Ron - I own a Pro-10, and while not the same model, probably has similar features.

1) I rarely (meaning every few weeks) ever shut it down. I print at least weekly, sometimes several times daily or weekly, and sometimes not for many days. I have *never* heard the print head clean itself. I am sure that when users state the "every 60 hours" remark, there must be some validity to it. When not in use the print head will automatically "park" itself to keep the ink carts from drying out. The only times I shut it down is if I am going away for several days or there are thunderstorms in the area. (I've never had a problem with surges, but a friend lost almost every electronic device in the house to a lightning strike two houses down.) Oh - and occasionally - the WiFi connection seems to not work, so I shut it down for three or four minutes and then start it again.

After three years of use, the ink sump is still nowhere near full.

Thank you for this info, I’ve had this printer for 3 years and love it. Just trying to clarifying the wasting of ink. I have only used Canon ink cartridges to date.

2) And this will become controversial, I *do not* replace the ink cart until the machine will not start a new job. Since I only use OEM carts, they can be expensive, as I am sure you know. I will *sometimes* replace other carts that are slow flashing, but generally, if it just started and the "ink low" prompt just now came on, I will wait, since there is probably still at least 10% of the ink left. I do not have any idea of how much ink the "purge" does when replacing carts, but I really think that it only primes the cart that was replaced. Again, the ink sump on my unit is nowhere near full. Canon service (not the person who answers the phone, but the real service rep) might be able to answer the question, but I really don't worry about it.

And further, I have a friend, a respected portrait pro, who uses the Pro-100 and refills his own carts. He says that he can't tell the difference, and I am sure he is correct. I would guess that if you wanted to refill the ink yourself, it's OK, however, on other printers I have had pretty dismal luck buying the inexpensive "Just Like the Original" 3rd party carts, so I would not do that. But since the Pro-10 is a "pigment" printer, rather than "dye", I would rather stick with Canon.

Ron, if this is your first printer - good luck! You picked a good one!

If it can be turned off completely, I turn it off.
You know all those instant remotes and electronic things with a little ready light (and some without)? That means they all have a tiny trickle of power usage to keep it ready to react when the remote is used. So the TV, Cable Box and Sound system are the only ones I leave on standby without being totally turned off. Well, anything with a clock you have no choice unless you cut the power when not in use, then of course the clock doesn't work and when you turn the power back on at the power strip or plug it in the blinking clock will drive you nuts until you reset it or cut the power again.