Starting with PRO-200

[Keith Cooper]

I've started testing the PRO-200 for a review and remebered how interested people were with the 300 and the print head serial/part numbers ;-)

This is the PRO-200 head

The full review is unlikely until after Christmas, but any specific questions, just let me know?

 

[PeterBJ]

Thank you very much for the photo.

The print head parts number for the Pro 100 and Pro 100S is QY6-0084 or QY6-0084-000. I found this from Ebay, note the added MPN number F454007. This is the same number as printed on the barcode label on your photo. I think this suggests that the print head type is the same for the Pro 200 and Pro 100 models. If this is true, then it is good news for the Pro 100(S) owners.

The type number for Canon print heads normally begins with QY6 followed by a four digit number and possibly also a three digit number. This number is engraved on one of the sides of the print head, Could you please look for this type number when unpacking and installing the print head? The engraving might be hard to see, so good light and a magnifier might be a good help in reading the type number.

 

[Keith Cooper]

Too late - it went into the printer a few moments after I took the photo

 

[palombian]

Too late - it went into the printer a few moments after I took the photo

Googling Canon part nbr F454007 points to the PR0-100 printhead too (as F454008 is the PRO-10).
Thanks Keith .

 

[websnail]

As an aside, I purchased in the slightly cheaper OEM option of a single cartridge for each printer and they arrived today. It seems that Canon made a couple of changes to the cartridges that you can see at first glance (I haven't dissected one yet).

1. The prism is gone from both new cartridge types which, given that the printhead doesn't appear to have changed begs the question of how they'll indicate low/empty cartridges in the printer itself. One to look out for @Keith Cooper ?
   
   
2. The Pro-200, CLI-65 cartridges are now completely opaque and there seem to be some very small differences in dimensions compared to the CLI-42/8 but not entirely sure what.
   
   
3. Still the same circuit board design on the chips so a chip resetter (if one becomes available) won't need a new mould. chip circuitry does look slightly different but contact points are in same place. Waiting to hear back from the REdSETTER team on what the actual programming is like though.
   
   
4. The same hole + slot mounting is used on the chips as before as well so chip swapping may still be an option but it depends a lot on whether there are subtle differences that preclude or stop that working. Given the printheads are likely the same that may be unnecessary cynicism but we'll see.
   
   
5. Finally the orange clips are still the same for each so storage clips for PGI-9/72 & PFI-300's will all work on each other. Ditto the CLI-8/42/65..
   
   
6. Oh and afterthought... The cartridge types are not zoned, so the CLI-65 should be common to the Pro-200 wherever you get it (although presumably not the Japanese version) and the same for the Pro-300 with the PFI-300.

A more detailed teardown of the cartridges will doubtless appear in due course but at first glance there's no difference between the PFI-300 and the PGI-72 beyond the prism being missing. The CLI-65 is going to be the interesting one or my money.

EDIT: Just to clarify about the prism comment. The PGI-72 had a prism that was used as part of the ink level/compatibility indication system (ie: it showed full red when accepted and full, flashed when low, remained out when ink monitoring was disabled, etc..). The PGI-9 and 72 cartridges have never had the other type of prism used in consumer desktop models (eg: PGI-5, CLI-8) that were a hold over from the pre-chip days.

Oh and small side note... The OEM cartridges no longer have the Canon moulding in the sides, although the CE and recycling symbols are now moulded in instead.

So, there's my 2 penneth + inflation and adjustment for potential neural failure

 

[jddriver]

As an aside, I purchased in the slightly cheaper OEM option of a single cartridge for each printer and they arrived today. It seems that Canon made a couple of changes to the cartridges that you can see at first glance (I haven't dissected one yet).

1. The prism is gone from both new cartridge types which, given that the printhead doesn't appear to have changed begs the question of how they'll indicate low/empty cartridges in the printer itself. One to look out for @Keith Cooper ?
   
   
2. The Pro-200, CLI-65 cartridges are now completely opaque and there seem to be some very small differences in dimensions compared to the CLI-42/8 but not entirely sure what.
   
   
3. Still the same circuit board design on the chips so a chip resetter (if one becomes available) won't need a new mould. chip circuitry does look slightly different but contact points are in same place. Waiting to hear back from the REdSETTER team on what the actual programming is like though.
   
