 OMG This Printer Is Incredible |
| Review Date: June 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Professor Bubba, Planet Earth |
I Just got this printer from Adorama today (via UPS) and this thing is incredible. Im a professional photographer and this printer prints lab qaulity prints super fast. I made sure I used Photoshop to print some test pictures )4x6 on Canon Photo Plus Semi Gloss and it matched exactly what was on my screen. As a matter of fact the prints look better than whats on my screen...I had to do a double take. I no longer will be using the lab to order prints for my clients (only wedding books), Im printing them all myself. The speed is also amazing. The only thing I dont like thus far is the noise of the print head when the printer starts up and before prints start printing. When the picture prints its pretty quiet though. I will update my review after about a week after i dump a few hundred more prints for my clients.
***** Update #1 ***** : Ok Now I've had this printer a few weeks and I've printed a few hundred pictures in a variety of sizes (4x6, 5x7 , 8.5x11 and 13x19) and this is a must have printer for those wanting to print their own professional lab (and better than lab quality) photos. This bad boy is very fast and the print quality is just absolutely superb (I use Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy , Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl, Ilford Galerie Smooth Gloss Paper and Ilfor Printasia 13x19 paper and Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II 13x19). I've shown my photographs to a variety of clients, potential clients, freinds and family and they are blown away by the quality of the prints. When I tell them I printed them myself they are like "What?, No way" and then they asume I must have spent a whole lot of money on the printer...which is wrong ([...] after rebate from amazon/adorama).
Pros :
Fast - This printer spits out a vibrant and full of color 13x19 glossy print in under 3 minutes 30 seconds.
[...]
Quiet - I can print at all hours of the night and not worry about waking anyone up. When Im in the next room with the door open the printer prints so quiet I cant even hear it and have to come check on the print job to make sure it didnt crash since I cant hear any noise in the next room..lol
Quality - Prints professional quality prints on a variety of papers in many different sizes.
Paper - You ARE NOT limited to Canon papers as you can use a bunch of other manufacturers papers. My Favorite thus far is Ilford (cheap from amazon and is basically identical to expensive Canon paper).
Ink Usuage - Good on ink, Not really an ink guzzler. I printed dozens and dozens of 4x6's and even a bunch of 8x11's and 13x19s and the ink kept going and going, until I finaly started running low (after many prints had been printed). Also I now use The Continuous Ink System , so ink is now dirt cheap. Costs something link [...] per cartridge (estimated - all I know is I pay [...] for and 8 pack of about 880 ml's of ink which is over 80 cartridges (no joke, visit fleabay and youll see tons of them)...Save money and Dont buy Canon Ink Carts and you will save at least 50% right off the bat).
Cons :
B&W printing - Prints mediocre black and white prints. This is no secret and I knew this before I bought it. I dont care about black and white prints just color so its all good for me.
Size - This is a big mamma-jamma. You will have to dedicate a space to this thing because of its width.
CD Printing - The US version of this printer does not print to CD's at all and there are no hacks that enable the CD printing feature (Like with the Pixma Pro 9000). If you need CD printing, just print to photo quality CD labels.
Overal: This is a fantastic buy. If you need professional quality color prints done in house you will surely love this printer. Canon outdid itself with this model... The price is steadily falling too. Especially after the [...] rebate.
***** Update #2 ******
DO NOT USE OR BUY THE CONTINUOUS INK SYSTEM FROM SUPERjetUSA With THIS PRINTER:
I bought the continuous ink system from superjetUSA off ebay and it worked fine for a short while and then it leaked ink all inside my printer. All 800+ml's. It was a huge mess and it caused me to use many hours of my valuable time and waste dozens and dozens and dozens of pieces of plain paper/photo paper to clean out the leaking mess. Then SuperjetUSA refused to give me my money back and kept telling me to do this and that and email them pictures of the mess. It took me weeks to clean it up and there is a still an ink mess in my printer. ONLY USE INK CARTRIDGES (stay away from the Continuous ink system) FROM A GOOD SOURCE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
I've had this printer for months and it continues to be an awesome printer. No complaints. I made almost the entire printer purchase price of the printer back within only a few weeks of having the printer..thats how good the prints are.. THE CANON PIXMA 9000 MKII is an awesome investment. |
Amazing Printer -- Opens Up New Worlds
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| Review Date: July 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Blilie, Twin Cities, MN |
This is a truly wonderful printer. The prints are amazingly crisp and accurate and vibrant. If you can imagine it, capture it, see it: This printer will print it for you. What I see on my LCD computer screen is what I get on the print. Extremely easy to install and use. If you just want to crank out a bunch of 4X6s for your family or print large art prints, this printer does it with ease: The "make prints of photos" software function makes this a breeze. It leads you through easy steps to making your prints and shows you images all along of what you are planning to print (instant previews all the way through) until you finally commit the "print" button. I love this SW. It's quiet. It can take a large stack of photo paper so you can select what you want to print and walk away.
