|
Inkjet printing and photolab processing labs (online like www.fotoinside.net or highstreet) needs to be compared on three counts: - perceived resolution (processing guarantees every pixel in the right colour) - durability (100 years with FotoInside.net) - colours (ink jet is getting ever closer to the quality of photolabs) - cost (just one print is cheaper at home, when printing 20 or more its cheapers at a lab) Klaas Brumann www.fotoinside.net
Klaas Brumann -June 2, 2004
a wonderful informative article.
James -June 2, 2004
$499 is a bit steep, however, if what you say is true, then it could be a bit of a bargain, I think color laser printers are still higher than that, and the cost of ink vs. toner favors the canon. however, I wonder how many pics I need to print before I reap the benefits of the printer over, say, a trip to my local Kodak Store with my memory card?
Price Check -June 2, 2004
One area that seems to be missing in printer comparisons is water fastness. I've tested this with the Epson pigment printers and Epson paper and they are exceptional because the Epson pigment ink particles are encased in a polymer coating that dries to create a water impermeable plastic layer over the print. You can dump a puddle of water on one of those prints and rub it hard and nothing happens. I've tried the same experiment with HP photo printers and it is a disaster - smears all over. How about the Canon?
Bill Connett -June 2, 2004
I think this would be a lot more useful with some estimate of ink cost. Ideally, down to a picture size. I can go to a number of outlets and get a professional print for less than $.50 each (4x6). That's 1200 pictures using a $600 cost (printer, some ink/paper). And, how does it last, water proof, cost of Canon paper vs. other. This review just covers the basics - a starting point but I would really like to have more to justify a $500-$700 (guess) cost over the course of the first year. Maybe a part 2 in 3-6 months.
Jay Lynch -June 2, 2004
After a few weeks of use, I like the i9900 printer--except for its panoramic print support. The article is well-written, but it (and Canon) provided me with an impression that larger panoramic prints are possible from the i9900. The Canon Photo Stitch Utility and Canon digicams support pan production. Infact, Canon print drivers do not support any pan forms. From the Stitch Utility, you can set your own custom form size to accommodate the smaller Epson Pan paper (8.3: x 23.3"), but nothing longer. Shucks, you can do the smaller pan form with narrow carriage printers. That is not what I expected from my i9900. Though the i9900 supports 13 x 19" paper, it is limited to 23.39" long paper, period. Canon Tech Support verified this for me. Their reason, as I understand it: to avoid paper jams....
Paul -June 2, 2004
Thanks for the comments! Bill, in regards to water fastness, I performed a test this morning and found the print to be very durable. And man, I scrubbed that thing pretty hard. Perhaps we're dealing with the same kind of polymer coating. Jay, yes, I'll continue my testing and report back. The information you need will take a while to collect. I gather that the 8"x10" paper, for example, costs about .50 a sheet. For 4"x6" paper, you're looking at .15 a sheet. I think the inktanks hover around $10 a pop, but it's hard to determine exactly how quickly a single color will run out. For a quick comparison, Ofoto charges $3.99 for a single 8"x10" print. Paul, yes, the stitch feature is simply a component of the software and doesn't mean that you can feed abnormally long sheets of paper into the printer.
Jason Bovberg -June 3, 2004
Speaking with Canon, I found the following: Of course, every image is different, but in Canon's testing, the company used the ISO Standard #5 image to estimate inktank usage. (This image provides a fair and accurate ratio of colors to approximate the average digital photograph.) Here are the results, according to Canon: Black: 1100 pages <BR> Cyan: 1100 pages<BR> Magenta: 790 pages<BR> Yellow: 540 pages<BR> Photo Cyan: 380 pages<BR> Photo Magenta: 280 pages<BR> Red: 2300 pages<BR> Green: 2300 pages<P> The new red and green tanks, obviously, are used far less often than the others because they're primarily used for accent work. They're the last tanks you'd have to replace.
Jason Bovberg -June 3, 2004
what about HP's new color laser, which is supposed to sell for the same sort of price? Is this the time to pack up my trusty Epson 870?
Allan Foskett -June 4, 2004
Damn, this sounds cool. Thanks for the review.
Mike Freeman -June 10, 2004
 |
I've been doing fairly serious film photography, mostly b&w, using a Nikon F100 and three AFS lenses for years. I've been waiting for a digital SLR that would give me excellent photos using my existing lenses. In April I got a Niknon D70 and took it to Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon. The results were breathtaking. I had a few prints made (Ritz) and was happy, but I wanted more control as I'm fairly comfortable with Photoshop 7. I saw the i9900 and ran out and bought one. I started out with small prints, but quickly moved up through 8.5x11 to the 13x19's. The results are simply incredible. The prints are better-detailed than my home b&w prints (from Kodak TMX-100 film) using a Rodenstock APO enlarging lens, arguably the best money can buy. Most of my outdoor shots are printed straight - no PS manipulation at all. Great saturation, accurate hues, far better than the silver halide prints I got from Ritz. This is simply the best color printer that I've ever seen, and damn the cost. And mind you, this is coming from a Nikon shooter, although I don't involve myself in the Canon vs. Nikon arguments. If you're shooting with high-quality cameras and lenses, this printer will leave you ecstatic. Here's hoping that the prints hold up over time.
Bill McGrath -June 14, 2004
Jason - can you shed a little more light on the ISO Standard #5 image? How large a print are they making when they give the number of pages per tank? What kind of paper did Canon use to derive these results? What printer settings were used when these tests were run? Any other parameters that need to be considered to use these results? Thanks
Bill McGrath -June 14, 2004
|
Re: Bill McGrath's response about the Canon i9900. I suspect I might be your twin separated at birth. I have used an F100 for years and also got the D70 in April before a trip to the Galapagos Islands. I have been researching what high quality printer to buy and I decided that the Epson 4000 was way too much for me ( in cost AND size!) and started looking at the R800 as a reasonable alternative. The archival pigmented inks appealed to me but the limited size of prints didn't (8x10 max on the R800). I recently started looking into the Canon i9900 as an alternative- versatility, speed, and color accuracy and detail were most important. After your review i am very seriously considering it. I just have one question- did you look into the Epson printers at all and if you did why did you finally pick the Canon over the Epson (It seems the Epsons are generally thought of as the "phootgrapher's printer" and wondered why this was the case? Would love to hear your impressions of the Epson printers if you have some... Regards, Neil
Neil Moskowitz -June 14, 2004
That was a seriously lame typo- try " photographer's printer" not "phoot..."! lol!
Neil Moskowitz -June 14, 2004
Neil - Sorry to say that I did not spend the time I probably should have investigating the Epson. I was swayed by the Pop Photography article on the quality of the Canon i9100. So, I'm a somewhat biased witness. However, my younger brother has an Epson that he loves. I didn't do the requisite research, but I'm happy nevertheless. The i9900 is the best I've ever seen - better than many of the Cibachrome prints I do at home. (With apologies to Ilford!) You won't be disappointed, I'm sure. Are you a scuba diver by chance? I'd love to go to the Galapagos to do some u/w shooting, but haven't yet invested the money to house the D70. Shoot me an e-mail: wfm3@cornell.edu.
Bill McGrath -June 14, 2004
Neil - speaking of typos: I don't really shoot a Niknon D70 either!!!
Bill McGrath -June 14, 2004
Bill: The ISO Standard #5 image is printed to an 8x10 size, using Photo Paper Pro. The printer settings are the factory defaults, a compromise between speed and quality.
Jason Bovberg -June 15, 2004
I purchased the i9900 about 6 weeks ago to replace my S9000. The S9000 is no slouch and a top rated printer from 2 years ago but i9900 is much better. I now shoot with a Canon 10D and Canon L lenses even though I have thousands of transparencies to scan on a Canon FS4000US film scanner. The 10D was purchased just prior to a trip to Rome where I shot about 1000 images. I just finished assembling 170 of the best Rome images into an album using Canon PhotoRecord software that comes with most Canon digital products. I printed the album on both Epson dual-sided matte paper and Pictorico dual-sided semi-gloss paper. The results are amazing. Both papers work extremely well with the i9900 although they each have their own subtle tinting difference. This can be corrected easily with color adjustment through the printer driver. Printing the entire album on the dualsided 8.5 x 11 stock (68 pages total) used no more than half of some of the ink cartridges and almost none of the red and green. People who have viewed the album are stunned and amazed with the quality and can't believe it came from an inkjet printer. The color punch and tone is incredible and the level of detail and resolution equals or exceeds wet chemistry printing. If you want to see dots you'll need at least a 4X loupe and there is absolutely no banding. It is a mistake to not consider this printer because of the limited selection of Canon papers. Epson papers work extremely well on the Canon printers as do Pictorico, Mitsubishi and Konica. These are the only papers I've had the opportunity to try. Needless to say, I am very happy I bought this printer.
Bob Baron -June 18, 2004
|
Have read all the above comments.This is a great article and thanks for haveing a site where some one can get this time information. I am a digital and film shooter and am in need of a high quailty printer. I have a 13 X 19 print that the canon rep print for me right from the camera no adjustment.( from the i9900) I tell you it is a awesome print. But i have one major problem---how long will they last. As a starting out photographer I can not afford to sell a print that in a few months or a year will fade out. The canon rep told me that the prints would last 25 years in direct sun light. This is hard to swallow but if that is true I will be in my eighties before they fade and maybe no one will kill me over it. How long does a print made from a regular film developer last.I like every thing I read about the Epson r800 but need the larger size. Maybe I need the 800 and if want anything bigger then take it to a processsor and have them to do it. I probably would not do more than 6 to 8 13x 19. so if any of you out there have any advise for a beginner I am all ears.
kennith wilson -June 25, 2004
I need a photo printer
mutiu -June 27, 2004
This is very enlightening. I am a long time film shooter Nikon F5 and N90s most recently, and just purchased a Nikon D70 about 6 weeks ago. I'm already really sold on digital. I have an inkjet printer (HP Deskjet 970 CSE) but want to move up to a better printer, and one that will produce larger prints than 8x10. I've narrowed it down to two printers - the Canon I9900 and the Epson Stylus Pro 2200. Having a tough time making up my mind. The Canon is less expensive, but I want to buy something that will produce excellent results. Do you think the I9900 is the equal of the 2200?
Ed Russell -June 27, 2004
I use a Canon 1D MarkII and print on the Canon !9100 and the new Epson R800. I have also tested the i9900 and while slighty better than the 9100, the dfference is negligible and not worth the replacing the 9100. The R800 and the 9100 0r 9900 will satisfy the demanding digital photographer. The differences are more issues of personal preference than issues of quality. Want archival? Than you need the r800. Large prints? Than you're a 9900 or 9100 (cheap!) buyer. Print on your favorie CDs? The R800 will print directly onto a printable CD. I found the R800 produced slightly darker and more saturated prints than the same file printed on my 9100. The prints also appeared a little more contrasty from the R800. The R800 is very quiet and not quite as fast as the 9100. It does offer roll capability for you panorama entusiasts. Both have problems feeing heavier fine art papers from Legion and others and both lack a straight path feed. Bottom line: I can't recommend one over the other because both produce excellent, high quality prints, and the differences amount to personal taste and needs. For example, the R800 produces slighty warmer results than the Canon, desirable if you do a lot of portraits. Also, Epson produces many more papers than Canon, which are well profiled on the R800. While very satisfactory on the Canon, more tweaking is required to get the best results. Finally, I suggest that the complete digital darkroom has BOTH of these fine printers! You will discover that each does certain things better than the other and quickly decide which one to use for a particular job
Marvin -June 29, 2004
I've been shooting digital photographs with a Nikon D1X camera and printing them with a Canon S9000 printer for over two years. I have been very impressed with the output of the S9000 printer and I have no regrets about my selection. However, there are a couple of issues that I should mention: 1) I've see serious and immediate fading on photographs that were not covered with glass and that were exposed to direct sunlight (using Canon's Photo Paper Pro). 2) After 3 months, I had to replace my S9000 because I started to see banding (subtle lines across the photo) on my photographs. After 18 months with the replacement printer, I've started seeing banding again. I've tried all of the nozzle cleaning tips to eliminate the issue, but no luck. My guess is that it is a printer head issue. A replacement head costs around $100. Bottom Line: Regardless of the above issues, I've loved the output from the S9000. Since my printer is out of warranty, I will probably apply the $100 printer head cost towards the new Canon i9900 printer since its reviews seem very positive.
Dave -July 12, 2004
I want to know the prices for the inks for refill, the complete set.?
enrique Fuentes -July 14, 2004
Good article. I have been checking for a printer to replace my Epson 2200 as the print head needs replacement.to repair the2200 will cost me $ 200, a new canon I9900 will cost $426 at Newegg. The canon is much faster than the 2200. the 200 also has a drying time problem with some HP photo paper. The drying time can be changed but slows the already slow printer even more. (the epson final rollers contacts the ink side of the paper and unless the ink had dried it streaks the prints. can take a few prints to get drying time right. It is preset for Epson paper. The Epson cost more $ 605 vs $485 at Amazon. the Epson also uses roll paper which is hard to remove paper curl.after cutting. The 2200 includes the auto paper cutter ( reason for higher cost ) ( cannot buy without cutter ) I will be replaceing my 2200 with the I9900 Speed & cost are the major difference. Just the opion of an amature.
William C Kreahling -July 17, 2004
Good article and many good follow-ups. I am now considering a photo printer and my only doubt remaining is how does a i9900 print compare to a Kodak 8670 or 8500 DyeSub print? I shoot film in land and some underwater recently and my primary use for the printer will be to digitize slides using either a Nikon Coolscan 9000 or a Minolta MultiScan Pro. I have been using DyeSub printers at work but I want a printer for home now. Is the DyeSub superiority only an old-fashioned myth now? Unfortunately, I could not find a decent store that would allow me to print a real photo on the Canon to compare it to the Kodak. Have anyone done the comparisson? Thanks, Emiliano
Emiliano -July 28, 2004
I'm a designer who recently purchased the Canon i9100 (this applies to the i9900 as well) large-format printer with the intention of creating 13-inch wide by 40-inch-long, vertical displays for our storefront in NYC. The printer can handle media a bit more than 13 inches wide, and since my previous Epson printer could print up to 44 inches long, I assumed the Canon printer could as well. I was wrong. The Canon has a self-imposed maximum printing area of 13" x 23.39" when using custom paper sizes on both Macintosh and Windows platforms. So I contact Canon support and received this information: _______________________________________ "When selecting a custom paper size, OS X does not set any limits to the height and width. The printer supports a specific range of values for the dimensions. For the i9100/i9900 they are: width: 3.54" to 16.54" height: 4.72" to 23.39" _______________________________________ Why 23.39" you ask? I wasn't sure either, but it struck me as odd since technically the printer should be able to print as long as I want, limited only by the length of my paper. Even stranger, they said the printer could print up to 16.54" wide, which is odd since the paper feed can only manage 13". So I replied to Canon, "Why the arbitrary limit? Shouldn't the printer technically be able to...? Their reply: _______________________________________ "Regrettably, we are not privy to any product design information from marketing or corporate headquarters. Therefore, the likelihood that we will be able to discover the rationale for the paper maximum size constraint of the i9100 is low. One could speculate that anything larger that than a 23.39 inch size may be used to for banner printing, which the i9100 does not support. However, in our endeavor to provide you with our best customer service possible, we will try to ascertain if there a reason for the paper size. Please allow until Friday, July 28, 2004, for a response. If you have any further questions until then, please do not hesitate to reply to this email message. Thank you for choosing Canon. Sincerely, ******* Product Support Representative" _______________________________________ So I decide to do some research and find some very interesting information. Two sources mention a related discussion with Canon representatives at a tradeshow, here are their statements: _______________________________________ "I attended the recent Photoplus Expo in NYC and spoke to the top east coast Canon "big shot": THERE ARE NO PLANS TO CHANGE THE 22" LIMITATION DESPITE IT BEING A 10 MINUTE PROGRAMMING JOB. Reason: Canon will not do it until they have their OWN panoramic paper for sale." "A big downer is that you still can’t print wider than 24 inches with it. Someone at dpreview said a Canon honcho at a trade show says it is only 10 minutes of programming to upgrade the firmware but Canon printer aren’t going to have panorama capability until Canon starts producing panorama paper." _______________________________________ So Canon basically admits to crippling their own 'professional' printers because it does not yet produce its own line of Canon brand banner paper! This affects their entire large format line, the S9000, the i9100 and the i9900. I do further research and find that many people are angry with Canon for this intentional lack of functionality, and others make additional references to Canon's lack of banner paper being the reasoning. So I reply to Canon with a long list of my findings and get this reply: _______________________________________ "Since we cannot verify the accuracy of that information, we would hate to comment incorrectly on that matter. We can only verify and comment on any information that Canon has provided to us. The only information that has been provided about the function is that there was not much of a public demand for the banner printing; therefore, the banner printer function has been removed from the driver. Consequently, the maximum paper size is 23.39 inches. Your comments have been forwarded to the appropriate department were hopefully the banner printing function may be consider for future drivers. If you have any further questions or comments, please reply to this email message with the history included." _______________________________________ Ridiculous. Regardless of 'public demand' the fact that Canon imposed this arbitrary length is suspicious at best. Why even have such a limit? Canon must be aware of the abundance of inkjet banner paper available on the market, and however rare they think it occurs, somebody out there will always want to take full advantage of the capabilities of equipment they purchase. Typical corporate greed and arrogance.
Jack -August 12, 2004
Having had the i9900 only a month or so, I find it to be ideal for photos of all (supported) sizes. Despite Canon's warnings, it works quite well with Ilford and Epson papers. Using FireWire, I can avoid the usual USB conflicts and it lessens the need for the main processor to be feeding the printer. Canon's consumer applications are awful, adding a strong reddish tone. However, the printer driver seems flexible. I look forwrad to using this printer with a RIP in order to do some booklets on tabloid paper.
bousozoku -September 2, 2004
Thank you for the review on the i9900. About two years ago I purchased a i9000 for my business and personal use. After about six months I noticed lines in the output caused by clogged or partially clogged nozzles (3100 nozzles are a lot of tiny little holes to keep clean). No amount of cleaning corrected the problem so I replaced the printer with a i9100. Six months later the streaking showed up again and no amount of cleaning or Canon techinical support could fix it. So I replaced the i9100 with another i9100 (replacement free with $50 maintenance agreement). About six months or so later the streaking has returned. My conclusion is that the i9100 and i9000 have a fairly limited duty cycle of around 2000 pages or so before the printhead crashes - a shame since the printers preform well in all other regards. My question to you... is the i9900 saddled with the same limitation? Greg Prescott
Greg Prescott -September 10, 2004
My question concering the i9900 vs. the epson 2200 is about the archival quality of each. how long will a print last from each printer using same inks and paper and under same lighti conditions. thanks
Rick Giase -September 16, 2004
Great article. Thanks. Anybody know of a rip for the i9900? I am a graphic designer and need color accuracy for layout programs and very manipulated images. I would like to be able to make as close to contract proofs as possible and I believe, but could be wrong, that I'd need a postscript rip with the i9900 to achieve this.
Matthew Reichman -September 16, 2004
I bought the i9900 last month and have had banding problems from the beginning. I have tried everything canon has suggested inclucing replacing the print head. There is still banding and I have spent a lot of time trying to correct this, and money on the printer, paper, and ink in the meantime. I run a pc with 98se using usb 1.1. If anyone has any experience with this or any suggestions I'd love to hear them. I'm ready to send this one back.
Kevin Bauman -September 20, 2004
Just wanted to say thanks - this site is exactly the type of forum I've been looking for in analyzing which printer I should purchase for my office. We do a moderate amount of volume, and I'm looking for a printer that can support marketing collateral, as well as photographs - sounds like the I9900 may be a good choice. The other on I've been considering is the Epson R8800 - also very well rated. And, the one concern I have about the Canon is its ink longevity. Epson's inks apparently are guaranteed for 108 years or something like that, while I've picked up on consistent stories of Canon's ink fading in short periods of time - any additional insight into the ink issue, or an alternative printer that may be better for my office? (definitely going inkjet after seeing the mediocrity in color printing that lazers seem to offer - both hp and techtronix phasers used so far exhibit banding and a 'soap film' quality.
Mark -September 20, 2004
just read Kevin's comments above - anyone think this is an unfortunate anomaly in the scope of Canon's overall performance, or should this be another factor that perhaps sways me towards the R800?
Mark -September 20, 2004
GREAT thread! I just bought the 9900 in early September. I have been very satisfied with the quality...very sharp. My only problem has been with the brightness of the pictures in relation the displayed view on my monitor/camera display (Nikon D70). I have been using only HP's Premium Glossy paper. Does using other papers make a difference?
Marc D. -October 11, 2004
I have been using Ilford Galerie glossy 8x10 paper purchased at Sam's at less than $25 for a 100 sheet box! I even cut it up for 5x7 or 4x6 printing on my Canon S800 and it looks and prints the same as Canon Photo Paper Pro. Also, Sam's sells a Yellow-Magenta-Cyan tripack for about $23. Also, try Rhino ink at cheaper cost with same performance. Doesn't Canon realize if they allow banner-size printing folks will just have to buy that much more ink?
Dennis Kolehmainen -October 12, 2004
Thanks Dennis, I picked up a 20 pack of Ilford's Premium Photo Glossy Paper and some different Canon paper (Matte). It sounds like I also need to download some profiles to match the paper. GREAT thread!
Marc D. -October 12, 2004
i'm contemplating buying the i9900, im a photographer and need to do about 120 11x14 porfolio quality prints...its obvious that this printer has the quality that im looking for. my question is simple... roughly how many 11x14's would i be able to make before i had to start replacing my first ink tanks... trying to figure out how much ink im gonna have to buy, and paper...
steve carty -October 22, 2004
I'm in the same boat as Kevin Bauman, with serous banding problems. I bought an I9900 a couple months ago. I have a Sony F828 and recently bought a Canon 20D. I bought the I9900 specifically because their press releases said that their head design has eliminated banding problems. For about the first 30-40 prints, the printer was doing a phenominal job. Then all of a sudden it started outputting serious banding. I have tried ecerything that Canon Carecenter has recommended so far (head cleaning, removing the print head and wiping it clean and re-seating it, re-setting the printer, etc) Nothing has worked. When the printer worked like it's supposed to the output was amazing. However, the banding problem has turned it into a huge paperweight - until I can get the problem resolved... So far Canon Customercare has been responsive with replies to my emails. Unfortunately nothing they have recommended (so far) has corrected the problem. Like Kevin Bauman, I am ready to send it back.
Steve Deam -October 24, 2004
I have had this printer for just over a year (enough time for the guarantee to run out) and it has developed problems. On standard print, the colour is fine apart from banding which this printer suffers from. On quality print, the colour is completely off. No amount of cleaning has resolved the problem and it looks as though the print head is knackered. Considering the little use it has had, this is a poor result from someone such as Canon. Also, considering by how much professional processing for digital has come down, it now seems unvialble to continue printing my own. With information from this and other sites, I might just cut my losses with this printer as it seems to be very unstable and expensive to repair.
Ray Griffiths -October 25, 2004
As a follow-up to my previous email.... Canon sent me a new print head. The printouts are once again Fantastic! I hope it stays that way. The print head that came with the printer did a phenominal job for the first 30-40 11" X 14" prints, then started banding so bad the prints were useless.
Steve Deam -October 31, 2004
I too was concerned about how often I'll have to get ink but as they have said the photo cyan, photo magenta and yellow were the first to go and the rest look full.I am so happy with it that I took a 13 by 19 to the store that I bought it at and donated it.I think 25 years in the hot sun is o.k.for print durability at this quality level.
Pat O'Rourke -November 3, 2004
Thanks for the lively discussion regarding the Canon 9900. I am a semi pro photographer who recently switched from film to digital. I currently use the following digital camera.: Fuji 510 for my pocket (5 mega pixels Minolta A-1 5 mega pixel with 28-200 zoom lens Nikon D-70 with 18-70 $ 70-300Mm 4-5.6 lens Icurently use the Epson 785 EX at home as well as a cheap HP. I am interested in purchasing a wider format printer as I photgraphy several artists work. I cannot afford to have a unreliable printer. I currently use several photo labs but would loke to reduce my expenses. This article has been useful but does not give me enough information to get around the marketing hype. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Ed Nelson -November 6, 2004
I am new to digital printing and have been looking for a high quality printer such as the Canon !9900, I have a large transparency collection that I would like to start printing. Help is needed with suggestions to scanners that might work well with the !9900. P.S. The review discussion has been very helpful.
