# *UPDATE* Canon Pixma Pro-1 Review Sneak Peek



## Canon Rumors Guy (Jan 27, 2012)

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<p><strong>*UPDATE*

</strong>The review will have to wait, as my Pixma Pro-1 is broken. Something is wrong with the paper feed as I am getting scraping down various kinds of paper. 285, 310 & 325 GSM paper are all showing the issue. The obvious cleaning and maintenance has been performed, and the issue is not improving. I have also attempted manual feed and rear feed, and that isn’t changing the outcome either.</p>
<p><strong>Canon Pixma Pro-1 Review Sneak Peek

</strong>I have finally received my Canon Pixma Pro-1 A3+ printer, and an extra ink set. I’m very excited to get some printing done with it this weekend. This is a bit of a sneak peak, as I’ll work on the full review as I work with it this weekend.</p>
<p><strong>First Impressions

</strong>Bring a friend to the store if you’re going to pick one up. The box is huge and it must weigh 80lbs. It’s probably the largest and heaviest A3+ printer ever made.</p>
<p>The printer itself is quite nice to look at it, very clean and looks extremely well built. Could a printer be beautiful? This one may be.</p>
<p>The box is packed nice and tidy and it was easy to get out and onto a table, or desk. The initial setup was a breeze, and the printer appears to be relatively quiet. The ink cartridges are pretty large for an A3+ printer and are very well built. I paid $400 for a set of 12 ink cartridges, I have no idea if that’s good until we get into how much ink the printer will use. I always found the Pixma 9500 Mark II to be ink hungry, or the cartridges too small. I always had to have lots of backups if I got into a weekend print session.</p>
<p>I will spend the next couple of days playing around and will have a full review ready to go Sunday night (pressure or what?).</p>
<p><a href="ww.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/827045-REG/Canon_PIXMA_PRO_1_Photo_Printer.html/BI/2466/KBID/3296">The Canon Pixma Pro-1 is in stock at B&H for $999</a></p>
<div id="attachment_8685" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 585px"><a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/L9999447-Edit-Edit.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-8685" title="Canon Pixma Pro-1 Box" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/L9999447-Edit-Edit.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="383" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Canon Pixma Pro-1 Box</p></div>
<div id="attachment_8686" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 585px"><a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/L9999452-Edit.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-8686" title="Canon Pixma Pro-1 Goodies" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/L9999452-Edit.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="383" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Canon Pixma Pro-1 Goodies</p></div>
<div id="attachment_8687" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 585px"><a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/L9999455-Edit-Edit.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-8687" title="Canon Pixma Pro-1 " src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/L9999455-Edit-Edit.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="383" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Canon Pixma Pro-1</p></div>
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## LuckyRosco (Jan 27, 2012)

*Re: Canon Pixma Pro-1 Review Sneak Peak*

Congradulations on the printer. I will be waiting for the review, even though I have just bought the Epson 4900 today. Canon just waited too long. I"ve pre-ordered mine back in October and Adorama still doesn't have it in stock yet. :-\


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## t.linn (Jan 27, 2012)

*Re: Canon Pixma Pro-1 Review Sneak Peak*

I look forward to reading your thoughts. I just got an email saying my Pixma Pro-1 was shipped to me on Tuesday. It's traveling all the way across the country so hopefully UPS doesn't beat the crap out of it. I can't wait to unbox this baby!


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## Canon-F1 (Jan 27, 2012)

*Re: Canon Pixma Pro-1 Review Sneak Peak*

i like canon cameras.. but for printer i go epson. 

anyway.. have fun with it.


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## Fleetie (Jan 27, 2012)

*Re: Canon Pixma Pro-1 Review Sneak Peak*

A few points:


The printer looks lovely. But I've given up having colour (or any) printers because I print so seldom that the jets dry up and get blocked and then cannot be unblocked at all. On these pricey Canon printers, is there the same problem? If not, how do they manage to avoid it?

Yeah, let us know how much money per full-colour A3+ photo print.

I currently pay £1.20 inc. VAT for 18"x12". It's gonna work out way more than that, I would imagine.

Does it print right to the borders of A3+ paper?

