Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

What are the major differences between the 3? Has anyone done a print quality test, comparing the 3 models?
Which one to get??? :?

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

Major difference is that the Pro 10 and the Pro 1 use pigment inks while the Pro 100 uses dye inks. The pigment ink printers have more black and grey inks. There are differences in wireless connections as well, but you can look those up when you look at reviews. The Pro 1 uses bigger ink cartridges than the Pro 10. All produce very good prints. If you are just printing for yourself, the Pro 100 is a very good printer for a good price, especially when Canon offers it on one of its rebate deals. The Pro 10 or Pro 1 using pigment inks, is a good choice if you sell prints or enter a lot of competitions, or simply want better archival life for your prints.

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

Thanks, that is very helpful! :thumbup:

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Jim's reply is spot on. I can't add much, but will try anyway!

There is a theory that dye inks are less likely to clog when a printer is not "exercised" regularly. Some have written that the dye inks from Canon might be a little "brighter" than the pigment inks. They also say that to actually see it, you have to print the exact same image on both a Pro-100 and a Pro-10 then lay them side by side.

Saying the dye inks in the Pro-100 are less likely to clog may be meaningless because I've not seen anyone write about any of the three Canons actually clogging.

I've used the Pro-100 since it was new. I bought it because, at the time, the rebate program made it free. Yes, I now enjoy helping Canon make a living because I enjoy buying their paper and ink.

When I bought the Pro-100 I had never used a high quality photo specific printer. For me, it was "an experiment". Now that I know how much I enjoy making quality prints, I think I would buy the Pro-10 for the inks that are supposed to last 100 years. I would not expect the prints to actually look better.

I would not buy a Pro-1. It is targeted at people that want to make a lot of prints regularly. It's only significant value over the Pro-10 is the tanks are huge.

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

Thanks bsrague! That is helpful. I am trying to decide between the Pro-10 and 100.

Don Fischer Loc: Antelope, Ore

Speaking of print life, what happened to all the claims we used to hear about 100+ yrs with die ink printer's? I never figured out how they got those numbers, no ink jet print had been around near that long. For myself it would be a non issue though because I'm not gonna be here in 100 yrs and I doubt anyone buying a print from me would be either. I do have a bunch of print's I printed 10+ yrs ago with an old Epson R300 and an old HP printer that haven't faded a bit! I can't get myself up to worrying about how long the print is gonna last so long as it out last me! That time get's shorter every day!

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Shortly after I bought my Pro-100 a very long time friend (with more money!) bought the Pro-10. His reasoning (or excuse) was that he thought there was a potential for better B&W prints. He is a long time photographer that does not do color because he is color blind.

We have never tried to print the same image, but both of us think are prints are fantastic. Consequently, my suggestion to you is to disregard any thoughts that the prints will be "better to look at" from the more expensive printer. As near as I can tell, the only significant difference is the theoretical print life. If you hang your prints where there is exposure to UV, the Pro-10 prints should fade more slowly than the Pro-100 prints.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I do have some prints left from my darkroom days that are now about 40 years old. So longevity can count. However, in the digital system, my personal goal is to display my "best" work from the past six months on my dedicated display wall in my office. So, anything past 6 months gets stacked in box and won't likely ever get back on the wall.

That said, gifts are a dilemma. Since I got the printer, I've given some prints of my granddaughters to their mother who may want to still be looking at them 40 years from now. And, one granddaughter was asked to shoot a cousin's wedding. The cousin is too broke to get a "real" photographer. What sort of prints should my granddaughter give her cousin? Pigment prints from a Pro-10 should be more viewable than dye prints from a Pro-100 if the cousin ever makes it to a 50th wedding anniversary.

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

How archival life is determined gets into some pretty technical areas. A great number of the claims are based on results of tests conducted by Wilhelm Imaging Research lab. Exactly how they test and the technical basis for how they test is beyond my knowledge, but suffice it to say their testing is generally accepted as industry standard.

As to why archival life might be important, well, to a large extent that may be either personal preference or need. For many hobbyists long print life may not be as big a concern as it is to those who sell their work, be they wedding photographers or fine art photographers. Consider that if I sell a wedding album to a young couple in their 20s, as a matter of professional integrity I would want to provide them with photos that will still look as good as they did when they first got them when they pull them out and look at them on their 50th anniversary. Likewise, if someone buys one of my fine art prints, and pays me a hefty sum of money, I feel I owe them to provide a print that will last their lifetime (and beyond, should it pass down to their family). Not everyone has those professional concerns, of course, but even those who do not may prefer to have prints that are less subject to degradation during the time they have to enjoy them.

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

Great minds think alike! :lol:

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

Thanks!
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

mawyatt Loc: Clearwater, Florida

I got my Pixma Pro 100, actually 3, one for my daughter and two for me, for almost free. B&H had a deal for the printer and 50 sheets of 13" by 19' paper @ $399 and Canon was offering a AMEX $300 rebate. The paper cost $40 at B&H, so the printer was only costing $59, so not free like you did, but not too expensive either. My second printer was for backup and it was cheaper than buying a new set of ink cartridges (~$120). I now use the Precision Color cartridge refill kit to refill the cartridges and use the original cartridge sets from the printer I print with and from the backup printer to cycle between cartridge sets when one needs replacing. See FAQ
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-312623-1.html

Anyway, the Pixma Pro 100 has been a very good printer for me so far...but I don't know how long the prints will last though, either with OEM or aftermarket ink.

BTW Canon gets enough of my $ for paper. I really like the Canon Pro Platinum paper, I have not used a better paper for glossy work.

Regards,

Mike

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

I am still getting very good results with my Mark II Pro 9000!

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

One difference not yet mentioned is that the entry paper feed of the Pro-100 can drop down to vertical, which allows aluminum, foam-backed, and other stiff papers to be printed. All three normally feed from the top, but only the Pro-100 will accept rigid media via the drop-down rear feed.

Greenguy33 Loc: Rhode Island

good to know! :thumbup: