I know this is one of the quietest sections at MU-43, but wanted to start a dedicated thread for the Canon Pixma pro 100 users to share tips with each other and/or review papers/inks, and discuss things in general. Please feel free to share what you know/recommend etc.
I'll start with some things I've learned since getting mine.
Physical properties:
It's big and heavy. 35+lbs and wide. It fits on a 2'x2' table and your feed trays will need room to stick out. It looks nice though.
Feed trays confusion
The actual Rear feed tray is called the Manual feed Tray. This is a source of confusion. Thicker papers (Premium Matte, Pro platinum) need to be fed one at a time through the "back" tray. The "rear" tray is the one on top and can handle more sheets for continuous feed. I also found that the manual feed tray often requires jiggling the paper to get it to feed when printing. And the top flap of the "rear" tray needs to be open (If I recall quickly...found this out by trial and error).
Paper size/Matting considerations
There is a box in canon properties to tick for auto detect paper size. I only found this recently. I've made mistakes not changing paper size manually (Lightroom doesn't seem to have this -clearly to find anyway). So I've bounced around swapping out printing 8x10 and 8.5x11 papers and got the print size wrong or the print(s) not centered. You have to double check everything. The printer won't tell you you are going to cut off your photo(s) or decenter them. Always check print preview in properties to avoid printing a mistake. It will show you if you are off center.
While The printer does borderless prints, I've found I prefer the 8.5x11" paper w/border over an 8x10 borderless and I can still frame 8x10. YMMV. On the 13x19" papers I print to 12x16", because I've found it's more economical to buy pre-cut 16x20" mats with that size opening vs. 13x19" or other similar sizes. 16x20" is also easy to find frames for that are reasonably priced and fit my own mats.
You can get 13x19" frames now at Michaels, but won't be able to mat a full sized photo. You could however print with a border to fit these. 13x19 backer boards would be harder to find. 16x20, 11x14, 8x10 much more available and inexpensive if buying in bulk.
Matte papers and canvas do not print borderless by default. They force you to use an A30 art margin. You can workaround this by choosing a different paper in properties, but then you have to figure out how to compensate your settings to get the print to look how you want it to. Do so at your own risk. In some cases it might be fine like canvas, but with other papers, I suppose it could be a problem with ink getting on wheels or something.
Reviews
One of may useful in depth reviews I found.
Canon PRO-100 printer review
Papers. I'll cut and paste from another thread here. I've only really used Canon papers, because they are such a good deal and I'm more than happy with them so far. Continually impressed with the detail and color and I have quite a stock at this point with taking advantage of sales. I started with the Luster and Semi-gloss that I got w/the printer and felt they were pretty ideal. I always kinda preferred a luster finish. These papers are nearly identical. Differences are almost imperceptible. Someone shared photos of the finishes online to show the minor differences in sheet with some direct light. I'd probably still chose the luster over it.
From another thread I posted.
"..... Definitely try the Pro platinum paper. It's stunning. I thought the Luster & Semi-Gloss were very good, but Pro Platinum is just phenomenal for a more deep glossy look. I recently tried the Premium Matte paper, after printing my fist one on the wrong side, which was obviously disappointing...lol. I wasn't sure I was sold on it initially, but I did some larger prints and it too is quite awesome if you prefer Matte look...it even has a depth to it on my Black/white prints that is totally different in character to the glossy. It has a nice heft/feel to it like thick card stock and subtle texture. Just depends on the subject which one works better. It's also finicky about size you can print and can't do borderless without doing a workaround in the software, but having done so, I don't think I'd do borderless anyway...but I do wish it was more flexible (ie: I can't do 12x16" on matte). Forces you to chose A30 art margin, so prints are more like 11x16" on 13x19 paper, so I have to re-think my matting and presentation...."
I've heard that the Hahnemule makes the Canon Premium Matte, but can't say for 100% certain and haven't used both brands, but maybe someone else can verify.
I much prefer my own prints to stuff I've gotten from Shutterfly, Walgreens etc. Adorama has always been pretty good, but mine hold up equal or better.
I did try some free 5x7 Canon Glossy II papers. They are basically like what you would get from a lab like Walgreens. Thinner than the premium stuff. Adequate clear prints with good color, but not stunning. Not too bad either, but they have been my least favorite of the Canon brand papers. You can also print 2-5x7" prints on an 8.5x11 sheet of the other papers or even more on the larger 13x19". Not all the premium papers come in the smaller sizes.