A3+ is not even photo aspect ratio (3:2); it's about 1.46:1.0 . So you end up with a border along one edge, right? (I had to look up the paper size on Wikipedia!)


Enjoy your printer!


Edit: Why is this thread in "Software & Accessories" when there is now a section called "Speedlites, *Printers*, Accessories"?

Edit 2: Figured it out: The "Speedlites, *Printers*, Accessories" is in the "Rumours" supersection. A printer review has nothing to do with rumours. Got it. But I still think the word "Printers" should appear in the name of one of the "Gear Talk" sections.


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## JR (Jan 27, 2012)

*Re: Canon Pixma Pro-1 Review Sneak Peek*

Thanks in advance Graig. I cant wait to read your thoughts on this pronter as I have yet to order mine. I was going to order it this week-end but now might wait for your first impression since this will be my first photo printer (always used printing services in the past, but now looking for more convenience on small size print).

Jacques


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## traveller (Jan 28, 2012)

*Re: Canon Pixma Pro-1 Review Sneak Peek*



Canon Rumors said:


> It’s probably the largest and heaviest A3+ printer ever made.



And definitely the most expensive! You're getting into Epson 3880 territory with the price tag that the Pixma Pro-1 commands...


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## markko (Jan 28, 2012)

*Re: Canon Pixma Pro-1 Review Sneak Peek*



Canon Rumors said:


> I paid $400 for a set of 12 ink cartridges



 What do they put into those smaal containers? Liquid gold? 

Happy printing and looking forward to the review!


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## cxpcman (Jan 29, 2012)

I just got my pro 1 also and I have to say that I'm disappointed because of the paper feeding problems . I print a lot and the 9500's printers I got develop paper feeding problems in about 4 months of constant use but this printer in just 1 day something is wrong for sure there . 
In other aspect of the printer. It's huge , nice , sexy , quite , print quality is amazing, B and w printing is very nice compared to other color printers, Color printing is sharply the best I have seen and .... I like how it prints on matte media , the blacks are more blacks the grey is more grey and finally they get rid of the shiny black areas .

Canon make this printer pretty amazing they just forget to put a sticky feed roller


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## t.linn (Jan 29, 2012)

cxpcman, your Pixma Pro-1 has the same problem as the OP or a different one? This is not encouraging.

Printers are like camcorders used to be—a problem waiting to happen. Too many delicate mechanisms and finicky technologies mean it's just a matter of time before you have problems. I dream of a day when technology makes printing high quality photos as easy as using a laser printer. 

My EPSON printers clogged like crazy. (I live in a dry climate.) I know they've gotten better but do a search for "EPSON 4900 clogging" and it is clear that there are still major issues; it is easy to find accounts of people working on their third and four replacement printers including the author of a glowing 4900 review who now seems to regret owning it at all. If not for clogging, I'd have a 4900 on my desk right now.

My HP B9180 photo printer delivers great output but it was built on the cheap. HP has backed about as far away as it could from this printer. It's official position now is if it breaks and it's out of warranty, haul it to the trash bin. They won't help. If not for this, I'd be looking at a Z3200 (admittedly, a different class of printer). But Z3200 owners know that printer isn't perfect either and if you don't have an extended warranty expect to pay through the nose for any repair, no matter how minor.

I've never owned a Canon printer but my experience with their other inkjets has been so positive that I really had high hopes for the Pixma Pro-1. It's a bummer to read two comments on the first page that report issues with it. It has taken Canon so long to make it available that they've had plenty of time to get things right. Mine is delivered in two days; it will be truly disappointing (and expensive) to have to ship it back across the country because of a problem right out of the box.


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## cxpcman (Feb 2, 2012)

i don't know if it's the same problem .. but i for sure got a problem with the paper feed mechanism, it just doesn't feed the paper i have to clean the rubber roller at the middle every 2 sheets . i got the same problem before with my 9500 but after a long time and lots of use ..

Now it's been more than a week of use .. and i print 99% black and white and 1% color .. anndddddd oohh my god this printer waste a lot of ink .. i already have to change ALL the cartridges but wait i never use them!!!

