 that no longer works as a printer. It indicates the printhead is the wrong one and must be replaced. I've cleaned it but still no go. This may be due to having undergone a move in the last couple of years and me having failed to lock it before moving.

I don't care about the printing but I would like to revive the scanning capabilities.  I used it about 7 years ago to scan over a thousand slides. Newer models do not include transparency or negative scanning, and I'd like to avoid buying a whole new scanner if possible.

Is there any way to bypass the printer when turning it on and only go to the scanner?  The printhead message comes up automatically and I can't get around it.

Thanks in advance,

calden

[BrokenMP970]

I have the same issue. How very surprising that no one from Canon has replied to you since January. Perhaps they are consulting with their lawyers.

[calden]

Broken:

Thanks for the response!  I didn't get any resolution or find any other solutions so I bought an Epson scanner.  I sure wish I could have revived the MP970, though, for the scanning capabilities.  It was a great all purpose printer and scanner when my kids were in school. I used it for so many things, and the photo printing was not too bad either.

calden

[BrokenMP970]

Yeah, it was good while it worked. Apparently, we missed out on the class action lawsuit back in 2016, where Canon acknowledged the "planned obsolescence" of these units. So bad for the environment. Time to look at other brands like you. I'll never buy anything Canon again.

[Agustin]

If you're on a Mac, Canon has a utility app called MP Navigator that will allow you to use the printer only for scanning. I would assume it's also available for PCs, but who knows. If you still have the install disc that came with the printer (remeber those days?), the app should be on there in a "Utilities" folder.