I tried some Canson textured Watercolor paper 12x16" I got at an art store. I didn't much care for the result. Detailed became muddled, however this might work for a subject more impressionistic. I mainly picked it up intending to print some greeting cards on it.
Canvas:
This guy figured out a cheat to print canvas borderless for doing canvas wraps. Requires some manual adjustments and selecting a paper type other than canvas to circumvent Canon's blocking of borderless prints. I haven't tried it yet, but have a roll of 13"x20' Epson canvas paper matte to try sometime.
another
The tips are in the comments section.
You can also (and should) use varnish or some type of UV coating on canvas prints to preserved them and prevent possible fading. There are tons of products on the market to use. I've personally used Decoupage/Craft glue (similar to Mod Podge) on paper prints to mount on canvas blocks and it works well. There's no bleeding or smearing. It mounts to the surface and you can put another coat on top of the print and give it a matte or gloss finish. It takes a small leap of faith. I would wait the 24 hr recommended drying period though before trying.
INKS/Demos:
I'll share a link to a guy on youtube (and DPreview) who is quite knowledgable about printers and third party inks. He also uses Epson, but has a lot of Canon Pixma videos on setting up the printer, using various papers, third party (precision) inks, which seem to be the most highly regarded third party inks I've read about, but not tried, yet. If you are considering that route, definitely check him out. He also does a lot of show and tell of his work w/this and other printers. He goes by Jtoolman or Jose Rodriquez. He also figured out a way to print beyond 19" in the software, so he was able to do a 12x24" panorama print.
If you want to try their inks here is a link. I haven't tried myself, but plan on it. I have no affiliation, nor endorsing, just passing on what I've read and based on reviews.
Precision Colors Home Page
Saving $$
Canon has frequent sales on paper and ink. I've taken advantage of buy one get 2 free and buy one get 3 free deals on paper via Canon direct. Shipping is fast and cheap and no sales tax. I got ink there last time, because when I factored in the $40 discount for bundling paper/ink promo and included all the freebie papers/sample packs they threw in, it was worthwhile. I was already buying a lot of paper on the order and made sense to combine it, though one single purchase can qualify. They charge $125 for ink. I normally buy on ebay for $80-90 shipped. Amazon usually has it between $99-110 per set. I also try to time purchases of ink on ebay with ebay bucks promotions, where I get 8-10% ebay bucks for purchases made during promo periods. That saves me an extra $7-10 on cost (ebay bucks redeemable for future purchases). Usually packs are from sellers who got a printer and are selling the ink/print head. They are sealed OEM packs, for those who are going to worry about counterfeits. Never had a problem with that.
Paper | Canon Online Store
For those who are considering buying one, there are quarterly rebates, so there's no need to ever pay full price. You can find these for $99-150 shipped plus free paper usually ...or if you are lucky like me (I wasn't even looking for a printer), got one for $49 shipped w/free paper (50 sheets 13x19) during an Adorama Flash sale. There is a current $250 rebate on now til 6/30/16.
If you don't want to deal with that, simply check out your local Craigslist. In my city there are routinely a dozen listed at any given time. You can get one for $99-150 w/free paper, from someone who bundled when buying a camera who doesn't print or have room for one. Some people buy one on rebate, use/sell the ink & print heads separately, so make sure those are included. Usually they are unopened and just the bar code is removed, but sometimes someone tries to sell the printer body only stripped. Ebay also is loaded with these same deals, but shipping cost is more prohibitive.
General Use
It's a good idea to have backup ink at all times. You will run out of one color and need to replace and then it's like dominos...one after another. Using the precision inks, you can refill them all at once if you like and they recommend doing so. You need a chip resetter too. A starter kit w/ ink and chip resetter is under $100. Then you can get ink alone for $42 for 2oz bottles or save more when buying larger refill bottles. They also recommend completely cleaning the yellow carts or using one of their new/refurbished yellow carts that are included with purchase. There is a slight issue with refilling/mixing the ink, but you can read about it on their website.
Maintenance
Unlike pigment ink based printers the Pixma pro 100 can sit idle for longer periods without printing. I've found it a bit addicting personally, so I print most weeks, but I've also gone a few weeks without printing and not had any issues with clogging. It's a good idea to run periodic maintenance cleanings/checks as recommended though. Keep your printer covered when not in use to keep out dust/moisture..or in my case a leaky sealing that dripped on my printer and prints. It comes packaged with a big durable plastic bag that can be re-purposed as a dust cover.