John -November 14, 2004
Hi Jason, I enjoyed your article and felt great buying the i9900. I was wondering since you published the artilce have you tested other manufacturer's papers? Specifically, the Ilford Classic Pearl and Classic Glossy papers and compared them to the Canon and Epson papers. Thanks Greg Kovacs
Greg Kovacs -November 18, 2004
Hi, I enjoyed your article of i9900. I am thinking of purchasing one. Which printer would you choose, canon i9900 or i9950? Victor
Victor -November 19, 2004
I love this printer but I do have TWO notes of caution 1. In my own personal experience with numerous ink jet printers over the years, it's the ink consumption that kills you. So I bought this printer after reading that it is very good about not using a great deal of ink. At least for me, that's not true. I don't make that many prints and I've replaced the ink tanks rather rapidly in my opinion. 2. It does NOT support 8.5 x 14 borderless printing. This is an issue if you are attempting (as I was) to make a proof of a brochure in that size. Nowhere does it tell you this. Tech support confirmed it, without giving any reason. Anyone want to buy a big package of 8.5 x 14 20# copy paper?
Patrick Robinson -November 30, 2004
I have both the Epson 2200 and the Canon i9900. In every way I can think of, the Canon is, by as far as you can imagine, the better printer, period. For an in-depth monolog by another professional that has used both Epson and Canon printers read Neil Slade's advice here. http://www.neilslade.com/papers/inkjetstuff.html I found this site after I had given up on the Epson and bought the Canon. I wish I had found it before I bought the Epson. From my own experience, I agree with just about everything the man has to say. About two months ago I started refilling my Canon cartridges with MIS inks http://www.inksupply.com/index.cfm?source=html/main2.html with excellent results. I am one happy person with this printer.
Jerry Edwards -December 1, 2004
RE: Jerry Edwards I bought the i9900 about a month ago and have used it to print superb 13x19 and 8.5x11 images suitable for framing when using the original Canon ink cartridges and suitable paper. However, the cost of those Canon cartridges ($12 for each of 8) has led me to try other alternatives, such as generic cartidges ($5) and refill kits (probably works out to about $2/cartridge) from atlanticinkjet.com. In the course of printing four 13x19 and approximately 140 8.5x11 prints, I have replaced the photomagenta and photocyan cartridges 3 times each, the yellow and magenta once each, the other four are still original. Refilling the cartridges was a slightly messy affair and resulted in a couple of temporary leaks in the interior of the printer, but I can see getting used to it eventually, especially given the enormous potential for lowering costs. The only problem is that since refilling my own photomagenta and photocyan cartridges the photo output has a reddish hue to it, as if too much photomagenta is being dispensed. I thought I may have overfilled the cartridge (one manufacterer says to refill completely so that no air remains, whereas another warns against overfilling) so I repeated the refill process with another spent photomagenta cartridge and got similar, reddish results, though not quite so pronounced. I had read that color imbalance issues might work themselves out after "equilibrating", but I've now printed about 30-40 images at 8.5x11 and the excessive magenta hue remains. Perhaps I could correct it by fiddling with the color balance in the printer driver, but that software adjustment was fine before, even when I using the new generic ink cartridges, so I'd prefer to just work out the refill process. Does anyone have any wisdom to share on refilling, and avoiding subsequent difficulties with the color balance? If so, please email me at dhammond@nature.berkeley.edu As for paper, I can recommend the Ilford Professional Smooth Gloss for 13x19 (a great deal at $35 for 25 sheets), and for 8.5x11 HP Premium Plus Photo Paper ($35 for 50 Sheets); even Costco's Kirkland brand Professional Glossy Inkjet ($20 for 100 sheets) is decent. But in my opinion, stay away from Kodak's Premium Picture Paper, which gave such poor color reproduction (before the refill-related problems I mentioned above) that I thought something was wrong with the printer. I reinstalled all original Canon ink cartridges and the Kodak paper continued to produce dull, flat and bluish images. Overall, this is a very impressive printer and I am very pleased with the results.
David Hammond -December 5, 2004
I bought the i9900 a few months ago, and can't cease to be impressed by its output. I conected it to my iMac via firewire, and feed it 8 megapixel jpeg files from my sony F828...I have to say that it's been the best investment I've made in my photography enterprise. It turned my darkroom into an emptyroom.
Leo Oliveira -December 6, 2004
I have recently purchased the i9900 printer and so far I love it. The quality is exceptional. I have used the Epson 2200 printer before for my work. I have found that the Epson shows better detail in the shawdow areas and the Canon blows them out and loses the detail in those areas. I have only used the printer with the Photo Paper Pro and Epson's Premium Lustre. As I don't really care for the shiny coat of glossy, I prefer the Lustre better, the only downfall of this is you lose some of the skin tones. So far I love the printer.
Jason Bridge -December 7, 2004
I had been using a canon i960 for that last year or two and had been using generic ink. I had run into a problem and no cleaning would help. I was able to send it back and pay extra and get a i9900. I had lots of left over ink some 30 tanks and then ordered the red and green that this also uses. I am wondering if the ink was casing the problems with the old printer. I know Canon will tell you to just use their inks becase they make lots more on the ink over the lifetime of the printer then the printer itself. Is there much of a difference in the inks? Or is this all hype.
Garry Anderson -December 10, 2004
I do a lot of Black & White. Can anyone tell me if the 9900 does a good job with B&W printing.
Jim McGill -December 10, 2004
Black on white on the Epson Premium Photo Glossy is excellent. I haven't tried B/W on the Canon paper yet.
Skylar Shaw -December 14, 2004
Black on white on the Epson Premium Photo Glossy is excellent. I haven't tried B/W on the Canon paper yet.
Skylar Shaw -December 14, 2004
Have been giving serious consideration to the purchase of this printer (i9900). After reading this article, decided maybe this is the printer for me, ( like the idea of 13 x 19 inch prints). Working with the Epson paper would be good since i have lots of it. But then the comments on banding after several prints or about six months of use started to appear. Pictures fading afte afew months. I'm just starting a home based photo business, can't afford to spend money unwisely. should I be afraid of this printer???
Rodney Sims -December 17, 2004
Wonderful info! I am thinking about going digital and getting into pro photos. I am need all the help I can get as to what to purchase and this has been extremely beneficial. Anyone have any ideas on where I can get some good deals on the i9900 or a digital Rebel camera? Thanks for all of the help!
Rhonda Cornett -December 19, 2004
Anyone know if this thing supports native postscript (i.e., send a postscript file to the printer over firewire and have it come out as an image)? Canon is rather coy onthe subject. thanx
Steve Lembark -December 19, 2004
Here's just a thought or two that may help those of you who are having banding and other print head problems with your i9900. First of all, I agree with Jerry Edwards whos comments appear above. I also came across Neil Slade's web site at http://www.neilslade.com/papers/inkjetstuff.html. The guy is a bit rough around the edges but his comments make good sense. I've followed them and am having wonderful success with my i9900. AS you know, there are about a zillion tiny holes in these print heads and it's amazing that they function at all. When the printer is inactive for a few days it's reasonable to assume that ink will dry in and around them. The key is to not let that happen. To do that, you must use your printer every day or at least every other day. Here's what I've done. I went online and downloaded a color chart with the most colors and color combinations I could find (there are lots of them available). I then converted the chart to a word processing document and I print it every day. So as not to waste paper, I use scrap photocopy paper and reprint on both sides. All you need to do is get some ink through the system, you're not trying to produce anything of value. I keep some of this scrap photo copy paper in the printer whenever I'm not printing photos. I'm on my computer everyday and it's not hard to remember to print the page. If you want, you should be able to go to the Control Panel on your Windows system, then go to "Scheduled Tasks" and set up this print job to run automatically. I've never bothered to do this but I don't know why it wouldn't work. Now the ink cost problem. You simply can't afford to do this if you're using OEM cartridges so you must either refil or buy generic. Neil Slade gives advice on this matter so check out his stuff. I've bought generic cartridges from www.inkgraber.com and refil ink and supplies from www.colorbat.com and recommend them both. I've had no clogging problems, no photo quality problems, nor have I had any color matching or shading problems. However, there is bad ink out there so you do need to be careful (find someone you trust and follow their suggestions.) When you refill cartridges, ink costs drop to almost nothing although start-up costs are a bit high, $2-300. You can buy the stuff in any size containers you wish up to at least one galon. If you look hard, you can likely find someonw who sells it in 55 galon drums. I'm 100% convinced that there are generic inks available that are every bit as good a Canon inks. You can buy continuous flow systems for the i9900. Colorbat.com and other sites offer them. Once you're set up, there's no mess involved. If you want to refill, there are two good options that I know of. You can buy generic cartridges such as those offered at www.inkgrabber.com, use them until they're about empty and then start refilling or you can go to www.colorbat.com and buy empty cartridges to refill. A generic cartridge, full of ink, costs less than an empty cartridge from colorbat but the empty cartridges may last longer as they're designed to be refilled, although I don't know that for sure. When the cartridge stops working properly, and it will, just throw it away and start over. Many internet sites explain how to refill cartridges and there are as many different ways to do this as there are sites telling you how to do it. It's my experience that, no matter how experienced you become, you'll always get some ink on your hands and it stays there for a day or two, you do, however, get better with experience. If you can't live with this, you can wear rubber gloves but I find them awkward to use. Here is a simple run down of how I refill my cartridges: First, check one of the many refilling sites for information on where and how to drill the fill hole in the cartridge, or buy the empty cartridges from colorbat.com as these cartridges come all ready to fill and include a fill hole plug. Second, buy 8 refilling syringes. The ones I have are 60cc but they don't need to be that large. Many sites sell them and they're not expensive. The syringes are much nicer to use that the squeeze containers sometimes offered. Be sure and buy the needles for them as well. They're often sold separately. Third, round up a roll or two of electrical tape and a roll of paper towels. To avoid messes, always work over several layers of paper towels. You can save them and reuse them if you want. You should now have everything needed to get started. Fill your syringes with ink and for heavens sake, don't get the colors mixed up! The syringes are nice as they don't seem to leak no matter how you store them. Cut off several 3" or 4" pieces of electrical tape and keep them handy. Pull a cartridge from the printer and stretch and stick a piece of the elecrical tape over the bottom ink exit hole. Make sure you get a good seal. Pop the fill hole plug out of the top of the cartridge and squirt the correct ink into the cartridge. Be careful not to overfill. There should be about 1/4" of air space in the ink tank when you're done. Overfilling can result in waste ink in the bottom of the printer or on your prints. Put the fill hole plug back in and make sure it seals well. IT'S ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL THAT YOU GET A GOOD SEAL IN THE FILL HOLE!!! If you don't, all the ink in the cartridge will end up in the bottom of the printer. I push the plug in as tightly as possible and then also stretch a small piece of electrical tape over the plug and down each side. I rub it with my finger to make sure it stucks well aroung the fill plug. Different venders have different plugs and systems to seal these fill holes. Just make sure that whichever system you use, you get a good seal. Remove the tape covering the bottom of the cartridge. Touch the bottom of the cartridge to the paper towel to get rid of any extra ink and reinstall it. If ink drips from the bottom of the cartridge, you didn't get a good seal on the fill hole (but expect some extra ink to accumulate at the exit hole.) To keep ink from drying out in the printer, you should get the cartridge back into the printer as quickly a possible. Now go through this process with all the other cartridges and print a test print to make sure all is well. I usually print the color chart mentioned above. I top up my cartridges once a week but you may need to do so more of less frequently. After you've done it a few time, it will only take 4 or 5 minutes. Good Luck.
Rod Betts -December 25, 2004
to: Kevin Bauman, I have the banding problem on my i9900 printer too. Do you have your problem fixed yet. Please help me to solve this problem. Thanks.
ming ngai -December 25, 2004
Excellent article. However, due to the many people who have banding problems with the i9900 I'm seriously considering the Epson 4000. The 4000 fixes clogged print head nozzles on the fly. My bottom line is I want a printer without known possible bugs.
Tony Brown -December 27, 2004
Tony, your comments are interesting. I was about ready to buy an Epson 4000 until I researched a bunch of internet articles on it and found that a lot of people were complaining about print head clogging problems. I suspect that the technology is so similar on all the high quality photo printers that you'll have problems no matter which way you go. Perhaps the jets are just so small there's no way to avoid them. Anyway, I'm committed now so I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
Rod Betts -December 28, 2004
After reading many other forums and articles on wide format printers the i9900 has my vote. Its pro's out reach the con's. Alot of the printer head and ink issues I have read about have been due to lack of proper maintenance...Yes printers need TLC if you want those awesome prints for years to come as stated above, just printing with it daily will solve alot of the problems because the print head is cleaning itself as it prints. Enough said about that just take care of it. My question is the same one asked many times....what is the best postscript rip for the i9900???? If anyone is using a good rip with the i9900 please let me know. Thanks for the comments.
Kevin -December 28, 2004
|
No I haven't solved the banding problems. It is sometimes better sometimes worse it seems depending on the pack of paper. I'm only using Canon Photo Glossy Plus and Pro. According to the Canon people a package of old paper may not absorb the ink as well. Well it's been hard for me to find out how old the paper is before I buy it. Has the printer been worth the $400. Probably not for me. I, as a professional, cannot send out anything that is not up to my own personal standards. This printer unfortunately does not meet those standards. The prints that did come out without banding were beautiful, but I get pretty bad banding on over 75% of the prints I make. The banding is especially ugly in bright light, such as sun coming through the window. I haven't been able to use it for promotional pieces or portfolio prints which was my reasoning for buying it. This has seriously put me behind in my marketing efforts. Between the ink, the paper, the printer, and the time, I could have had $1500 worth of custom prints made at a professional lab and have been months ahead. Live and learn I guess.
Kevin Bauman -January 4, 2005
REFILLING CARTRIGES with an ink. You can avoid problems with reffiling cartriges using intead of a tape "plasteline" This is nonhardening modeling clay you can buy in any craft store. Not properly sealed cartridge after filling is a problem dispensing more ink than the others and simply you can not print decent color. So I am using "plasteline" (you can use "fimo" clay but fimo has tendence to dry and after some time you have to use new piece) the Plasteline is sealing the hole in cartridge PERFECTLY and from the moment I started using it I have no more problems after refils.
Jacek -January 4, 2005
|
We have purchased several new printers lately and we looked around and still decided to go with Epson on our most recent purchases. We print photos (often weddings & portraits but also some products) and artwork that sells in the $300-600 range so we need the prints to last for many years. The Canon prints aren't going to last as long -though they have large format printers that do have archival type pigmented inks. Also, it seemed like the canon prints didn't have realistic color -too much contrast (lost more information) and color seemed unrealistically intense. This was by comparison done at two camera stores, Epson + Canon at both and prints from the camera shops. I love our R800 and our 4000 is great too. The R800 gloss cartridge is amazing because it evens out the colors in a way other printers don't. in our opinion the R800 is better than the 4000, but too small for many things. The main problem is it uses the small cartridges (cost more) and prints on a small format. For glossy photos we would probably buy the canon before the Epson 2200 even though the Canon inks don't last as long, but the 2200 will likely be replaced soon. So far we have no problems with them and we have gone through many cartridges in both. I also noticed that many companies involved in photo restoration and fine art printing use Epson equipment and this says something about Epson's Ink longevity. The canon print would need to be replaced 3 or more times during the life of the Epson print. In short we thought that the Epson printers tended to have more realistic color colors and they produce longer lasting prints. However, speed isn't something we compared (though the 4000 is extremely fast -but expensive) and a graphic designer may like the intense colors from the canon, and last, the price per print is probably cheaper with the Canon.
Heath -January 9, 2005
to Kevin Bauman, I solved my canon i9900 banding problem by dipping the print head into a solution with distilled water, pure alcohol and a few drops of windex overnight. Also I poured the same solution into the eight feeding compartments.Then I let it dry (right side up) on top of a piece of wet paper towel. The printer works great now. Good luck.
ming ngai -January 16, 2005
Kodak paper guys what gives? I cannot believe what's going on - greenish blue cast to my photos. Thought it must be my cyan ink but no. I tried a print on plain paper and it was fine. Happened on Kodak Premium picture paper. Curses!
Rolloff DeBunk -January 28, 2005
|
After all the good reviews about the inkgrabber inks I order six sets of cartridges. I only changed out the Photo Cyan and Photo Magenta as they ran out first. The prints started to come out a lot greener then before, and I have to tweak the images with a lot less cyan and more magenta to get it right. Neil Slade mentions this problem in his article. However, it is a lot more pronounced that what I had hoped. With the original Canon inks I would pretty much get a perfect match of what I saw on the screen. I then ordered another generic brand (G&G) to compare. Again I just switched out the photo magenta and photo cyan, leaving the other Canon cartridges in the printer as they are still good. This brand seems to make the images even more green. I am ready to return all of them. I now ordered another set of cartridges from Print-Rite, hoping that they match the original Canon color balance. Does anybody have any experience with this? Any generic brand you can recommend which matches the Canon colors and doesn't cause clogging?
Rainer Duve -January 29, 2005
I'm contemplating the i9100 or the i9900. My question is, has anyone ever tried or heard of Lyson inks? They have archival inks available for the Canon i9100. They are in the U.K. . I'm concerned about image longevity and want to deliver prints to my customers that will last more than 25 yrs. I can get a new i9100 for $249.00 which I consider to be a steel although the additional colors of the i9900 seem to add more pop to images, the difference as what I have read on this forum so far has been negligible. Anyone out there that has found and used archival inks in their Canon i9100 or i9900 please pass on the information. Thank You.
Chris Wawro -January 30, 2005
I just purchased this printer, but haven't received it yet...should be here in a few days. I've had the Canon S820 for years and have printed hundreds of 8 X 10 photos on it with excellent results, so I assume the i9900 will be even better. I've had outstanding results with Ilford Galerie classic pearl and smooth pearl papers (be sure to follow the included profile / setting adjustments!). As for banding, I've had this problem often with the 820, and nothing worked to fix it...until I tried re-aligning the print head...works every time, banding disappears and prints again look great. I have to do this every few weeks but it always seems to fix the problem...don't know if this is the same cause of banding problems on the 9900, but thought I'd offer it as one possible solution that's worked for me. I'll be adding an update on my results with my new 9900 in a week or so...hope it's every bit as good as the 820 and more!
Dennis Kelly -February 6, 2005
|
After having read a few of the comments, I have a few of my own. I'm an architecture student and I got this printer mainly to save on time spent printing away from wherever I am doing the work, so convenience. This printer is breathtaking in it's quality. It is very quiet. It is very fast. It is huge. It is also very expensive. I don't know where numbers like 2300 pages come from. You'll be lucky if you can get 11x17's to be less than $4. This thing sucks ink, and paper isn't cheap. I live in Canada and to fully change one set of ink costs $180. That is enough to buy two printers. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who thinks it's cheaper than a photolab, nor anyone who is just doing random photography unless you are rich. The target audience is the people who will pay for convenience, quality, and need full quality what you see is what you get for doing design visualization, drawings (wide format aspect essential here), and various presentations to make everyone else cower at your crisp, sharp, and large prints that aren't from some laser (don't even compare this to a laser printer) and clearly show it.
David Takacs -February 7, 2005
Hello.I want a canon or HP all in one can print and scane and printable CD. I couldn,t found.Could you tell me something like this ? I want to Print 4800*1200 And Scan 1200*1200 Thank you.sincerely yours Sina Salehi. Country Mashhad,Iran
Sina Salehi -February 10, 2005
Great article and analysis...in fact, the best I've read on Google regarding Canon Printers so far! Keep it up and thanks for sharing your knowledge of digital printing. I may have to get a 9900 after all...I now have an i9100 and it has been very good as far as image quality with 6 inks only. Lately I'm having a problem with a faint vertical line at the end of the print...It seems like it's a cleaning or papaer problem, so I've tried many deap cleanings and it's still there. I also use 11x17 Kodak paper where the problem is prominet, but it also shows up on the 8.5x11 Canon papaer...so it may or not be a media problem. I will look for new paper anyway, but any suggestions? Canon's susbsisiary $3.95/minute tech support is useless and could not help me! Any suggestions if you have the time for such things are appreciated! I'd appreciate a copy of your response to my email also if possible. If you don't have suggestions that's fine too, but keep up the good work! Best regards, Rudy in California (oceanprises@aol.com)
Rudy -February 11, 2005
Quick follow-up to my previous comments. I read all the other comments above and learned a lot from them, but have two questions: 1- what is "banding" exactly? The problem that Kevin and other are having. 2- How did so many of you get hold of Canon? I've spent the majority of my morning trying to find some live or email customer support and all I got is a worthless paid service and this good site, but no direct answers yet to my "faded line" print problem. I'm in CA and thanks again! Rudy
Rudy -February 11, 2005
Quick follow-up to my previous comments. I read all the other comments above and learned a lot from them, but have two questions: 1- what is "banding" exactly? The problem that Kevin and other are having. 2- How did so many of you get hold of Canon? I've spent the majority of my morning trying to find some live or email customer support and all I got is a worthless paid service and this good site, but no direct answers yet to my "faded line" print problem. I'm in CA and thanks again! Rudy
Rudy -February 11, 2005
Now for my follow-up...I've had the printer for about a week now, and after getting it properly set up, the results are stunning, to say the least. Initially my prints were a bit off on the color, as I expected. I downloaded free i9900 profiles from Ilford for the paper types I use (classic and smooth pearl) and set the printer up following their included instructions, and the color is now an exact match (every time) with my profiled monitor and Photoshop versions. I've never seen prints from a pro lab that looked better, or even as good in most cases. The color saturation is outstanding, and the level of detail rendered is exceptional...even fine graduations of sunlight and mist on coastal scenery shots are printed as seen during the shoot, with absolutely no loss of detail at all. I don't find this printer to "suck ink" any worse than any other I've owned in the past, and in fact it seems even better (in my opinion due to the fact that it uses seperate green and red cartridges, rather than using a composite of the other six cartridges to make these colors). I did have some banding issues with it on my first few prints (for Rudy...banding is the presence of faint, evenly spaced lines across the entire print caused by uneven application of ink) but after a manual, then automatic head alignment they are gone completely and have been for over 50 prints. This printer has exceeded all my expectations, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an excellent large-format dye-based printer. For the first time I have a printer that produces quality exceeding pro labs, and the total control this gives me over the way my photos look after printing is worth every dollar spent on it and the ink it uses.
Dennis Kelly -February 21, 2005
All you folks considering Epson vs Canon- I just GAVE my 1280 away because it wouldn't quit writing red lines over the tops of the photos - Epson was no help and I tried everything. I am reading owners comments detailing out-of-box driver problems with the latest Epson printers - specifically banding when setting print quality lower in the software. Also, print heads don't last forever and Epson's can't be replaced at home - Canon's can. So I specifically looked for the best non-Epson printer as a replacement. I ordered the Canon i9900. On the permanence issue -if these prints last 25 yrs in direct sunlight on their paper, per salesman's pitch, then that outperforms most wet processes except perhaps dye transfer or Cibachrome. Hopefully I'll still be around in 25 yrs to verify this! For all you older photographers out there who slaved away in your color darkrooms for maybe one good print a night - IS THIS A GREAT TIME TO BE ALIVE, OR WHAT?
Paul Sterbentz -February 23, 2005
Boy the blowby here is wicked. It is like people are playing with their peckers all day.
Billy Boggs -March 3, 2005
Boys are playing with their peckers, and the girls are speaking out of their lower lips. I would never, ever go with the canon printer. The browns look like cockey.
Billy Boggs -March 3, 2005
Sorry Billy, I love my i9900! Enough said. How many of you have had GOOD consistant experiences with compatible inks? What brands? I am using the Canon ink cartridges until I feel comfortable with some testimony indicating a good compatible ink. Sounds messy injecting ink into a used cartridge. Thanks! ed
Ed Harp -March 4, 2005
I just set up my brand new i9900 and printed some jpegs of people that I had previously printed on my cheepo Epson 820 (which came out stunning on the 8 by 10's the Epson produced on their Premium Glossy paper). What a disappointment!!! Yellow/reddish color casts and muddy detail....tried tweaking every setting....turned off color management on PS, tried manual settings in the print dialog, tried ICM management etc etc....the results run the gamut between bad and awful....Canon support tried a few fixes without any improvement...they are sending a replacement....stay tuned....
Tom Kahn -March 8, 2005
Tom, Try switching papers. I've used two types of Ilford Smooth pearl Galerie papers, and you would think they are the same. Night and day difference. The thinner cheaper paper, $25 at Sams Club, turned out gaudy yellowish cast. But the more expensive Ilford Gallerie Smooth pearl (slightly thicker) is just stunningly beautiful. check out the better paper for this printer at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=231284&is=REG Make sure you get the 280gsm and 11mil thickness. Hope this helps Ed
Ed Harp -March 15, 2005
I do both photo scrapbooking and lots of regular text printing - letters, concert progams, etc. I have an old HP DeskJet 1120C, and I can print on fabric, canvas, transparencies, ribbon and twill tape, heavy scapbooking cardstock, etc. Are these newer printers -- specifically looking at Canon i9900 and Epson R1800 - able to print on this variety of media? And how is the text printing quality? Any experience on this?
Ardeth -March 15, 2005
Canon support have been fabulous with my banding issues, get online and go to their website and you'll find the support email section, very fast and very friendly. I fully agree with the comments re soaking the head if it's been out of commission for a few days, these things really have to be used, and if you're not using them pretty much every day then there's no point having one. Color rendition is TOTALLY paper dependent, I don't actually like the Canon paper and have found Ilford's 'Premium Photo Glossy Paper' to have the best results when used according to their profile, it's also quite a bit cheaper to buy, the ceramic coating is very durable too, even in humid conditions when I've taken prints elsewhere and they've been funbled with by children. I have a few smaller prints on this paper using 3rd party ink (more on that in a moment) in a window area in California and the fading has been comparable to a well fixed halide print. As regards 3rd party inks, the best value I've found is actually a company called abacus24-7 who can be reached initially through Ebay and then offer you access to their private website after your initial order, their inks are extremely good, well balanced (very little reprofiling required) and incredibly affordable, I have less clogging issues with them than with Canon inks and they're so cheap it's not worth my while bothering with refilling and the inevitable problems associated with that. Try them - they even offer bulk discounts and shipping is a fixed cost, and no - I don't work for them. All in all I'm very happy with my i9900, it's a big mother to be sure, but you can't print big prints without a big printer.... Price-wise, I think it's a steal if you're going to use it very regularly, if you're not then go to a photo store and get them to do wet prints for you, you probably only want 4x6's anyway if you're in that category and to be honest you're going to be better off without the big (but beautiful) chunk on your desk. Bottom line - If you need a printer capable of delivering large prints at will on a regular basis then buy one, or the Epson (they're both very good and the argument is usually brand loyalty). If you want snapshots printed on 4x6 or 8x10 every once in a while and you like really good quality prints then go to a photo store. If you want the snapshots, use a printer a fair bit for other things and aren't that fussed about astonishing quality then buy a cheaper canon photoprinter, you'll think they're really quite good actually.
Edwin -March 16, 2005
i9900 Dependability issue!?? I'm a bit Ticked Off! Hello to all, I purchased this printer shortly after they came out and used it with excellent results untill Feb. 14? when after printing just the night before it couldn't be turned on in the morning!! Nothing I did seemed to make any difference, it was totally dead! I also have an i950 and both printers are plugged into an APC surge protector as well as the computer. The i950 worked just fine even after about 6 months of inactivity and no clogged printhead either! Back to the i9900, I call Canon and talk with the teck rep their and after telling what had just happened he said to send the unit in but keep the ink cartridges and print head. I said, 'there is now way for me to remove them as the print is parked on the right and I can't turn the printer on to get them to the center position to remove them' and realized his error and said to send the unit in and the ink and printhead would be returned to me. He also wanted the power cord as he felt that might have something to do with my problem? I'm very easy on my equipment so the printer I returned to Canon was not only just like new but was even sent back in it's original box with the styrofoam packing. I stated to Canon several times I wanted my unit repaired and sent back to me as I new the care I had given it and even included a letter stating the same thing. What did I get back, a referbished unit that looked like it had seen some fairly heavy use, the fron door would open on it own and almost fall down to the normal open position. I noticed also that the right side of the door hinge was aufual loose and floppy too but what I noticed even more was that all I received back after all their assurances that everything I sent in would be sent back to me was that all I had was just a BARE BONES printe, No power cord, No replacement ink cartridges and no print head!!! So I called Canon and they were very helpful and over the next few days I received the missing items. I didn't realize about the missing print head until I had the power cord to cycle the printer on. As I was waiting for the print head I had second thought about the Right door hinge and took a closer look with an LED light as that hidden area was a bit dark and I could see that plastic portion where the door metal door-post-hinge is suppose to extend into was completely broken off. I said no way am I keeping this printer so I called Canon and complainte bitterly about not getting my original printer back. They were sorry but there was no way to get my printer back due to how the exchange program worked. I wasn't too happy about that but really did like the way the printer prints so I was willing to overlook that misfortune and they did send out another referbished unit which was compareable to the condition of my original, which I was very pleased about and of courese they had furnished all the other missing components which I installed in the second refub unit. Checked the print head alignment and the print quality and there was only minor correction I needed to make so great! I finially had the need to print a large print and made a 13x19" and the quality was phenominal, even showed it to another pro buddy of mine and he was really impressed by the quality of the image. Prior to making the large print I had print three 8.5x11 double sided sheets which I use to print my photo business cards so all total the three sheets got passed through printer three times, twice on the back side as I have a B&W inbetween to color images and the 13x19 and again the print quality is excellent! I always turn the printers off after I'm through using them which helps to also conserve energy. About three days ago 3-15-05 I went to power the printer on and again the damn thing is dead and again I've tried everything I could think of but it totally dead and only after 30 days of replacement with extremely lite use??? CANON, I Really hope your reading this as your quality control is seriously lacking!!!! I have a planned portrait promotion I'm suppose to start in about 15 days, I showed the parents the 13x19' I printed and everyone seemed very impressed and it was stated that most everyone would want enlargement so this probably means a number of 11x14/17's and 13x19's too! The one main problem I'm faced with though, is the i9900 going to hold up considering the failure of the original unit and then the second failure within 30 days of receipt?? Maybe you'll be good enough to furnish me with a second standby unit in case the third referb dies too, maybe I should ask a second back -up just be safe. Come On Canon what's the problem?? I'm also very lery of the quality of the next referb I might get? Ok Guys on the forum, wouldn't you be a bit ticked off if this type of thing happened to you??
David Smith -March 18, 2005
Has anyone done a lot of black and white printing with the Canon i9900? I would like to know because over half of my photos are black and white and I am beginning to scan them. I don't want to invest in a new photo printer if it doesn't do well with black and white.
Gerald -March 20, 2005
I'm terribly interested in knowing if there is a postcript RIP available for this printer. I'm a graphic designer and I need a large format printer that can handle more than just photos. Is the i9900 the best printer for the job?
Anthony -March 20, 2005
Print every day to avoid banding? I printed one picture on 13 X 19 a week ago, and have not used it since. So now I will have banding issues and will have to soak the heads?? That can't be right.
Robbie -March 20, 2005
|
I've owned an i9900 for about 9 months. Did a cost analysis on a large number of prints when I first bought the printer and I must say that recalling my number of prints, which were all photo paper pro prints, the numbers that Jason Bovberg gave on June 3, 2004 that were the supposed number of pages output and supplied by Canon, are EXTREMELY UNREALISTIC. Perhaps those numbers should be divided by 10. 280 8x10 Photo Paper Pro pages on an i9900? Not in this lifetime. MAYBE 28 pages, yes. Anyway, this makes the price per page look really cheap, by my math about $0.95, which I know is wrong. After my analysis last summer, I concluded 8x10's were around $1.87 per print. Canon has hiked up the cost of ink (naturally) since then and so I know that cost has to be at least a little higher. If you divide the Canon numbers Jason gave by ten, the amount comes out to $2.30 per 8x10 on Photo Paper Pro, based on current retail costs for paper and ink (which you can cut down by shopping online). Since this is still notably cheaper than using a print service, I'm not sure why the ridiculous numbers of pages printed were listed, other than maybe a decimal point oversight. My original estimates were $1.87 for 8.5x11 (or 8x10 for all practical purposes, should be about the same, since you have to use the same paper), $0.48 per 4x6 (noteworthy because you can get this much cheaper - perhaps this is th3e reason for the odd output numbers) & $4.96 for 13x19.
Rick -March 21, 2005
I've noticed in almost every review of a home printer that the reviewer makes a comment about the duribility of prints made on this (or any other) machine. Why is that so important? So the print doesn't last 90 years. Print another one. My guess is that when the next great machine hits the market, and the quality blows this one away, that you would want to reprint your award winning photos any way. I certainly wouldn't make print duribility a deciding factor when buying a great printer such as the i9900.
Larry Moore -March 22, 2005
Concerning ink and banding. I have owned my i9900 for 3 weeks and have printed around 75-8.5x11, 12-13x19 prints and a ton of 4x6. So far I have not experienced any major problems. There has been slight banding when I print borderless prints, but when I print with a border the banding goes away. Also I'm using InkGrabber compatible inks with absolutely no problems. It's hard to tell the difference in color with Canon inks. The cost difference in inks is definately a must since the profit margin dictates it. I'm still extreemly satisfied with this printer. I highly recommend it. I already have a 13x19 portfolio. It's been a great help in showing my work to potential clients for my portrait studio. Thanks Ed
Ed Harp -March 22, 2005
But what about black and white photos? How does it do?
Gerald -March 22, 2005
Black and white photo can be printed ont the i9900 with incredible results by tweeking the color information. In Photoshop Elements or PS 7.0 Go to HUE/SATURATION and adjust the Hue slider all the way to the right (360), then adjust the Saturation all the way to left and reset to a value of 6 to 10. Try a test print. If you try to discoard the color information through selecting GrayScale it will print toward a slight green. Ed
Ed Harp -March 22, 2005
I forgot to tell you to click "colorize" in the HUE/SATURATION window.
Ed Harp -March 22, 2005
Dear Sales, I am the Purchasing manager Rep. of the above named store TRADE CONSULATNT INC. My company deals with most of the Oil Engineering Companies on-shore and Banks. I like to purchase some of items from you at a very reasonable price. Eltron ID Card Printers P420 * Eltron Ribbons YMCKO 350 Image 5 Panel. * Eletronic - TV, Digital Camcodar * Computers - Laptop, Hard Drive, Flat Screen LCD Monitors * Communication Enquipment- GSM Mobile phones We searched for reliable stores online, after long time we get to know you can supply what we needed for our clients. And I will need to know if you ship to new york USA. and what type of credit card do you accept. Note: Let me have your company website address in other to search for the products i am in need. Waiting to read from you soon. Your's, DAVID MARK 145 ROCKAWAY AVENUE BROOKLYN 11233 USA. ORDER NEEDED
david -March 23, 2005
Ink Costs - 400 11X17's. 95% coverage. Printed in Standard Mode. (Not Photo Mode) Used Approximately 30 Cartridges @ $16Can Each if buying new. About 1.25 CAN per page. I used Island Ink to refill the cartridges. No loss of quality with these inks. This brought cost down to about .30 per 11X17. These are not photos, but printed near photo quality using 28 pound 110 Bright 11X17 Printer. Refilling the cartridges is messy, but ink costs are brought down to about 15-20% of new cartridges. I've used various types of photo paper, up to 8X10's and have not had any issues with any particular type of paper. And yes incredibly fast compared to any other printer I have owned. (Mostly HP's)
Bill -March 28, 2005
I want to buy a printer that prints on canvas and can print 13x19. I love the i9900 but don't know if it can print on canvas. I know the 2200 can and love the straight feed through but it is a bit more expensive to buy and run and is much slower than the i9900. The R1800 is great but no straight pass through either and is a little more expensive. Has anyone printed on canvas without any problems with their i9900, if so what brand of canvas. Thanks for the help.
Harley -March 28, 2005
I have the S9000 and purchased it when the S9000 was released. I do not print all that often sometimes 2-3 weeks with no prints. As such, I have only used Canon Ink and Pro paper in it. I have never had any banding or cleaning issues. I am right now studying a print of my son I printed last week looking for banding - there is no sign of it. The printer was inactive for at least 2 weeks before this print. I admit I love all my Canon equipment.(10D, 28-70L, 70-200L, s9000, S30) One thing I have always done with every printer I have owned is keep it and any paper covered from dust when not in use. I am religious about that. I also try to keep the paper safe from high humidity/dryness. I mention all this because maybe this helps explain my luck and might be of interest to others??
Mike -March 30, 2005
CAN WE ALL ASSUME THAT THERE IS NO POSTSCRIPT RIP for the i9900???? I called canon and they pushed me off to IPROOF. Check there website and the i9900 is not mentioned. DOES ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? Is there another company out there? It seems that this printer would be perfect for postscript printing. HELPPP
POSTSCRIPT PRINTING & i9900 -March 30, 2005
Can somebody give me a straight story!? I have a Canon i960 and love it, but I want to print 13x19s. If buy an i9900 and use authentic canon ink, will it be useless to my in few because of lines across the prints, etc.? Can somebody just tell that they've had the printer for a while and it's still great.
joe -April 9, 2005
I too have a Canon 9100 and use it for photo printing superb! and ordinary printing. My problem is there are no instruction for handling envelopes anywhere in the instruction booklet. I contacted Canon and they were very apologetic and gave me some very complicated instructions I was not able to follow. There must be an easier way to print evelopes, right? Any help appreciated. By the way I liked my printer so much I recommended it to my son-in-law who bought the successor, the 9900 and loves it, except he too has not figured out how to print evelopes and his instruction booklet omits this too. Thanks to a wonderful forum--RG
Ron Gollobin -April 9, 2005
What's the best 13x19 printer if I want it for photos primarily?
jo -April 9, 2005
About three weeks ago I printed two 13 X 19 full color photos. They came out great. The printer sat with out anu use until a few days ago. I was worried about the streaking since it had been idle for so long. No streaks/bands, the pictures came out great. I talked to somone else who prints at most one pic a week, and they have no banding issues either. They have been using the printer for about four months now. I have been printing on Staples brand paper photo paper, using canon inks. Hope that helps.
Robbie -April 12, 2005
thanks, I think you've sold it!
jo -April 15, 2005
I got the canon i9900 few months ago, I am really happy with it over all. The only negative side of it that it does best on the canon paper any other paper is problematic maybe except epson also. It does eat a lot of ink, but I do print a lot so that is my price for it. I buy ink for $11.99 but even that x 8 headers equals out to a pretty big number. For photographers this is a must have I think the best printer in its league. On the glossy canon photo paper pro printed pictures look better than the ones you get developed. Colors you can adjust on the computer if you wish. I havn't printed black and white on glossy paper but on matte it looks pretty good. I LOVE borderless printing.
Izabela -May 4, 2005
Banding problem on prints using preset settings in print mode. Switch to detail settings. Using the slider bar (print quality) for detail control and there was no banding on prints. Prints fantastic in this mode. The speed is another great quality. Overwhelming improvement over my old Epson Photo EX. Overall excellent printer, if you don't get one with banding problems as I read in this section.
Foster -May 21, 2005
I have the i9950 and have just gone to the TONNY brand cartridges after reading an article in the PC user which gives this ink a good review. My problem is a greenish blue cast on everything I print particularly Black and white? I just went back to the Canon Photo Cyan but I am still having the same green blue problem. Can anyone help?
Yvonne -June 29, 2005
I have the i9950 and have just gone to the TONNY brand cartridges after reading an article in the PC user which gives this ink a good review. My problem is a greenish blue cast on everything I print particularly Black and white? I just went back to the Canon Photo Cyan but I am still having the same green blue problem. Can anyone help?
Yvonne -June 29, 2005
question: i am interrested in buying this product and in fact before i check it online i saw it few hours ago at the staples store but they couldnt give me the answer to one question. in consumption/full size 8x11 photo quality gloosy paper. i am interrested to know how much will a full size photo cost me because i am going to use it maily to print group pictures. thank you
roger keurkunian -July 17, 2005
I have had the i9900 for about a year. NO serious problems.... Inkgrabber.com has the best deal on cartridges. Costco.com sells Kirkland glossy paper which looks great. I also use Ilford paper. Best prices are at Sams club.
clement kutzli -July 26, 2005
I purchased the Canon i9900 last year. Within 2 weeks we had to get the printhead replaced because of the banding issue, since it was in warranty, there was no charge. It has worked fine until last week, when the banding issue started again. Since the printer is out of warranty, I'll have to buy a replacement printhead, which is not cheap, but after reading this forum, I read about cleaning the printhead. I'm going to try it, especially since at this point I have nothing to lose. We love our Canon i9900 and have found nothing that gives us the print quality we received from this printer. If the cleaning works and using it everyday is the answer, then I'll take the printer to our office and use it there.
Claudette -July 26, 2005
I am considering buying the i9900, but after reading this thread am having 2nd and 3rd thoughts. I contacted Canon and asked about how to prevent banding. Here's their response: "The best advice I can give on the issue would be to leave the printer on at all times. The unit is programmed to perform a cleaning after so many hours of no use to ensure that the print head does not clog prematurely." My question is has anyone tried this, and if so did it solve the problem. Thanks.
dj -August 3, 2005
Well dj you were more successfuil than I was. I went back and forth with Canon support about the "banding" issue. I explained that I do not own this printer but was checking to find out if there was a fix for this problem as I am considering purchase one. First of all they stated that there was no known problem. When I sent them web sites and page numbers for a few of the several comments I had read, the reply was that they pay no attention to sites other than there own.This is quite like leaving the fox to guard the chicken house!
jw -August 12, 2005
Yeah, the first response I got from them was not so "helpful", so I actually gave them a link to this page, and got the answer I posted. The part that I still find disconcerting is "the best advice I can give". Somehow I don't get the feeling they realy believe it's a fix. It pretty much seems like if you only print occasionally, like I do, that the inkjet technology has a major flaw, and there's no reliable, simple, effective solution. I don't consider printing every day a reasonable option. It would be nice though if someone came back and said they leave the printer on all the time, print once a month, and have for a year and it's perfect. I'm probably dreaming, but we'll see.
dj -August 12, 2005
I have had my i9900 for a year. Awesome prints ! I'm a professional photographer/graphic artist and have been really impressed until my PM cartridge got clogged, I've tried everything to no avail to clean it. I didn't use it for a month....My bad...remodelling house...called Canon and found out my unit from PC/universe came from latin america...bummer... no warranty... Gonna buy a new printer head...$90 hope it fixes the prob.I'm thinking about buying an Epson 24" printer for murals, anyone tried these? Been buying my ink from oddparts.com and like the results until now. Kirkland paper and epson bulk from exiomvios have been great IMOP... Dano
Dano -August 12, 2005
I have left my Canon on fulltime for a year...good luck!!! Didn't work for me. I shoot a Canon D20 and love it!!!!!!! Plus a minolta 645 and scan through an Epson 4870...great combo!!!!
Dano -August 12, 2005
Dano - just to be clear, did you leave the printer turned on during that month of not printing? Having to buy a $90 print head after a month of not printing, even it the thing is powered off, is a deal killer for me. Have you tried soaking it in the distilled water, alcohol, windex mixture mentioned above? I would certainly give that a shot before spending $90.
dj -August 15, 2005
I bought my i9900 in Dec but did not have time to use it until July. It would not turn on! I called Cannon and was told I can get it fixed or exchange for a refurbished one. Since the closest Cannon dealer is 50 miles away, I opted for an exchange. I got the 2nd one in and it would not pass the head alignment (punching holes in the test paper! and would not grab the 2nd page correctly). Got a 3rd one, has smears all over the place. cleaning head did not help. Called and complained and got a 4th one, this time new. now everything seems to work! finally! but if I print photos with totally black background, I can see banding (uneven blackness) across the paper (i.e. the direction of printing). I now printed about 20 8x10s and already 2 ink tanks are 1/4 left... so it does use a lot of ink! anyone knows if generic ink will last just as long? I found that the paper makes a big difference. I tried some no name photo paper and the resolution was horrible. changed to HP glossy paper and is ok (still too warm). printed one 13x19" today using Ilford paper and it looked great. Zach
Zach H -August 16, 2005
|
I've had the i9900 now since January 2005 and absolutely love it. So far I've used Canon and Epson brand papers. Regarding 3rd party inks, I just refilled two of my carts, red and green, with MIS Associates inks as recommended on Slade's website. Great inks. Just printed an 8x10 of my daughter at the zoo with the two new inks and it's absolutely gorgeous! First time refilling inks, however, and I made quite a mess at first. Green ink started seeping out both the ink exit hole, as well as the breather hole. I finally realized that my injection hole wasn't big enough to let out the air that I was displacing with the new ink. After punching a second new hole to let the air escape, refilling worked like a charm. One thing I can highly recommend: seal your injection holes with hot glue from a glue gun (about $3.50, including extra glue, from a hobby shop). This glue bonds instantly, cools quickly, and creates a rubbery, airtight seal than can simply be pulled off when you get ready to refill. Also, don't bother pulling out that little plug. Just poke a new hole(s) in another place with a heated paper clip. All in all, quite messy and a PITA, but the savings are ginormous compared to Canon inks. Good luck!
Glenn H -August 16, 2005
Also, I don't mean to imply that Canon inks are all that expensive or that the printer drinks ink, just that I was printing so much (I'm a pro), that I was spending more than I can afford on ink. Always looking to economize... One more tip, when you get ink on your hands from refilling (and you will), rub a little chlorox on your hands and then rinse under water. Comes right off...
Glenn H -August 16, 2005
|
That was a Good write up. The Canon i9900 is a good value considering the cost of a home color lab setup, time, space, effort and learning curves. With a digital darkroom quality color (and B&W) printing is within reach of nearly all of us, and when combined with a little experience can transform personal photography to a new level. To those who are concerned with Canon prints being sensitive to water must remember that the original photographic prints (type R and C) were just as sensitive. Bottomline don't sweat it, in 35 years of printing I have never spilled water, or any other liquids on any of my prints. And should the worst case happen reprinting with the i9900 is not a problem, just a matter of minutes. Likewise should your prints ever fade (25 years later) and again I would not be to concerned since with digital media you can reprint the image and share it once again. By then printer technology will have advanced beyond our dreams. That is part of the magic of the digital age of photography, once you have made all the corrections, cropping and whatever to the image and save it, you can reproduce it exactly year later. Moving your image files from one storage media to the next, without losing a "bit" of quality. While some film fans (like myself) shooting medium format and beyond can lay claim to unique film attributes, cannot claim their images and storage media are safe from the effects of time, nor can we copy them without some changes in the results. In the end our images maybe all that is left of us, just as paintings are all that is left of times past, and some photographs from a few generations ago. So create images with your heart and create memories to share with those who are not even borne yet and have fun.
Don Farra -September 14, 2005
Re. Someone talked about 3rd party ink, and mentioned the vendor does not give out its website unless you buy from them only via Ebay first. Here is their direct site address and I found one of those coupon sites that has this vendor's coupons, too. Happy shopping and printing! -SB http://www.Abacus24-7.com ; http://www.specialoffers.com/abacus24_7-coupons
SB -September 15, 2005
Hi! I've had an i9900 for a year or so now, and I sold my old i9100 to my roommate. We're doing art prints, mostly. Never had any problems. I can go a month without printing anything, then print 300 pages in a day. I get very good results on Canon's matte photo paper, although the Epson matte photo paper works too. Per page costs are higher on full-page art than they are on photos, but the quality is absolutely incredible. No complaints from me! I would love to have more accurate estimates of "real" per-page cost. I've seen everything from $.05 to $.50 or so. On full page solid color art, I run around $0.40-0.50 per page for ink, which may be sorta high, but if it means I can sell prints for $5 instead of $4, I can live with that.
