Pro-100 and PC inks for proofing

[The Hat]

That is only true when you use the same viewing distance for both prints..

 

[Paul Verizzo]

OEM inks are a wise choice, however OP does not mention if he uses Canon paper. Like any artist it's most valuable when you can use any quality paper not just OEM.

Also by printing on the same printer with third party inks for proofing, the OP would save allot of money. Printing smaller images not always is good idea as smaller printed photos loose some important details, visual adaptation problem is also evident. For smaller prints your brain demands less quality then for say large one.

Bang head here? Proofing isn't about detail.

 

[Paul Verizzo]

That is only true when you use the same viewing distance for both prints..

Not so much for color accuracy.

 

[Smile]

That is only true when you use the same viewing distance for both prints..

True, but interpolation simply kills the detail had in A4 and printed to A6. That said it's possible to use magnifying glass on small photos, but not very representative if you force a client to do the same. The client approves your work, and then sees he made wrong decision when large print is shown.

 

[3dogs]

Greed is the sickness that kills the goose that lays the golden egg. Do it once, and do it right the first time. Bit more expensive, best income protection you can buy.

 

[Robert Lemlin]

OEM inks are a wise choice, however OP does not mention if he uses Canon paper. Like any artist it's most valuable when you can use any quality paper not just OEM.

Also by printing on the same printer with third party inks for proofing, the OP would save allot of money. Printing smaller images not always is good idea as smaller printed photos loose some important details, visual adaptation problem is also evident. For smaller prints your brain demands less quality then for say large one.

Thanks again everyone for your comments.

My plan is to use PC inks and canon papers with PC profiles for proofing, and Canon inks, papers and profiles for final prints.

One machine would have PC inks, used strictly for proofing and the other machine would have Canon inks for final prints.

I got the idea to do this when I read in a few posts that the PC inks are very closely matched to the Canon inks. My question is - how closely matched ???.
My concern with PC inks is longevity, no data on that. So I thought I would be safe in proofing with PC inks and finalizing with Canon inks.
I feel it's reasonably safe to say Canon inks and papers are good for 50 years, conservatively.

I had hoped someone had tried this just out of curiosity to see how closely, or not, they are matched.

I will consider having custom profiles made for each paper/ink/machine combination I plan on using.... if need be.

Worth the investment, as I feel I'll save quite a bit if I use PC inks instead on Canon, even if it's just for proofing.

I plan on ordering the PC inks for my virgin pro-100 in Jan., unless I hear from someone who has experience that can definitively shoot this idea down.

I emailed PC inks a couple of weeks ago to ask how closely they feel their inks match Canon's. No answer yet.

 

[Smile]

See PM.

 

[Roy Sletcher]

Thanks again everyone for your comments.

My plan is to use PC inks and canon papers with PC profiles for proofing, and Canon inks, papers and profiles for final prints.

One machine would have PC inks, used strictly for proofing and the other machine would have Canon inks for final prints.

I got the idea to do this when I read in a few posts that the PC inks are very closely matched to the Canon inks. My question is - how closely matched ???.
My concern with PC inks is longevity, no data on that. So I thought I would be safe in proofing with PC inks and finalizing with Canon inks.
I feel it's reasonably safe to say Canon inks and papers are good for 50 years, conservatively.

I had hoped someone had tried this just out of curiosity to see how closely, or not, they are matched.

I will consider having custom profiles made for each paper/ink/machine combination I plan on using.... if need be.

Worth the investment, as I feel I'll save quite a bit if I use PC inks instead on Canon, even if it's just for proofing.

I plan on ordering the PC inks for my virgin pro-100 in Jan., unless I hear from someone who has experience that can definitively shoot this idea down.

I emailed PC inks a couple of weeks ago to ask how closely they feel their inks match Canon's. No answer yet.

Fully understand what you are saying and hope it works out for you.

From my jaundiced perspective the workflow is too complicated. Any unexpected or unforeseen problem will lead to multiple prints during troubleshooting and could negate any savings not to mention time and frustration

The practical side of inkjet printing normally means the next WTF? result is just around the corner.

If you need the image longevity to market your prints in a commercial market, it could be advantageous to merely increase your selling price to cover the simpler workflow but increased costs of using OEM only inks.

I certainly wish you well with your undertaking, and I will be quite happy to be proven wrong.

RS
As always, being the smartass costs nothing

 

[Robert Lemlin]

Fully understand what you are saying and hope it works out for you.

From my jaundiced perspective the workflow is too complicated. Any unexpected or unforeseen problem will lead to multiple prints during troubleshooting and could negate any savings not to mention time and frustration

The practical side of inkjet printing normally means the next WTF? result is just around the corner.

If you need the image longevity to market your prints in a commercial market, it could be advantageous to merely increase your selling price to cover the simpler workflow but increased costs of using OEM only inks.

I certainly wish you well with your undertaking, and I will be quite happy to be proven wrong.

RS
As always, being the smartass costs nothing

Roy, I agree with much of what you are speculating and I do hope to make you happy and prove you wrong.

But, if if it doesn't all come together without major headaches, I'll drop it and write it off as a lesson learned. I am retired and I do this for pleasure. No pleasure, no do. But I can't resist trying, the potential saving$ are too great.

A forum member with a profiling business has kindly offered to read test prints from both my machines on a spectrophotometer, that should tell me initially how close or far away the inks are and hopefully whether it's worth pursuing further.. Prec Colors website indicates that they are quite close. We'll see. More to come.

 

[RogerB]

A forum member with a profiling business has kindly offered to read test prints from both my machines on a spectrophotometer, that should tell me initially how close or far away the inks are and hopefully whether it's worth pursuing further.. Prec Colors website indicates that they are quite close. We'll see. More to come.

I trust that the "test prints" to be measured will be printed using an appropriate (custom) profile for the PC inks. What matters in your case is not how close PC inks are to OEM inks, but how accurate the prints are when printed with a good profile. My experience with Inkjetfly inks in my Pro3800 showed that the IJF inks were very magenta compared to the Epson inks. But, with a custom profile for IJF, I could find no difference at all, either by visual inspection or by measuring with a spectrophotometer. Either ink set would give me accurate color, when used with the appropriate profile.