So what are your experiences? tips? Papers you love or hate? Have you used third party inks? Brag about your prints? Hopefully you made it this far.
Please feel free to add your own tips/tricks and recommendations relating to the Pixma Pro 100 so we can all benefit and learn what works best.
I'll start with some things I've learned since getting mine.
Physical properties:
It's big and heavy. 35+lbs and wide. It fits on a 2'x2' table and your feed trays will need room to stick out. It looks nice though.
Feed trays confusion
The actual Rear feed tray is called the Manual feed Tray. This is a source of confusion. Thicker papers (Premium Matte, Pro platinum) need to be fed one at a time through the "back" tray. The "rear" tray is the one on top and can handle more sheets for continuous feed. I also found that the manual feed tray often requires jiggling the paper to get it to feed when printing. And the top flap of the "rear" tray needs to be open (If I recall quickly...found this out by trial and error).
Paper size/Matting considerations
There is a box in canon properties to tick for auto detect paper size. I only found this recently. I've made mistakes not changing paper size manually (Lightroom doesn't seem to have this -clearly to find anyway). So I've bounced around swapping out printing 8x10 and 8.5x11 papers and got the print size wrong or the print(s) not centered. You have to double check everything. The printer won't tell you you are going to cut off your photo(s) or decenter them. Always check print preview in properties to avoid printing a mistake. It will show you if you are off center.
While The printer does borderless prints, I've found I prefer the 8.5x11" paper w/border over an 8x10 borderless and I can still frame 8x10. YMMV. On the 13x19" papers I print to 12x16", because I've found it's more economical to buy pre-cut 16x20" mats with that size opening vs. 13x19" or other similar sizes. 16x20" is also easy to find frames for that are reasonably priced and fit my own mats.
You can get 13x19" frames now at Michaels, but won't be able to mat a full sized photo. You could however print with a border to fit these. 13x19 backer boards would be harder to find. 16x20, 11x14, 8x10 much more available and inexpensive if buying in bulk.
Matte papers and canvas do not print borderless by default. They force you to use an A30 art margin. You can workaround this by choosing a different paper in properties, but then you have to figure out how to compensate your settings to get the print to look how you want it to. Do so at your own risk. In some cases it might be fine like canvas, but with other papers, I suppose it could be a problem with ink getting on wheels or something.
Reviews
One of may useful in depth reviews I found.
Canon PRO-100 printer review
Papers. I'll cut and paste from another thread here. I've only really used Canon papers, because they are such a good deal and I'm more than happy with them so far. Continually impressed with the detail and color and I have quite a stock at this point with taking advantage of sales. I started with the Luster and Semi-gloss that I got w/the printer and felt they were pretty ideal. I always kinda preferred a luster finish. These papers are nearly identical. Differences are almost imperceptible. Someone shared photos of the finishes online to show the minor differences in sheet with some direct light. I'd probably still chose the luster over it.
From another thread I posted.
"..... Definitely try the Pro platinum paper. It's stunning. I thought the Luster & Semi-Gloss were very good, but Pro Platinum is just phenomenal for a more deep glossy look. I recently tried the Premium Matte paper, after printing my fist one on the wrong side, which was obviously disappointing...lol. I wasn't sure I was sold on it initially, but I did some larger prints and it too is quite awesome if you prefer Matte look...it even has a depth to it on my Black/white prints that is totally different in character to the glossy. It has a nice heft/feel to it like thick card stock and subtle texture. Just depends on the subject which one works better. It's also finicky about size you can print and can't do borderless without doing a workaround in the software, but having done so, I don't think I'd do borderless anyway...but I do wish it was more flexible (ie: I can't do 12x16" on matte). Forces you to chose A30 art margin, so prints are more like 11x16" on 13x19 paper, so I have to re-think my matting and presentation...."
I've heard that the Hahnemule makes the Canon Premium Matte, but can't say for 100% certain and haven't used both brands, but maybe someone else can verify.
I much prefer my own prints to stuff I've gotten from Shutterfly, Walgreens etc. Adorama has always been pretty good, but mine hold up equal or better.
I did try some free 5x7 Canon Glossy II papers. They are basically like what you would get from a lab like Walgreens. Thinner than the premium stuff. Adequate clear prints with good color, but not stunning. Not too bad either, but they have been my least favorite of the Canon brand papers. You can also print 2-5x7" prints on an 8.5x11 sheet of the other papers or even more on the larger 13x19". Not all the premium papers come in the smaller sizes.