Peter Seebach -October 23, 2005
We are in Arizona (no humidity) and have had the i9900 for about 6 months and it just recently started performing poorly with banding and marking the beginning or ending of the edge of the page with a line of ink. I removed the print head and cleaned and dried it as mentioned above and the banding is gone. I also had to clean the underside of the left and right plastic carrier supports that the print head sat on. This can be cleaned by cutting 11" x 1" strips of 65lb. letter size cover, folding it in half twice to 2 3/4" x 1" and sliding those under the carrier while the print head was removed. It took many passes and strips of paper (some sprayed with water) to clean all of the ink off. After re-setting up the machine its printing like new. I am buying real canon cartridges for $9.90 each at buy.com most places charge a third more. Canon should be able to update there firm ware to clean the nozzles a little more frequently. Until then we will try printing every other day to keep things from plugging up. Thanks for the help above it has saved us from having to deal with canon, I have been able to keep my almost brand new machine and it was out of use for only a day while we let the print head dry.
John Code -October 28, 2005
Great bunch of info in this massive blog! Thanks everyone for your contributions. I have an HP 4V laser jet that I use only to print out CAD drawings which are generally schematics. It is starting to choke and probably needs a new drum and toner cartridge (at the least). This will probably cost about $300. I am also tired of the typical 90 second warm up, the nearly 1000 watts it draws, and the taxiing jetliner sound effects. All you guys sound like you pretty exclusively print photos. I landed on the 9900 because I must have "B" size drawings {11X17}. They need only ever be BW. Does anyone know if I can leave the colors out of the printer or does it have a hissy fit with missing cartridges? Also my thousands of CAD drawings are all in multiple colors. When printed on lasers they automatically transform all colors into BLACK. You have to **** with them to even do halftoning. I have tried printing 8-1/2 X 11s on my HP970cse and have done horrible battle with it to get it to NOT halftone. The only solution is to alter the drawing into all white, (which prints all black). Needless to say this is undoable in normal use. So my question is; can I tell the 9900's print driver to print "black only" and have it convert my yellow and light green CAD drawing lines into solid (non-halftone)BLACK lines? Alternatively does anyone have a suggestion for another Tabloid capable ink jet?
Keith Cress -November 10, 2005
HELLO SALES, I WANT TO MAKE AN ORDER FOR YOUR STORE TO MY LOCATION IN USA REQUEST FOR............. HELTRON PRINTER P420..........3 PIECES I WILL BE EXPECTING THE TOTAL COST AND THE TYPE OF CREDIT CARD ACCOUNT YOU ACCEPT, URGENT TO KNOW. THANKS. Best Regard WILLIAMS PHILIP 8537 West, 2500 South West Valley City, UT 84120
williams -November 15, 2005
I have had my i9900 about 8 months and have had no problems. I was out of the country for three months shortly after I bought it, and when I returned the printer worked perfectly. I don't leave the printer on, and as yet have had no clogging or other problems. I am trying out clickinks.com replacement cartridges which go for under $3 each, and the colors match very well. I'm searching for a remedy to the slight color tint in b/w prints. Overall, I'm very happy with the machine.
Gary White -November 15, 2005
In response to Harley -March 28, 2005, I'm a nature photographer and have been printing my photos for sale on canvas cloth on my i9900 since January, 2005 with great success. For 8x10's I use Office Depot's 8 1/2 x 11 canvas cloth. For all other sizes I buy Epson's canvas cloth in the 13" x 20' roll. I have had excellent results using either one. I do a lot of larger format printing and find the color outstanding. The only drawback that I find is that I would like to print panorama's and can't go longer than 23" apparently. I've been trying to find an off the shelf RIP for the i9900 but so far no success. If anyone has found a solution to get the i9900 to print longer than 23", I'd love to hear about. Otherwise I'm a very happy i9900 owner. I've not experienced any of the banding or other problems mentioned above. Of course, now that I have said that, I probably will. Hope not.
Tom Wemett -November 16, 2005
I am interested in the Canon i9900 but I would like to know how it handles blank & white drawing. I will occasionaly do photo printing but I need a 11x17 printer mostly for drawing (70% of purpose)... So can someone tells me how this machine performs in this regards??... my alternative would be an HP deskjet 9800...for 150$ less... what do you think? Thank you and have a great day!
alex -November 27, 2005
I would like to know about the different print settings on this printer. Can you instruct the printer to not use the red and green or photo cyan and photo magenta inks when printing photos or color documents? Is this possible? Would the printer work if the red and green cartridge were not in the printer or will the printer continue to print if the cartridges are in the printer but empty? Is the instruction manual available anywhere online where I can take a peek at it? Thank you, Lee
Lee Wangly -November 29, 2005
I am presently planning to purchase a Canon i9900 printer and have followed this entire blog. Took 35 pages to print it all out. I am looking for glossy photo paper that is thinner than 11mm. I want to use what we used to call "single weight" paper or about, I believe, 6 to 7mm thick. I restore antique cars and take thousands of pictures of every part as I remove them from the car so that when I start the reassembly, I have a reference as to how it came apart. I mount these pictures into albums which contain 150 pages with four pictures on a page. If I use the 11mm thick paper, I would have far less pages per binder and a lot more binders. Can anyone recommend who can supply good quality thinner paper usable on an i9900 printer? Will a thinner paper work in this printer? Also can someone explain what RIP means. Rest in Peace does not fit. Thanks - Dick Johnston
Dick Johnston -December 11, 2005
OMFG THIS PRINTER SO PWNZ JOO! THIS PRINTER OWNS!
dafed -December 19, 2005
I just ordered the Canon i9900 after doing a lot of research. I just read all of the comments on the unit and have a few questions. I want to know if anyone has used the Lyson inks which are supposed to be archival according to the Wilhelm Institute.If so, where did you buy the Lyson inks? How much did they cost? Do you really believe that they will last longer? How do they look in comparison to Canon inks?
Sharon M -December 25, 2005
Thank you all for your sustained effort in keeping us informed. Excellent work, I really appreciate the effort. Bebe - January 05, 2006
Bebe Arghirescu -January 5, 2006
I have just spent 3 weeks in the USA and while there bought the i9900 as it is half the price compared to Europe and have been drooling over the i9950 for a long time. For me printing CD's is NOT worth paying twice as much hense shopping in the USA! I have only had it working 2 days so will wait before saying what I think. However I am curious, can you buy the CD holder separately and will installing the i9950 driver get it to work? Or is there a physical construction difference between the i9900 and the i9950? Cheers Olga
Olga -January 7, 2006
I purchased an i9900 after constant problems with my epson 2200, both in terms of ink blotches or ink not feeding through my bulk feeding system. (no, I cfould not imagine paying $10-12 per cartridge). I started off right with the i9900- original ink never touched the heads. Started out immediately with an inking system from media street and I couldn't be happier. No more profile issues (using media street paper with canon profiles) and no more ink leaks and banding (so far). After about a week of heavy printing I am quite impressed. Best printer I've had so far, and certainly the fastest. WK
Wolfgang Kurtz -January 9, 2006
Just ordered a i9900 and can't wait for it to arrive. Does anyone have experience with the inks or paper offered at: http://www.freephotopaper.com I ordered the free sample kit so hopefully it arrives around the same time the printer does. I know the printer comes with some sample Canon paper so I'll be able to do a comparison.
Bill E -January 20, 2006
I have now had this printer for well over a year, and have never been able to get rid of the banding. Canon has tried, but really has not helped. B for effort, F for results, and it's results that matter. Hundreds of hours thousands of dollars in paper and ink, and I still have banding. I've taken out the print head and cleaned it as others suggested. The difference in the before and after prints was too minimal to matter. I'm done with this printer. Anyone want to buy an i9900 in perfect shape with banding issues?
Kevin Bauman -January 30, 2006
Kevin, If Canon couldn't fix it, why didn't they replace it? At a minimum, they should have sent you a new printhead. I've only had the printer for a week and I've gotten a wide range of results depending on the paper and setting I use within the driver. It's probably been mentioned already but I get amazing results with Ilford Classic Pearl using their custom ICC profile available at their website. Flawless prints with that combo.
Bill E -January 31, 2006
Kevin, Nevermind, I see in an earlier post that you've already replaced the printhead. I haven't had any problems and haven't dealt with Canon support but I was under the impression that the printer had a 1 year exchange warranty. I'm curious why Canon didn't exchange it when you continued to have problems.
Bill E -January 31, 2006
The printer work good for two months, it was printing greenies, change the cayon ink now it's printing blue, nothing I do helps Thanks sam
canon 9900 printer -February 13, 2006
I have been looking on the Canon web site for info on the i9900. It's not there. Have they discontinued it? I have a s9000 and it's been a great printer. Outstanding prints!!! I'm thinking about getting the i9900 before they are discontinued. Or are they being repalced with a new model? Does anyone know anything abot this? Thanks!
Dan NItzel -February 15, 2006
I HAVE THE PRINTER 9950i. IT IS BRAND AND I HAVE ONE PROBLEM. HE DID NOT PRINT CD-R. WHAT CAN I DO?
DOMOUCHTSIS DEMETRIS -February 24, 2006
SORRY!!! IT IS NEW PRINTER 9950i
DOMOUCHTSIS DEMETRIS -February 24, 2006
I've had the i9900 for about 7 months. It does print fabulous photos, but I've had to take it in twice for new a printhead. Apparently they can go out at any time for no particular reason. No problem since it's still under warranty. The 13x19 photos I print are of photolab quality and most people want to know where I'm getting my photos printed!!! I'm getting my inks out of Phoenix, AZ, and am paying approx. $1.75 per tank. Order $100 from this company and the shipping is FREE. The dealer where I take my printer for repairs sells this same ink for $5.95 per cartridge. Overall I'm very happy with the i9900.
karl -March 22, 2006
YOUR i9900 printer shows that it will ready in November why can't I have in June 2006 JAK
Name (required): -March 24, 2006
I just got my i9900 in the mail yesterday. There is a problem with the printer head! So Canon "customer service" tells me I can either get this one fixed on warranty or they can send me another printer, however the one they send me will not be new but a refurbished model! Gee thanks. Might be the last Canon product I buy. Scott
Scott -March 25, 2006
I had a similar problem. It seems the head gets gunked up pretty easily. I did the compressed air trick, but the thing that seems to work the best is to clean the head with an alcohol-based lens wipe, available at your local pharmacy for a couple bucks.
David -April 17, 2006
I would like to know if anyone out there is using this printer with ink catridges from Carrot Inks, and if so, if they are having the print head clogged up severly as I do. I use my machine to mostly print borderless 13X19 prints (about 25 so far) with ink from Carrot Inks. The print heads get clogged up after each print, and I sometime spent one entire catridge of a particular color just to clean the head. This is so frustrating. I would also like to know if any of you have been able to use this printer to print borderless 13X19 prints without any problems, and if so, what inks are you using. Thanks,
tina vu -April 24, 2006
In response to paper from www.freephotopaper.com: The Konica Minolta Premium Glossy 10.4 mil works superb on my Canon i960. However, their pricing is a bit high. A better alternative is the same paper from "willoughbyscamera.com" on e-bay where you can get 5-100 packs (500 sheets) anywhere from $80-100, depending if anyone is bidding against you.I'm opting for an i9900 but am a bit reluctant based on all the info on this site.
John Sennikoff -May 10, 2006
I have been purchasing 13x19 paper from www.prophotojet.com out of NYC. They have been very good. I've probably printed close to 250 13x19 prints on my i9900. Although I have had the printhead replaced twice, the dealer told me it can go out for any number of reasons. I've been using inks from Abucus 24-7 out of Phoenix. You can buy them on eBay, or call them direct and save more money. They run around $1.75 or so per tank. The place I got my printhead repaired said Canon told them not to sell the non-OEM inks, but from everything I've read, the non-OEM inks are just as good if not better (and of course much cheaper) than the Canon inks. I still swear by this printer. It does a fabulous job. The photos I'm printing can be seen on my site: www.photosbykarl.net As you can see, the entire color spectrum is used, so my i9900 gets a pretty thorough workout.
Name (required): -May 11, 2006
How do you remove the printhead in order to clean it? I can't find the owner manual and can't figure it out . . .