The print quality is astonishing. It's just as good as anything you'll get from a photo lab. And at the price of this printer?! Amazing. I haven't made 13X19s yet (that paper is on the way) but everything I've printed has knocked my socks off. This printer opens up whole new avenues for my photography. I alsways looked forward to someday having a color darkroom. Well, now I have it, without all the space used, the chemicals stinking and going bad in their bottles, and BETTER print no-fade life.
[Update 11-Aug-2009: I've made several 13X19 prints now and they are luscious. Just eye-popping. It makes you want to just print off all your favorite shots at 13X19 RIGHT NOW! But what would I do with them all ... Bottom line: Print quality knocks your socks off. Everyone I've showed the 13X19s to has been suitably impressed. They clearly show the limitations of the film/sensor and lenses, not the printer. Wow.]
The only negative on this printer would be size: It's big. But, I don't really see how they could have made it much smaller, since it accommodates 13X19 inch paper(!) It has all sorts of clever panels that fold open when you need them to print larger papers, etc., and they fold away to keep the overall size smaller, unless you need them. For all the paper sizes I am using: 4X6, 5X7, 8.5X11, and 13X19, the paper hopper is the vertical one, which means the footprint required by the printer is much smaller than would be required by a horizontal paper feed. It's also much easier to access and load than horizontal feed would be. Nicely engineered and thought-out.
I have been mostly using the premium Canon glossy paper (well worth it) but also some Kodak glossy paper. All results are excellent. Here are the papers I've been mainly using:
Canon Glossy II 4 x 6 Inch Photo Paper Plus Glossy 400 Sheets (2311B031)
Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II 8.5in x 11in 20 Sheets (2311B001)
Canon Glossy II 13 x 19 Inch Photo Paper Plus Glossy 20 Sheets (2311B026)
I love this printer! Best thing I've bought for photography since my first digital SLR.
My computer: Dell Dimension 2400, 2GB RAM, Windows XP Professional
[Update 11-Sep-09:] I wondered a little whether this printer would do as well with documents put together in MSWord, Publisher, etc. Good news: The results are just as good. Wonderful printer.
I'm using the brother HL-2170W wireless laser printer for most print jobs and the Canon PIXMA for photos only. A great combination of printers.
Brother HL-2170W 23ppm Laser Printer with Wireless and Wired Network Interfaces |
16 bit prining
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| Review Date: May 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Topanga Mac, Topanga, CA |
| This printer does a beautiful job with my 16 bit Photoshop images. With the right paper, the output looks like museum quality. The drivers work well in Mac OS10.5.7. So far no hiccups. Hope I like it this much in a year. My last "major printer" was an Epson Photo 2200. It was good at first, an then started clogging a lot. Someone told me that if you don't use an Epson printer on a regular basis, it will start streaking and can't be fixed. I hope that is not the case with the Canon. So far I love it. |
Great printer
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| Review Date: September 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: ssgman, San Francisco, CA USA |
I recently got back into photography with a new dslr and had been debating whether to use a service like Snapfish to do all my printing or to get a printer and print my own. After reading many reviews I was leaning towards using an internet service but then I came across this printer and the reviews convinced me to take a chance--along with the 100 dollar rebate that brought the price down to 350. And while getting 4x6's done out of house are the cheapist way to go, those places aren't that cheap for doing 8x10, 8.5x11, 13x19, etc. I'm not saying using the Pixma will be cheaper than Snapfish printing large prints but the difference will be much less than if you just printed 4x6's. And it is very satisfying to whip out a large print of a nice pic you just took.