   
4. The same hole + slot mounting is used on the chips as before as well so chip swapping may still be an option but it depends a lot on whether there are subtle differences that preclude or stop that working. Given the printheads are likely the same that may be unnecessary cynicism but we'll see.
   
   
5. Finally the orange clips are still the same for each so storage clips for PGI-9/72 & PFI-300's will all work on each other. Ditto the CLI-8/42/65..
   
   
6. Oh and afterthought... The cartridge types are not zoned, so the CLI-65 should be common to the Pro-200 wherever you get it (although presumably not the Japanese version) and the same for the Pro-300 with the PFI-300.

A more detailed teardown of the cartridges will doubtless appear in due course but at first glance there's no difference between the PFI-300 and the PGI-72 beyond the prism being missing. The CLI-65 is going to be the interesting one or my money.

Oh and small side note... The OEM cartridges no longer have the Canon moulding in the sides, although the CE and recycling symbols are now moulded in instead.

So, there's my 2 penneth + inflation and adjustment for potential neural failure

Maybe they will just do what they used to, have a calculation for how much ink is used for a cleaning cycle, and how much to use to print a page, then just count this up to get an estimate of ink usage. I cannot imagine any other way would be possible without expensive tech being involved.

 

[mikling]

"A more detailed teardown of the cartridges will doubtless appear in due course but at first glance there's no difference between the PFI-300 and the PGI-72 beyond the prism being missing. The CLI-65 is going to be the interesting one or my money. "

Hmmm.. putting a prism on a diaphragm type tank is not possible unless one resorts to a design like what was seen on the T273 by Epson.
I have already tested and shown to the world via podcast that a PGI-72 tank fits into a PFI-300 slot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao7oacwWWSY jump to 1:23:30

Canon like Epson have eliminated the need for an optical sensor. There are some likely reasons for this and why they can get away with this. First by having an opaque tank, the user does not know what is left inside. The optical sensor is an added step that requires two different materials to be bonded during the manufacturing process. Removing it eliminates cost. You will also note that LEDs have been eliminated from the chips as well. So all feedback is strictly through the front display on the printer itself. The Epson T312 with its orthogonal layout seeked to minimize a certain dimension. This essentially left no space for a prism. Perhaps Epson through extended field trials determined that new metering algorithms allowed more precise estimates and a prism could be eliminated.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Canon is claiming an increased gamut in their ads for red, blue and black for the Pro200 vs. the Pro100s; since red and blue are not primary colors of inks used in the Pro200 this would imply that the gamut for the primary inks - CMY - has been improved as well. @Keith Cooper is measuring icc-profiles as part of his testing and I'm curious how these claimed improvements will actually show up.

 

[maximilian59]

„The optical sensor is an added step that requires two different materials to be bonded during the manufacturing process. Removing it eliminates cost“
There is no bonding. That is done during the molding process. No Additional steps. This is an half century old technic for injection molding. Learned it already in my high school time in the 80s. Remember when the covers of the backlights of cars started to be multicolored.

„Oh and small side note... The OEM cartridges no longer have the Canon moulding in the sides, although the CE and recycling symbols are now moulded in instead“
This might be a main reason for removing a material. The less different materials you have the easier to recycle. As cartridges have a chip, they are dealt as electronic waste and have to be collected separately, at least here in Germany.

There are always more reasons to change a proven system.

Maximilian

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Aardenburg imaging did several fading tests on different papers of the Chromalife 100 inks of the Pro-100 and earlier tests with the Epson Claria 78 on a RX680, the results differ significantly up to a factor of 3 to 4 in favour of the Chromalife inks ; This triggered me to start a fading test to compare the current Epson 106 inks of the ET-7750 to the Chromalife inks of the new Pro 200, I'm just running a pretty limited test with the magenta and cyan inks on three glossy papers, color samples are out in the winterly environment - 0 °C - humidity - overcast - no sun - on a recessed balcony, color samples are out since two weeks - there are no results yet to report - no trend whether/which ink remains more stable. I expect that it will take another 4 weeks for some consistent results to report - I'll be back with those.

I'm continuing to report further findings in a separate thread here

https://www.printerknowledge.com/th...-106-ink-fading-performance.14434/post-125102

since the fading of the Chromaife vs. Epson 106 inks is a somewhat separate subject to the reports and comments about the Pro-200 as a new printer model.