Katie -May 13, 2006
Katie, It's very easy. First remove all the ink tanks. You'll notice a gray "lever" arm on the right side of the ink tank holder. Lift that arm up and the whole assembly will come out. The printhead is on that assembly. Very simple. The printhead is VERY complex, so be careful with it. Good luck. karl www.photosbykarl.net
karl novak -May 18, 2006
I'm growing quite tired of this printer, banding issues are growing I've not owned it but a few months, small prints, 4 x 6 paper I keep getting marking at the end of the print, same with borderless printing I sent it in, drove it in to a repair place in Syracuse NY only to have them throw up their hands, and he said he had three other printers in doing the same thing! G2
Gary W. Graley -June 14, 2006
Purchased the 9900 2 years ago for use in high school photography classes. Only have used Canon inks but various papers - mostly 8 X 10. Incredible, reliable printer that has never experienced any problems. Heavy use during school year nearly all day printing. No printhead problems to date, or banding issues. Summer months it's had some downtime and still no problem. Needless to say, am quite pleased with this workhorse!
JAK -June 17, 2006
Just ordered the i9900 because my i9100 gave up the ghost after years of flawless work. I did have to replace printed after thousands of prints (once I did it was like new again). It final gave up the ghost on what was a an overflow ink tank problem. Seems the i9100 holding tank is not user serviceable and Canon service center stated that it wasn't worth the expense. My problem is that I have to replace it now, I wanted to wait for the Pixma Pro 9000 or 9500 (their new photo pro line). The 9000 will replace the i9900 and will use inks as against the pro 9500 which will use new Canon pigment inks as well as light k (total of 10 colors). Both will have a front feed to accept specialty papers. It was due for release in May but now looks like Aug. Just my luck, same thing happened when I bought the 9100, tow months later the 9900 was released. My advice is wait for new printers, wish I could.
David Stewart -July 10, 2006
One other note: I did use refill cartridges (LD products, the same you see at the kiosks in the mall) for my 9100 and never had a problem. But don't pay the mall prices (as much as 7.00 to 8.00 ea.). You can get them for 3.99 each or five for 14.99 (when Canon cartridges run 11.00 ea.). Been using Kodak premium photo paper for years and have not had any problems. Use Kodak Pro or Ilford Gallerie Pro paper for serious work. One thing that the cost studies never take into consideration is using refill ink tanks. But it doesn't take rocket science to realize that the costs go way down if you are paying less than one third of the Canon ink price. One very big advantage to the Canon is their ink tanks. Unlike HP and Epson their are no computer smart chips or print heads involved and the ink level indicators are molded into the cartridges so they are ideal for refill tanks. I have no idea as to longevity of the refill inks, but so far so good. Correction: I replaced print head not printed (price you pay for choosing default in spell checker).
David Stewart -July 11, 2006
This is a great place for i9900 information! It was very helpful when my i9900 developed a banding problem after 6 months. I unplugged the printer for week while I was on vacation. On my return, I found thin, faint magenta bands across the whole print and a thicker, darker magenta band covering the last 2-3 cm of each print. The print head alignement test and the nozzle test both showed defects in the photo magenta color patches, which I was not able to fix with many cleaning cycles. I tried soaking the print head overnight with the windex-alchohol-distilled water solution, but it did not help at all. A call to Canon went smoothly because I had the knowledge that you folks have posted here. Canon sent me another printhead (under warranty) by overnight FedEx and the new one works fine. I read somewhere that the printer will automatically do a self cleaning if you just leave it turned on, but the Canon rep recommended that I turn the printer on and off each day, because the cleaning cycle takes place when the printer is turned on. The worst part of this episode is that I probably used over $50 worth of ink with all my attempts to fix the problem. In the future I will try to turn the printer off and on each day and may purchase a spare print head to keep on hand. This seems like a lot of trouble, but the beautiful results with the i9900 are worth it to me. I intend to try some non-Canon ink cartridges and paper now to lower my costs.
Mike Brown -September 8, 2006
How much does a new printer head cost. I do MASSIVE amounts of printing, like in the 18 months that I've owned it I've done over 5,000 11x17 prints (brochures). I have been having banding issues and I think my printer heads are dieing. (I have done everything possible to clean)
Matthew -September 14, 2006
What kinds of printer paper have people used? I've generally stuck to Canon paper (and, after some clogging problems, Canon ink). I like the results I get with Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy (PPPG), but recently tried some prints on Canon's Matte paper and they look horrendous--no color depth at all. The prints were from Adobe inDesign, and just to check, I reprinted one page on PPPG and it looked beautiful. Anyone tried the semigloss (and why does the semi-gloss not come in 8.5x11??)? What about other brands--my recollection from my testing in the beginning was that my i9900 really didn't like other kinds of glossy paper...
edesilva -September 25, 2006
hi @ everybody, we are doing a survey about canon (i9100,i9900 and i9950) and epson (r2200 and r2400) printers in the UK. on the website http://www.connectedhomemag.com i read that you own a canon printer and your younger brother an epson printer. would you like to participate in our survey? we are able to offer you an amount of 50 € for your participation. Please let us know if you are willing to take part or if not. If you have any questions relating that survey please contact me. Truly, -------------------------------------------------- Stefan Möller Project Assistent Manager DT&P Gesellschaft für Markt- und Feldforschung mbH Rösnerstr. 6 D-48155 Münster Tel.: +49 (0)251 - 96 26 125 Fax: +49 (0)251 - 96 26 100 mail: moeller@dt-p.de web: www.dt-p.de
stefan möller -September 28, 2006
Your Comments (required):
Name (required): -October 22, 2006
Your Comments (required):
Name (required): -October 29, 2006
Iwant to download before and use the printer. I have forgotten my cd installation in my country Benin
Name (required): -October 29, 2006
I have been printing with my i9950 for over a year now. Recently I have been having quality issues and have finally narrowed it down to the fact my Photo Cyan cartridge does not seem to work. I have replaced the cartridge, done all the cleaning but yet when I run a test it is very hit and miss (more miss) that my Photo Cyan will print. Is this the printhead gone? Can anyone offer any advice? Thanks
Dean -November 2, 2006
Your Comments (required):
Name (required): -November 23, 2006
I have been using my Canon i9950 since new in 2005 and had no problems at all, except for a squeak from the rollers since fixed by canon. I only use Canon inks and Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl paper. No head problems and no banding, Why some try to cut corners with cheap unknown ink baffles me as I poay very little more for Canon ink than cheapo rubbish.
John Levey -November 28, 2006
We recently had need to sell a Canon i9900 photo printer which my uncle purchased. He has passed away and we have no need for this printer. One problem though, we cannot locate the instruction manual. Can anyone tell me where I can get a manual, do you have one that I can copy the instructions from. Is there a web site where I can get the manual instructions from? He did purchase the printer and at one time did have the manual. Thanks for your help
Marlene Enns -January 18, 2007
i have use i9950 since 2003 today my printer is cannot print anymore couse had blinking orange and green error msg show that i must press resume i have try reset but still not working i loking some one have same problem and resolve it. so how u can help me?
azam -March 23, 2007
What a great source of information. Are there any graphic designers reading this who currently use a Canon i9900, Canon Pixma Pro 9000 or Epson Stylus Photo R1800 or R2400 who can comment on the quality of text and graphics output? I am especially interested to hear how small or white text on coloured backgrounds is rendered? I am convinced the photo quality is fantastic, but am keen to hear more about the quality of the finer details. I am also keen to hear comments in respect to printing from Adobe CS2 or Quark Xpress from Mac OSX? I believe the Epson R2400 is the only printer in this list which supports postscript. Does this mean I will need to save files using postscript fonts as PDF to print them from a non postscript printer? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Kate -April 1, 2007
i have canon i9950, blink 5 time, what error that ?
hnr -April 9, 2007
Your Comments (required):
Name (required): -May 12, 2007
Bought i9100 at Staples for $300.00 on close out. 2 packs of Staples A3 Matte paper witout a flaw. When I ordered Canon Matte from B&H its colors were awful and solorized. I only get decent quality once in a while. I have no interest in glossy papers but require texture for my style of images. I did order special papers in 8x10 sample packs and found a few that worked great but thick stock will not feed in the i9100. Hope the Pixma 9500 hits the shelves soon as I will print on photo canvas alot. Any other anti gloss photographers out there? What are your feelings? I'm sticking with Staples for A3 Matte until I can find a reasonably priced textured A3 that doesn't have feed problems. A starving artist, I don't have the cash to waste experimenting.
Douglas Coulter -June 5, 2007
Your Comments (required):
i9950 -August 20, 2007
Your Comments (required):
i9950 -August 20, 2007
Your Comments (required):
i9950 -August 20, 2007
Your Comments (required):
i9950 -August 20, 2007
I can only say as a Photographer & Artist this is the highest quality prints I've ever seen! The i9900 is fantastic! AAA+++
Mary Fleites -September 2, 2007
Your Comments (required):
good -October 18, 2007
Canon and digital photography are one and the same. I love their products. Cameras are fantastic and printers are wonderful. I like to story my photos online, but get tired of services showing my work to everybody or pushing prints on me 24/7. I started storing my photos at <A HREF="http://www.hoorray.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="hoorray">Hoorray</A>. Great place that doesn't push prints, but if you want to do something more than print yourself, it's got <A HREF="http://www.hoorray.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="online photo albums">online photo albums</A> and stuff. The Canon, for my money, is great for those of us who really want to do it themselves.
Matt Smolsky -December 18, 2007
I have been using Media Street Niagra system on my Epson for about 5 years. Very Low Cost ink. It does not plug my print heads like Epson ink. Excellent print quality and durability. MS supports the 9900 Canon that I plan to purchase because I am tired of Epson problems. See: http://www.mediastreet.com/s.nl/sc.14/category.1110/.f
Bill Jones -January 15, 2008
Oops - Misspelled Niagara.
Bill Jones -January 15, 2008
I am a graphic designer using the i9900 and have found the graphic output to be excellent. However, I printed out my resume on both and Epson 2200 and my i9900 and I have to say that the crispness of the text is not as good on the Canon. The edges of the letters are slightly jagged and not as "clean" looking. It certainly isn't horrible or anything and it may not even be perceptible to someone who's not a designer, but it is disappointing when you're expecting perfection.
Jenny -February 6, 2008
I have a Canon i9900 and I use Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl Paper. When I print from my iMac,OS10.5.2 and use the printing profile Adobe 1998 or sRGB, I like the texture, but I get a Cyan color cast. When I use the profile from Ilford for the paper I get horizontal streaking. How can this be corrected?
Jerry Baker -February 17, 2008
Your Comments (required):
Name (required): -April 1, 2008
Has anyone been sucessful using fine art paper on the i9900?
Dano -June 19, 2008
Thanks for the tip of the hat to my inkjet printer site- http://www.inkjethelper.com NOW See what I've discovered about LCD TVs in 2008-- This is absolutely SHOCKING http://www.lcdtvsetreviews.com thanks
Neil Slade -August 13, 2008
|
I also haven’t been too thrilled with the quality of most digital photos I’ve seen, particularly from cameras that have a resolution of less than, say, 4 megapixels. My friends sometimes share their digital pics with me, marveling over their quality, and all I can see is shallow depth of field, pixelation, blockiness, and digital softness. It doesn't matter to me that my buddies are happy with low-quality pictures, but digital photography would take much more to seduce me. 
This ink system adds a noticeable degree of brilliance and depth to printed photographs. Installing the eight ink tanks (individually wrapped) took some time and care, and installing the driver software took a while. I got through the whole process in about a half hour. After connecting the printer to my computer via the USB 2.0 port, I was ready to print. 
A light beam shines through a prism at the bottom of each ink tank. If the tank contains sufficient ink, a sensor detects the light. If a tank is only about 20 percent full, the light beam is refracted and triggers the sensor, which tells the printer driver to send a pop-up notification for that tank. So when a color runs out, you replace only the empty tank. 
Over on the Canon i9900 Properties screen, you have a few more photo-manipulation options. On the Page Setup tab, you can configure your printing for true borderless prints, so you can create photos that look and feel just like what you’d get from a photo-processing lab, with no white borders on the edges. You can even set the amount of overscan. On the Effects tab, you’ll find ways to give your photos simulated effects, such as digital filters and monochrome effects. The Vivid Photo check box lets you enhance greens and blues, as well as contrast, but I couldn’t make this effect work. I would need to spend some more time with it. The Image Optimizer and Photo Optimizer PRO effects help digitally improve the resolution of lower-megapixel photos. The Photo Noise Reduction effect reduces noise and other problems. 
which are essentially ink on paper, last as long as professionally processed prints. In the meantime, I'm awestruck by the immediate quality of this machine.
Email this Article
Printer-Friendly