Topic: Anyone using a Canon Pixma Pro-100 printer?

[02Pilot]

I'm thinking about buying one of these. There's a huge rebate on them until tomorrow, so the buy-in is relatively low (once the rebate is processed). I've got a Pixma Pro-9000 Mk.II, which I like; the advantage of the Pro-100 is three black inks (vs. one on the 9000), which supposedly makes a big difference in printing B&W. Given that the vast majority of my photography is B&W, this is appealing.

I've read the reviews, but if anyone here happens to be using one and can comment, I'd appreciate hearing about it from someone who uses it in conjunction with film-based photography. Thanks.

[Francois]

You can probably convert your own printer to multiple black inks by using third party inks and a special RIP...

[02Pilot]

It's possible, but I did look into that and most of what I found was specific to Epson printers. And it seems that the price of a RIP is more than the new printer would end up costing.

[Francois]

That's usually the case...

[Late Developer]

The inks are where the manufacturers make their money. I was looking at an A3+ printer a while back and they were selling the printer + 8 or 9 inks for less than the cost of a set of ink refills.  The sales guy admitted it quite openly and added that gramme for gramme, printer inks are more expensive than gold and the mechanical bits were little more than a loss-leader.

At the time, I walked away but I am seriously considering buying a top notch inkjet printer for B&W printing.  I'd be interested to see where this thread goes...

[Bryan]

I have access to a color laser printer at work but have not tried to print anything on photo paper with it yet.  Are inkjet printers preferable over laser?  I do have a canon inkjet at home but it's not a pro model like the Pixma Pro-100.

[Late Developer]

I have access to a color laser printer at work but have not tried to print anything on photo paper with it yet.  Are inkjet printers preferable over laser?  I do have a canon inkjet at home but it's not a pro model like the Pixma Pro-100.

To be honest, I'm no expert, Bryan. NOTHING will ever beat a really good chemical print but the inkjets (I think they're inkjet rather than laser) printers I've seen can produce some beautiful results and they can produce as many identical copies as you want - which I fully understand is heresy to traditional printers.  It doesn't sit easy with me but I don't have space for a darkroom, so I have to consider compromises...

[Bryan]

I have access to a color laser printer at work but have not tried to print anything on photo paper with it yet.  Are inkjet printers preferable over laser?  I do have a canon inkjet at home but it's not a pro model like the Pixma Pro-100.

To be honest, I'm no expert, Bryan. NOTHING will ever beat a really good chemical print but the inkjets (I think they're inkjet rather than laser) printers I've seen can produce some beautiful results and they can produce as many identical copies as you want - which I fully understand is heresy to traditional printers.  It doesn't sit easy with me but I don't have space for a darkroom, so I have to consider compromises...

I'm with you on that, I would very much prefer chemical prints but I don't have a dark room either.  I haven't made a print in a dark room since around 1984 and I wasn't very good at it back then.  I have made black and white prints on my Canon inkjet and haven't been very happy with them.  Color prints are just ok. 

[02Pilot]

Yeah, no darkroom and no prospects of one in the foreseeable future, so inkjet it is. The prints I've made with the 9000 have been pretty good actually, though I haven't printed anything larger than 8x10. I'll see if I can scan a few prints (imperfect, I know) to give you some idea.

FYI, here's a link to the Pro-100: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/893738-REG/Canon_6228b002_Pixma_Pro_100_Photo_Inkjet.html

Rebate is $250 and good until tomorrow.

[Francois]

I have access to a color laser printer at work but have not tried to print anything on photo paper with it yet.  Are inkjet printers preferable over laser?  I do have a canon inkjet at home but it's not a pro model like the Pixma Pro-100.

I would tend to say that it depends.
Laser printer toner can only be applied in a single density, so the quality of the final output is entirely dependent on the device's top resolution. But many of today's machines can do that.
On the other hand, inkjet printers can pretty much all control the drop size, this dives the print a more subtle gradation. But the overall resolution is often lower than a laser.

So in the end, the only real test is your eye.

I know that for transparencies used for alt.process, laser tends to make a lot of defects unless you use a very high end printer.

[Domingo A. Siliceo]

[...]
I know that for transparencies used for alt.process, laser tends to make a lot of defects unless you use a very high end printer.

Francois, the problem with laser printers in alternative processes is that the ink density is poor. So, to achieve good acetates, you should use injection printers like the high end Epson series. Sorry for the off-topic.

[gsgary]

I saw one at The Photography Show in Birmingham and some prints were scattered about and the B+W looked very nice, they were also giving you a free trolley  if you bought one at the show

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