So far it's like people say, lab quality, if not better prints, fast quiet printing and incredibly vivid colors. Although, it does tend to oversaturate the reds on default settings so take note of that. I wouldn't expect it to do great B&W prints but I am not going to use it for that.
The only paper I've used so far is Kodak Ultra Premium glossy, 4x6 and 8.5x11. I will also try the Canon and Ilford papers.
I've only had this printer for a few weeks so I can't attest to its durability but it is a heavy and solid printer--and LARGE. Make sure you have plenty of room to put this puppy somewhere.
The only negative is the software plugin doesn't recognize my version of Photoshop (7.0) so I can't use the PS color correction plugin, which looks pretty cool.
There are some other nice printers out there for 500-1k+, but at 350 this one hit my price point and the qualtiy is fantastic. |
Absolutely Terrific!
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| Review Date: November 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Michael C. Barnes, Alamogordo, New Mexico |
Canon's Pro9000MKII is absolutely terrific! The best printer I have ever used. After years of experience in darkroom printing, this is the first printer I have found that truly gives you darkroom quality, if not better than darkroom! I was in 35mm photography for years (printing with a Phillips Tricolor) before finally switching over to digital. I finally made the switch about 5 years ago and although my photography looked great on the computer, until now I had never found a printer that I was really happy with. The Pro9000MKII gives the most realistic color reproduction that I have seen, as well as wonderful B&W production. It is easy to use although a little slow on the warm-up and and the noise level level is a little too much, but once it is ready to print, I defy anyone to able to tell the difference between the 9000's prints and those printed in darkroom from a film camera. Unbelievable quality and true color reproduction.
I'm sure there is probably something out there that may make a better print, but if there is I sure can't afford it! For the money, this is THE ONE!
Mike Barnes, Alamogordo, New Mexico |
Fast beautiful prints do justice to my SLR + PVA screens
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| Review Date: December 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Omar Siddique, Ellicott City, MD USA |
I'm an amateur photog, and this is my first large-format printer, so I'm aiming this at people in a similar spot. Other reviews delve into the more esoteric topics such pigment vs dye ink, but for people trying to decide if a printer like this is worth it? Yes definitely! This is the first time I've been able to generate prints that actually do justice to what my dSLR produces. This is the first time that the prints look as good or better on paper as they do on my PVA LCDs.
Gorgeous color reproduction, fast printing, no visible flaws even in 13x19 prints. Just make sure you use quality paper (and images w/ enough detail), and that you have space to set up this huge machine.
Fully extended, the printer covers nearly half of an IKEA desktop, about 33" at its maximum size (plus extra clearance) with the back feed opened up, or 27" normally. Fortunately, most paper can be fed from the top feed at the smaller 27" configuration (no added clearance needed), and the trays all fold into the unit for storage-- useful since the trays would probably break if one of my household felines sat on them.
Prints will only be as good as the paper you use. I've tried and been very pleased with 3rd-party Kodak Glossy Premium Photo Paper (use the paper setting Kodak specifies on the package) and also Canon Photo Paper Plus Semi-Gloss, 13 x 19 Inches. Vendors claim the best print longevity is when you use their papers and inks (for the latter paper, that's 25 years under glass, 100 years in storage). Regardless, definitely use quality paper to get results worthy of this printer's abilities.
Software installs and runs without issue on Windows XP. The straight-forward bundled Easy-PhotoPrint EX is very similar to the Easy-PhotoPrint that ships with smaller Canon printers.
My only real hesitation is the price and longevity of the supplies (eg, ink). There's a large number of smallish ink tanks (8), but they can be individually replaced. My primary complaint here is that the software only specifies that the ink level is "adequate". So after doing a 13x19 print, and 4 8.5x11's, I don't know how many more I have until I have to buy more ink. It seems a percentage-remaining wouldn't be that hard to do.
Highly recommended. |
Beautiful prints, Lighting fast!