I just don't understand why a 1K dollar printer fails at a 10cent rubber piece .

btw .. somebody know how to print an 11 x 17 because is not at the paper list!

and for the epson brand.. i hate their products, i already throw 4 scanners because of failure in the scanner mechanism, and also 3 printers .. because of clogged heads... i think their products are disposables .

t.lin . what do you print ?







t.linn said:


> cxpcman, your Pixma Pro-1 has the same problem as the OP or a different one? This is not encouraging.
> 
> Printers are like camcorders used to be—a problem waiting to happen. Too many delicate mechanisms and finicky technologies mean it's just a matter of time before you have problems. I dream of a day when technology makes printing high quality photos as easy as using a laser printer.
> 
> ...


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## t.linn (Feb 4, 2012)

cxpcman, I tend to print more color than b&w. It's primarily landscape images. I don't print in large volumes so I have to make sure I use the printer on a regular basis to keep everything operating smoothly. I'm looking forward to using this as a b&w printer though so my ratio may change.

I couldn't agree more about the 10 cent part in the $1,000 printer. I don't mind paying for quality—which is what I assumed I was doing with this printer. Now to be fair, I haven't printed anything with mine yet but it loaded the head alignment paper without any scuffing or abrasion so I don't think I have the OP's problem. Don't know about ink use or paper feeding. Are you feeding through the rear feed? Or the manual feed (which is actually behind the rear feed)? Are you printing with more than one sheet in the feeder at a time? What kind of paper? I'm not suggesting you're doing anything wrong. I just want to see if I can duplicate your issue.

As for the 11x17 paper setting, you may have to create a custom paper type if it's not on the list. Instructions for this are in the advanced section of the on-screen menu if I recall correctly. (I looked this up back when the printer was first announced.)


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## cxpcman (Feb 9, 2012)

Hi T.linn
well the more i use it the more dissapointed i am. let me add some thoughts on this subject. 

-Seems like this printer clean the head too often .. more often than needed . try to print large photos like 13x19 so head doesnt waste ink between print jobs .

i also.. was like .. what ? rear is front and manual is rear ??? heheeh but that doesn't matter too much for me.

about the feeding problem seem like the area of contact of the rubber band is not much thats why it can't feed the paper correctly . also the fineart and matte papers seem to have some loose powder on them that's what clog the rubber band and the sticky capability, in other printers i got this issue but is normal after some time, the feeding mechanism needs to ble cleaned once in a while ... but whit the pro 1 i have to clean it every 2 or 3 sheets .. maybe 4 if i am lucky .. heeh ... 

im printing just 1 sheet at the time ... 





t.linn said:


> cxpcman, I tend to print more color than b&w. It's primarily landscape images. I don't print in large volumes so I have to make sure I use the printer on a regular basis to keep everything operating smoothly. I'm looking forward to using this as a b&w printer though so my ratio may change.
> 
> I couldn't agree more about the 10 cent part in the $1,000 printer. I don't mind paying for quality—which is what I assumed I was doing with this printer. Now to be fair, I haven't printed anything with mine yet but it loaded the head alignment paper without any scuffing or abrasion so I don't think I have the OP's problem. Don't know about ink use or paper feeding. Are you feeding through the rear feed? Or the manual feed (which is actually behind the rear feed)? Are you printing with more than one sheet in the feeder at a time? What kind of paper? I'm not suggesting you're doing anything wrong. I just want to see if I can duplicate your issue.
> 
> As for the 11x17 paper setting, you may have to create a custom paper type if it's not on the list. Instructions for this are in the advanced section of the on-screen menu if I recall correctly. (I looked this up back when the printer was first announced.)


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## t.linn (Feb 10, 2012)

I have to say that I am disappointed too. Different issue though. Before I bought the Pixma Pro-1 I was really on the fence about whether or not it could print large enough. Ideally, I wanted a 17" printer but I didn't want an Epson. Since this Canon has a 14" carriage and the printer manual says that I can create custom paper sizes up to 14 x 23 or 12.95 x 26.65 (depending on which tray is used), I figured this was close enough. 

Only after paying for the printer and having it shipped 3,000 miles to me did I discover what the manual doesn't say anywhere: You are not allowed to create custom paper sizes for Canon "art" papers or for ANY THIRD PARTY PHOTOGRAPHIC PAPER. Even though the printer has a nice 14" wide carriage, the largest uncropped (3:2) image I can print is 10.82 x 16.24 on a 13 x 19 cut sheet. Let me repeat that: The largest I can print any image on "art" paper or third party photo paper with my new $1,000 printer is less than 11" wide.

Just to be clear about the math, with no custom paper sizes allowed—and for all practical purposes this is the case—one is limited to the largest standard cut sheet size of 13 x19 (A3+). After subtracting out the mandatory 1.38" top and bottom margins, that leaves a maximum width of 16.24" and a corresponding height of 10.24" due to the shape of a 3:2 DSLR sensor. The maximum custom page sizes listed in the manual turn out to be largely meaningless.

There are other ramifications to this besides maximum print size. Want to print out a letter-sized test page? On this printer you'll have to use legal-sized paper to account for the large mandatory margins. Want to print a proof? It can be no smaller than 8.5 x 11 if you're using art paper or any third party photo paper. 

I was so convinced this had to be wrong that I called the Pro Series support department and talked to two different people. The first one insisted that there had to be a way around this. The second one took the time to contact an engineer to confirm that, no, there was no way around it.


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## t.linn (Feb 10, 2012)

Just to clarify my previous comments about custom page sizes and max print area, it is possible to print larger than I had described using plain paper or one of four Canon papers:

Photo Paper Pro Platinum <PT-101>
Photo Paper Plus Glossy II <PP-201>
Photo Paper Plus Semi-gloss <SG-201>
Matte Photo Paper <MP-101>

Potential Pro-1 owners who are happy with this paper selection are in great shape. If, however, you imagine wanting to use Canon's higher end Museum Etching paper, Photo Rag, or maybe a third party photographic paper like EPSON's amazing Exhibition Fiber or canvas, then my previous comments apply.


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## cxpcman (Feb 10, 2012)

You feel my pain with the ink cartridges. ?...... If not ....you will!!!! Hehehe 

I will try to play more with the paper size and see if I see something usefull . Ups I just forgot that I need a MBk cartrige to continue printing . Ups again I forgot that I need c, pc, m, pm, gy, pgy, green, blue, yellow, black, brown, red, orange, violet , transparent and bla bla bla . It can't be that bad at least I don't need the white cartridge I got that one full of ink ;D hehehe

I use Mitsubishi and ilford paper . I like the mate surface of Mitsubishi and the pearl from ilford . Stay away from canon media it tend to yellow if uv rays and air hits the surface. And it loose flexibility over time . The substrate will crack if not handled carefully . I can only recommend the semigloss canvas from canon the colors are very vibrant and I have some exposed to the sun with excellent preservation over time .

I found that canon restrict the high quality printing and border less capability to the canon papers I think that way they promote the use of their mediA only . But who cares ? Just select the pro plus ultra hyper platinum semigloss paper from canon and make custom Icc profiles for the paper you use.

I print all sizes of paper from 4x2.75 to 13 x19 . I just select the bigger size then at the photoshop preview window center the image and set the top to 0 . The only way this one works is if you deselect (paper size detection) at the custom settings in the printer driver . I'm at home so I will try to post a screenshot tomorrow.


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## t.linn (Feb 10, 2012)

Selecting a bigger paper size than the one you are using (essentially lying to the printer driver) is not a bad solution when it is possible to do this. But if I want to print a full bleed 13 x 19, there isn't a bigger paper size to select. A3+ is the largest option. So that doesn't solve my problem.

Likewise, lying to the printer driver about the media type—choosing a media type that allows custom paper sizes and/or smaller margins—is a workaround. Unfortunately, this workaround can lead to a significant reduction in image quality. A Canon support rep suggested that very thing. He told me to trying choosing "Matte" as the media type instead of the art paper type Canon recommends. He didn't think the difference would be significant. He was wrong. Using *the same* ICC profile, I printed a test page on Hahnemuhle photo rag with the recommended media type and then again with the "matte" media type. The workaround produced a print with blocked up blacks and a non-neutral grayscale. Same paper; same ICC profile. Image quality wasn't even close. I've attached a scan of both images for anyone who is interested in seeing the difference. (Be sure to view it in an image editing program; not Windows Photo Viewer which clips the blacks.)

