Talk to me about pigment printers...

[GrantCee]

After a four-month test of PC inks vs Canon OEM inks in my display conditions, it's pretty clear that if I want prints that will last I need to stick with the OEM ink/paper combination. This is not a shock. however, I'd really like to be able to print much more than I do and the cost becomes prohibitive.

So, to get low printing costs combined with permanence I'm thinking about replacing my PRO-100 with a pigment printer but have some questions.

1) I've had very good luck with every Canon printer I've owned, and thus am inclined to stay with Canon. Is there any advantage to going with an Epson over a Canon?

2) Assuming I stay with Canon (and unless someone can give me a convincing answer to #1, that's what I'll do), what is the best model to look for with regards to refilling and print quality? I understand that the newer printers are harder to refill, but have superb image quality; where's that "sweet spot" between the two?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I think there are some questions to answer in this situation - which format are you considering - what type of prints are you doing - what happens with those prints - what is your current or intended print volume - what is your refill experience so far - what is your preferred paper type - glossy - matte - or in between and some more which will come up during the discussion. Depending on the printer type you can have a much wider choice of 3rd party refill inks for Epson printers than for Canon printers. As you are looking for 3rd party refill inks - for cost reasons - you most likely will look as well for more affordable papers which serious ink suppliers offer as well to their customers. And once you are here - you should consider to get icm-color profiles made for the ink/paper combination you are using, that's the typical way to compensate for color shifts coming from both the inks and the papers. Serious ink suppliers - with ink jet papers - would offer you those color profiles if you take their inks and papers. Just to give an impression of the product spectrum a supplier can offer you you may check precisioncolors.com to start with.

 

[The Hat]

For no quibbling, get a Canon Pro 10, it has the best of everything, including longevity using 3rd part inks...

O’ and did I mention the discounts...

 

[William Seaward]

The Canon Pro 10 also has the Chroma Optimizer which is good for the glossies.

 

[GrantCee]

Two questions:
1) Does the Pro-10 have noticeably better print quality than the Pro-9500 MkII?
2) One of the reasons I went to Canon printers a few years ago was because of the horrible luck I had with Epson pigment printers — constant clogs, even after not printing for as little as 3-4 days. Are the Canon pigment printers any better in that regard? (I realize they'll never be up to the clog free performance of a dye printer, of course.)

 

[William Seaward]

One of the questions that @Ink stained Fingers asked was concerning what paper types do you want to use. If its one with a sheen, the Chroma Optimizer is going to be important as Magenta will be a bit matte, and the Pro-9500 MkII will not have it. I personally have a Pro-10 and its a very good all around printer... and has a resetter for the chips if you're planning on refilling. I haven't had any clogs either!

 

[The Hat]

@GrantCee, I have two 9500 Mkll’s and I love them to bits, they are not perfect, but very close to it, the Pro 10 doesn’t print any better but does have the Gloss Optimiser to help improve output quality on shinny papers.

If I could get the Canon Pro 10 at the prices that can be had in the US, I’d have as many of them as I could store in my Den, it’s a no brainer you can’t lose with this Printer, and to answer your last question, they stay clog free all of the time.

I reckon if you were happy with the Pro 100 then the Pro 10 will fit your needs handsomely, and you can use both with 3rd party inks and get the best of both worlds enabling you to print at a fraction of cost but still have longevity...

 

[oroblec]

@GrantCee, I have two 9500 Mkll’s and I love them to bits, they are not perfect, but very close to it, the Pro 10 doesn’t print any better but does have the Gloss Optimiser to help improve output quality on shinny papers.

If I could get the Canon Pro 10 at the prices that can be had in the US, I’d have as many of them as I could store in my Den, it’s a no brainer you can’t lose with this Printer, and to answer your last question, they stay clog free all of the time.

I reckon if you were happy with the Pro 100 then the Pro 10 will fit your needs handsomely, and you can use both with 3rd party inks and get the best of both worlds enabling you to print at a fraction of cost but still have longevity...

i love those answer.

 

[GrantCee]

@GrantCee, I have two 9500 Mkll’s and I love them to bits, they are not perfect, but very close to it, the Pro 10 doesn’t print any better but does have the Gloss Optimiser to help improve output quality on shinny papers.

If I could get the Canon Pro 10 at the prices that can be had in the US, I’d have as many of them as I could store in my Den, it’s a no brainer you can’t lose with this Printer, and to answer your last question, they stay clog free all of the time.

I reckon if you were happy with the Pro 100 then the Pro 10 will fit your needs handsomely, and you can use both with 3rd party inks and get the best of both worlds enabling you to print at a fraction of cost but still have longevity...

Thanks...If there's little to no print quality difference (the optimizer doesn't make a lot of difference to me) and I can find a used 9500 mkII at the right price, I might grab one; if not, I'll wait for the next screaming deal on a Pro-10. (Which, knowing Canon, will probably be any day now...)

 

[GrantCee]

One of the questions that @Ink stained Fingers asked was concerning what paper types do you want to use. If its one with a sheen, the Chroma Optimizer is going to be important as Magenta will be a bit matte, and the Pro-9500 MkII will not have it. I personally have a Pro-10 and its a very good all around printer... and has a resetter for the chips if you're planning on refilling. I haven't had any clogs either!

Thanks...yes, I know about the optimizer and had already factored that into my decision matrix (it's not a huge deal for me, as I generally prefer non-gloss papers.)