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| Review Date: April 23, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Janine Martin, |
(Written by Janine's husband, but we have one family account)
I purchased this printer to replace my beloved Canon i900D which had finally given up the ghost after (I'm guessing) seven years or so of faithful service and I don't know how many thousand photos printed. Because Canon doesn't have a good six-ink printer in the i900D price range any more (all the inexpensive printers are four-ink only), I actually tried an Epson R280 first, but as was the case years before, was seriously disappointed by the mottled flesh tones in the Epson output, so I decided to cough up the $$$ and go for the Canon I wanted (well, I'd love the 9500 but I have some price constraints!).
This printer is a beauty! The print quality is at least as good as I had hoped: brilliant, life-like colors, razor-sharp resolution, no discernible dithering or spottiness in my prints, and just an all-round beauty to the finished output. And with a printhead that's nearly 3/4" wide, my prints just fly out. I haven't timed them yet, but I'd estimate 4 x 6 borderless prints come out in under 10 seconds, and my first 13 x 19 print yesterday zipped out in about a minute (possibly less)! Oh, and a 13 x 19 from a good 8MP image off my Canon 20d is a joy to behold! Fine resolution, rich color, and plenty of basic WOW! factor.
That printhead, by the way, is removable and replaceable. I don't imagine I'll need to do so any time soon, but the fact of a replaceable head should significantly extend the lifetime of the printer, I would guess.
Setup was easy and instructions were clear. The printhead alignment is fully automatic thanks to an in-printer sensor that "reads" the test patterns and adjusts accordingly, so there's no guesswork to it--just start the alignment and let it do its thing.
Separate ink cartridges--8 now instead of 6--mean you only change what you need. I haven't had it long enough to check, but if past experience is any indication, prints are very durable as long as protected from UV light (such as fluorescent or sunlight) by being displayed behind glass. My one wish is that Canon would have bundled (or made available at lower cost) a sample pack of some of their hotshot premium/fine-art papers as I'm not sure what some of them even are and would hate to spend the $$$ for a sample pack and decide they just weren't worth it.
I also miss the closed tray for 4x6 paper in the i900D. With the Pro9000 you really want to keep your paper stored out of the printer so you can close the lid, to keep dust out of both printer and paper. I wish I could keep paper in an enclosed bin. But that's a nit on an otherwise excellent product. Be warned, though, this printer is BIG. At 26.0" (W) x 13.9" (D) x 7.6" (H), be sure you have the real estate for this behemoth! |
A dream come true!
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| Review Date: May 17, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Brian, NY, NY |
This printer blew me away! Wow, I've had it for a few weeks now, and I can't find anything to complain about, except the software it comes with: on some prints which had areas of solid color, that color DID NOT come out the same on different prints, even though the color was absolutely identical (same rgb values in Photoshop for instance). However, printing those same tiff images from photoshop produced identical solid color on different prints. So, the problem is their software. However this is not a deal braker for me in any way as I don't even like the way their software works. Not to mention that photoshop interface for this printer is actually better then canon standalone software: it has more options and everything is intuitive and simple.
From the first moment, the easy of use, setup, and above all - quality of print results have been nothing short of extraordinary. I was very close to buying a three times more expensive Epson printer, as I do a lot of photography and am glad I don't have to spend my days and nights going blind in a darkroom. This is the first time that I can say with confidence that color photography, as a wet process, is dead. I will do some comparisons to some cibas I have from years ago and if this thing manages to pull at least similar quality, I will be in heaven, as great cibachromes not only cost an arm and a leg, but there are very few (im)mortals on this planet who know how to do them well...
All in all, if you are considering this printer, think no more, but take advantage of the great deal they are having right now. I got mine for $350 after rebate which is an incredible deal.
BTW, so far I printed about 25 8x10 color photographs, mostly for fun, and they came out absolutely stunning. With some older bubble jets, this would be the end of my color cartridge, but when I check the ink level, it shows that nothing was used up! I am almost inclined to believe that something's wrong with the software and that there is much less ink left than what it's telling me. So I will see how many prints I do before I have to buy more print cartridges and will add that info here at a later date. I will be doing a lot of printing in the next few weeks so new inks will be in order soon I imagine.
However, if inks are really still almost full as it's telling me, then that would be nothing short of a miracle.