A custom profile might very well improve this situation. Unfortunately, this requires an expensive bit of hardware I don't own; or paying someone else every time I want to use a different paper. I did some research to determine the media type used by third party paper manufacturers who offer ICC profiles for their paper. Every single one of them used a media type that enforced the 1.38" margin and prevented the use of custom paper sizes. In other words, I did not find a single instance where I would not have to pay for a custom profile to avoid the restrictions imposed by Canon's driver.

As far as ink consumption, I haven't noticed anything unusual but then I haven't been able to print what I want to in the sizes I need to. My prints have all been test prints at this point.


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## cxpcman (Feb 11, 2012)

what i think is not Honest from canon is that they offer a printer that waste just soooo much ink...1 complete inkset in just 1 week is insane !! ...


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## t.linn (Feb 11, 2012)

I've been meaning to ask... How much printing did you accomplish with that inkset, cxcpman?


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Feb 11, 2012)

I just bought a supply of 16 oz bottles of cone inks for my Epson 3880, so I'm set for quite a while. If they offer one free with a 1DX I might get it though.


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## cxpcman (Feb 12, 2012)

dificult to compare.. but let me see if you get the diference from my 9500 vs pro 1
if i print just black and white 

MBK consumption is proportional 2 cartridges from 9500 vs 1 cartridge pro1 
the problem is with the other inks the color ones .. 
i use 1 cartridge of 9500 vs 3 cartridges of pro 1 thats 

these numbers are aproximately i can set an acuracy of +- 20% 





t.linn said:


> I've been meaning to ask... How much printing did you accomplish with that inkset, cxcpman?


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## t.linn (Feb 14, 2012)

I thought I would make one additional post on this subject to wrap things up. I've decided to return my Pixma Pro-1 printer. It really frustrates me because other than my issue with the print sizes this printer was everything I had hoped it would be: well built, easy to use, attractive. Print quality was outstanding. No metamerism, no bronzing, great gamut, accurate color. I experienced no paper handling issues and, unlike cxcpman, I didn't notice any excessive ink use (though, as I've said, I didn't get to print what I wanted to print). It is, in every other way, the printer I have been waiting for since I ran the first of many cleaning cycles on an EPSON printer a decade ago. 

Having said all that, as I look around my walls at all the prints I've made previously using a smaller HP B9180 with various papers and canvas, there is not a single print—not ONE—that I would be able to print at the same size on the Pixma Pro-1 with its crippled paper/media type functionality. It seems to me that Canon is trying to protect me from myself, needlessly forcing me to choose between image quality and image size. Why not just warn me that image quality might be compromised with my current driver settings and let me make my own decision? Canon's engineers won't give me that choice so I make the only decision I can: look for a different printer.


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## Cineroo (Feb 26, 2012)

t.linn said:


> A custom profile might very well improve this situation. Unfortunately, this requires an expensive bit of hardware I don't own; or paying someone else every time I want to use a different paper. I did some research to determine the media type used by third party paper manufacturers who offer ICC profiles for their paper. Every single one of them used a media type that enforced the 1.38" margin and prevented the use of custom paper sizes. In other words, I did not find a single instance where I would not have to pay for a custom profile to avoid the restrictions imposed by Canon's driver.



I've just run into this problem having bought an expensive set of Hahnemuhle photo rag and museum etching papers - the fact that the maximum print size on A3+ paper is quite a bit less than a borderless A3 print is very disappointing.

Would a custom profile really solve this problem? I didn't think the profiles contained this sort of restriction, but my knowledge is very limited! Can anyone who has profiled some fine art paper confirm? Like t.linn, this is the printer I've been waiting for and am prepared to spend the extra £300 for a munki if it's a proper fix.

Ultimately Canon needs to remove these restrictions in their software to give us the choice.

Many thanks.