I tried some Canson textured Watercolor paper 12x16" I got at an art store. I didn't much care for the result. Detailed became muddled, however this might work for a subject more impressionistic. I mainly picked it up intending to print some greeting cards on it.
Canvas:
This guy figured out a cheat to print canvas borderless for doing canvas wraps. Requires some manual adjustments and selecting a paper type other than canvas to circumvent Canon's blocking of borderless prints. I haven't tried it yet, but have a roll of 13"x20' Epson canvas paper matte to try sometime.
You can also (and should) use varnish or some type of UV coating on canvas prints to preserved them and prevent possible fading. There are tons of products on the market to use. I've personally used Decoupage/Craft glue (similar to Mod Podge) on paper prints to mount on canvas blocks and it works well. There's no bleeding or smearing. It mounts to the surface and you can put another coat on top of the print and give it a matte or gloss finish. It takes a small leap of faith. I would wait the 24 hr recommended drying period though before trying.
INKS/Demos:
I'll share a link to a guy on youtube (and DPreview) who is quite knowledgable about printers and third party inks. He also uses Epson, but has a lot of Canon Pixma videos on setting up the printer, using various papers, third party (precision) inks, which seem to be the most highly regarded third party inks I've read about, but not tried, yet. If you are considering that route, definitely check him out. He also does a lot of show and tell of his work w/this and other printers. He goes by Jtoolman or Jose Rodriquez. He also figured out a way to print beyond 19" in the software, so he was able to do a 12x24" panorama print.
Precision Colors Home Page
Saving $$
Canon has frequent sales on paper and ink. I've taken advantage of buy one get 2 free and buy one get 3 free deals on paper via Canon direct. Shipping is fast and cheap and no sales tax. I got ink there last time, because when I factored in the $40 discount for bundling paper/ink promo and included all the freebie papers/sample packs they threw in, it was worthwhile. I was already buying a lot of paper on the order and made sense to combine it, though one single purchase can qualify. They charge $125 for ink. I normally buy on ebay for $80-90 shipped. Amazon usually has it between $99-110 per set. I also try to time purchases of ink on ebay with ebay bucks promotions, where I get 8-10% ebay bucks for purchases made during promo periods. That saves me an extra $7-10 on cost (ebay bucks redeemable for future purchases). Usually packs are from sellers who got a printer and are selling the ink/print head. They are sealed OEM packs, for those who are going to worry about counterfeits. Never had a problem with that.
Paper | Canon Online Store
For those who are considering buying one, there are quarterly rebates, so there's no need to ever pay full price. You can find these for $99-150 shipped plus free paper usually ...or if you are lucky like me (I wasn't even looking for a printer), got one for $49 shipped w/free paper (50 sheets 13x19) during an Adorama Flash sale. There is a current $250 rebate on now til 6/30/16.
If you don't want to deal with that, simply check out your local Craigslist. In my city there are routinely a dozen listed at any given time. You can get one for $99-150 w/free paper, from someone who bundled when buying a camera who doesn't print or have room for one. Some people buy one on rebate, use/sell the ink & print heads separately, so make sure those are included. Usually they are unopened and just the bar code is removed, but sometimes someone tries to sell the printer body only stripped. Ebay also is loaded with these same deals, but shipping cost is more prohibitive.
General Use
It's a good idea to have backup ink at all times. You will run out of one color and need to replace and then it's like dominos...one after another. Using the precision inks, you can refill them all at once if you like and they recommend doing so. You need a chip resetter too. A starter kit w/ ink and chip resetter is under $100. Then you can get ink alone for $42 for 2oz bottles or save more when buying larger refill bottles. They also recommend completely cleaning the yellow carts or using one of their new/refurbished yellow carts that are included with purchase. There is a slight issue with refilling/mixing the ink, but you can read about it on their website.
Maintenance
Unlike pigment ink based printers the Pixma pro 100 can sit idle for longer periods without printing. I've found it a bit addicting personally, so I print most weeks, but I've also gone a few weeks without printing and not had any issues with clogging. It's a good idea to run periodic maintenance cleanings/checks as recommended though. Keep your printer covered when not in use to keep out dust/moisture..or in my case a leaky sealing that dripped on my printer and prints. It comes packaged with a big durable plastic bag that can be re-purposed as a dust cover.
So what are your experiences? tips? Papers you love or hate? Have you used third party inks? Brag about your prints? Hopefully you made it this far.
Please feel free to add your own tips/tricks and recommendations relating to the Pixma Pro 100 so we can all benefit and learn what works best.
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