ADDITIONAL INFO, after another month of use:
By now I have printed almost 100 8.5 x 11 in prints, full color all of them. They all had to have borders in specific colors, which means that actual image size in full color was slightly less then 8x10, perhaps 7x9 or so. But around the edges was a half an inch solid color which most often was light purple. This meant heavy use of p-magenta and p-cyan inks. By now, those two are reportedly very low, almost empty, however, the printer still prints, so I am not replacing them just yet. I will when they are completely empty.
I bought those two inks separately in a local photo store for about $14.00. However, all the other ink are almost completely full!
I also did a quick comparison test with my old ciba prints. I compared prints made from a 4x5 in Velvia slide, and printed as a ciba, as a RA4 color print from an internegative, and then I did a test print with this printer, on a pearl paper (ciba was done on super glossy paper). The results from Canon Pro9000 MkII are way better then color photograph produced from an internegative. Compared to CIBA print, the yellows, blues and greens from the CANON Pro9000 MkII are pretty much as saturated and detailed as the CIBA. The only difference I found was in reds, however, the comparison is not fair as I have not tried to compensate for that, nor have I gone through a serious calibration process yet. I will try to color correct for those lacking reds, and will post more comments later. All in all, compared to Ciba prints, this printer ilooks very promising. I would not be surprised if I achieve pretty much the same quality after more testing and adjusting. After all, even good ciba prints are possible only after major voodoo work, they don't come out spectacular "out of the box".
A few other prints, at full 8.5 x 11 in, just as a quick comparison to the same image produced from color negative as a wet process, showed Canon prints superior in every respect: sharpness, color, saturation, everything was much better, which makes me very happy. And best of all - there is not a hint of prints being produced on a bubble jet printer at all! I can spot a bubble jet print, even those which come from expensive, pro printers, but this one, perhaps because it's dye inks sink into the paper, are indistinguishable from regular color photographs, even under a magnifying glass.
One note on paper: it seems that different papers absorb these inks differently. Those that absorb them better will leave colors less saturated and lighter, while those which do not absorb as much will leave those inks more on the top of the paper, making for more saturated and darker colors. The difference is significant even between similar papers. E.g. ILFORD "premium photo pearl paper" which I ordered through Amazon, (it's the one that has a beach and sunset scene on the cover, with silver borders) absorbs inks much better, and as a result produces prints which are instantly dry and whose surface appears more photo-like as shininess does not depend on the ink color of a given area. However, in rush I needed more paper, and bought ILFORD "Galerie Classic Pearl paper", and that one absorbs less ink, produces darker and more saturated colors, and prints come out wet as a result (which means they can easily smudge for a long while after printing); it is also easier to notice with Ilfored Gallerie Classic Pearl that it is a print produced in printer as from some angles one can see difference in colors reflectin light differently. This may not be a big deal to some, but it is to me. I prefer more saturated colors, but I don't want anyone to be able to tell how the prints were produced. In that respect I prefer Ilford Premium Photo Pearl, and would just adjust the colors to increase saturation if needed.
As for reliability and performance, the printer has been printing steadily without as much as a hick-up. My only complaint, if I may call it that, is that it is not compatible with windows XP 64 bit, which was never promised anyway. |
Amazing printer, worth every penny.
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| Review Date: August 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: jabdigital, Floral Park, NY USA |
| I've been using this for a few months, making a lot of 13x19 prints to be framed in our new home. Such beautiful details are obvious in your prints. As always, set up is easy and Canon is great at updating software. It prints 4x6 very quickly. It was great coming from the MP970 to this, as they use the same ink. I won't buy anything but Canon printers. Dry time is quick. I also have been using Platinum Pro Paper and Photo Paper Pro II only (I won't use anything else and it's worth it). |
Excellent Print Maker
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| Review Date: December 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A Music Fan, |
| I should have purchased this printer a long time ago!! It is SWEET!! Very easy to set up and the output is stunning. I have printed everything from 4x6 to 13x19, and on everything from high-gloss to canvas and been impressed with all of them. The combination I like best though is this printer with Canon's Pro Platinum paper. The prints just glow! There is absolutely no indication whatsoever that the prints are made with an ink jet printer.....they have that photo lab processed look to them. I highly recommend this printer to any serious photographer. One caveat though.....have room for it. It is a big boy! |
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