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## t.linn (Feb 27, 2012)

At $1,000, the customer should have the ability to decide for him or herself. When I circumvented the restriction by using an incorrect media type on both a PK and MK paper there was absolutely no issues at the edges so, in my case, they were protecting me from nothing. All three Canon reps I spoke with seemed very sympathetic to my cause but equally resigned to the fact that this is what it is and anyone purchasing the printer had better accept this limitation.

You are correct in surmising that the print area restriction is not built into the profile. The restriction is programmed into the media type. However, they are related. When you profile a paper, it is profiled using a particular media type. If you then print with that profile but switch the media type you may experience a very noticeable reduction in print quality, as I did with the example I posted. Every single third party paper supplier I researched used one of the restricted media types when creating profiles for their papers so switching media types to one that isn't restricted could potentially make their profiles useless. Making custom profiles using an unrestricted media type might help but probably won't solve the problem completely. For example, if the unrestricted media type was programmed with an ink usage setting that is too heavy for the paper being profiled, I don't know that a custom profile would compensate for this. What it would do is correct the color cast issue that I experienced in my example.

As an aside, I know lots of people who swear by their ColorMunkis but Dry Creek Photo, a very knowledgeable source on color management, did a comprehensive review of colorimeters and spectrophotometers (http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Calibration/MonitorCalibrationHardware.html) using multiple copies of each sensor they tested. The ColorMunki spectrophotometer (or it's i1 sibling—I can't remember but it's the same hardware) showed so much variability between different units that they couldn't recommend it at all. At the end of 2011, X-Rite introduced a new ColorMunki (and i1) that is uniformly excellent but it is a colorimeter and can't be used to create printer profiles. The bottom line for me was that creating *quality* custom profiles is an expensive proposition and when it's not guaranteed to solve your problem it's a hard cost to justify.


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## Cineroo (Feb 28, 2012)

I also tried printing using the matte paper type on Hahnemuhle pro white photo rag 310gsm. The blacks were noticeably not black, and overall the image looked slightly washed out compared to the (excellent) proper paper type. I know I can't correct this with photoshop so I'm hoping to try a profiling tool soon. 

In their defense, I did notice some longitudinal curling introduced by printing the full a3+ but only with a 1cm border. I've heard one of the reasons for Canon enforcing art 35 borders is to avoid head strikes due to page curling. There may be some truth to this depending on the paper, though I didn't have any visible problems with the print itself. Having said this, I also heard they did this because pro photographers surveyed said they always wanted large borders, though this feels less credible. 

It seems this restriction has been in place for years, as the 9000 and 9500 (all versions) are the same. This gives me less hope that Canon can be persuaded to relax it. I really don't want to print borderless on the heavy papers, but 1-1.5cm seems ample for a mat.


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## t.linn (Feb 28, 2012)

I agree with your sentiment about borderless printing, Cineroo. I don't print borderless. And despite my experiences to the contrary, I have never assumed that the mandatory margins on certain papers are unnecessary. At the risk of repeating myself, my frustration is the inability to create a custom page size to print as large as possible _within Canon's established restrictions_ on art and third party photo paper. Users should be able to print as large as 13.3x20 on a 14x23 sheet—but the driver won't let you.

I find it interesting that neither EPSON nor HP users must deal with a similar restriction. As you correctly point out, the Pixma 9000 and 9500 have had a similar restriction for years and users have been complaining about it for just as long. Yet, while Canon has worked hard to raise the quality of printed output, they are apparently content to live with this design limitation despite the fact that their competition has been able to do better.

It is instructive to compare the Pro-1 to my five year old HP B9180 that it was intended to replace. In terms of build and output quality, there is no comparison. The Pro-1 is head and shoulders better. But the Pro-1 is not necessarily the ultimate A3+ printer. I've really come to appreciate some of the design decisions that went into HP's B9180: it's straight paper path, 1.5 mm max paper thickness, and flexible driver allowed users to print on just about any substrate that would take InkAID. It removed the ink tanks from the print head long before Canon did on the Pro-1, and had none of the restrictions on paper size (beyond a maximum length) that one must deal with on Canon's A3+ printers. Even six years after it was introduced, the B9180 remains the more advanced printer in many respects. Having said all that, the Pro-1 is certainly as close as I've seen to a printer in this class that "just works" — as long as users can live with the paper size restrictions.


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