# Pixma pro 10 or 100?



## Ryan85 (Dec 15, 2014)

I have the Pixma pro 100 and the pro 10. I received both free through rebates with camera bundles this last year. I was planning on selling them. Now reading the recent post which printer do you use I'm thinking it may be fun to do some of my own printing. So which printer would you keep and sell? And why? Thanks you

Ryan


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Dec 15, 2014)

Unless you are using them 3 or more days a week, sell them while they are new. The printers do a self cleaning when turned on, and clog if left on, which means they will use even more ink. If left off for a few days, they will clog and waste a lot of ink to clean them.

They generally only come with starter ink cartridges, so you'll need to replace them after just a few prints. It can use half those starter cartridges just to set it up initially. Buy a couple of extra sets to start.

The printers are free, but ink can cost you big bucks. Check out the cost of a new set of inks before deciding.



I have a Epson 3880, and use Cone ink tanks and 1 liter refills which cuts the cost a lot, but even so, its expensive. Still, its a fraction of the price of Epson inks.

The Pro 100 is dye ink based. Dye ink looks nice, but is not long lasting, and not water proof. It does not clog as easily, and there are compatible inks that work well. Cost is $100 per ink set, they won't last long.

The Pro-10 uses pigment based inks, which will have a long print life, and are more water resistant. They are what you should use if you want serious prints. The down side is more clogging, $130 / set of inks or $15 each. Those small ink tanks will not last long. You will notice that more inks are used in a set. This overcomes the inherent color pop advantage of dye inks, and provides sublime B&W prints.


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## Ryan85 (Dec 15, 2014)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Unless you are using them 3 or more days a week, sell them while they are new. The printers do a self cleaning when turned on, and clog if left on, which means they will use even more ink. If left off for a few days, they will clog and waste a lot of ink to clean them.
> 
> They generally only come with starter ink cartridges, so you'll need to replace them after just a few prints. It can use half those starter cartridges just to set it up initially. Buy a couple of extra sets to start.
> 
> ...



Thank you for your advice


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## JonB8305 (Dec 15, 2014)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Unless you are using them 3 or more days a week, sell them while they are new. The printers do a self cleaning when turned on, and clog if left on, which means they will use even more ink. If left off for a few days, they will clog and waste a lot of ink to clean them.
> 
> They generally only come with starter ink cartridges, so you'll need to replace them after just a few prints. It can use half those starter cartridges just to set it up initially. Buy a couple of extra sets to start.
> 
> ...



Good post, thanks for the info.


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## lescrane (Dec 15, 2014)

Ryan85 said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Unless you are using them 3 or more days a week, sell them while they are new. The printers do a self cleaning when turned on, and clog if left on, which means they will use even more ink. If left off for a few days, they will clog and waste a lot of ink to clean them.
> ...



Please consider other opinions before deciding. I have owned Epson pigment printers for 10 years, dye printers before tha. Like you I was offered incredible rebates and sale prices on Canon recently and chose the Canon Pro 10. I admit that it cost me nothing after all sales and rebates.

First, I want to say that while many opinions and experiences differ, the above poster is wrong on the the point of starter ink tanks. I read about that myth in some reviews. The ink tanks that came with my Pro 10 are full ink tanks, the same as what you buy. As the poster states, they are small. Smaller than the Epson 3000 series and Canon Pro 1, about the same as Epson dye printers and R1900. While I agree that the Epson 3000 series give you lower cost per print on ink, unless you do a lot of printing, those huge cartridges will just sit there for a long time and eventually clog if you don[t use them

So far my experience has been:

printed about 30 8x10s and have not changed any ink. usage indicators vary, but I think I have a lot left
I have left the printer off for about 2 weeks and have had zero clogging issues. I am not declaring that Canon is better than Epson on this(yet) but I have always had clogging on my Epson pigment printers and have wasted loads of ink doing repeated cleaning cycles with Epson. I met with a Canon rep when I bought my Pro 10 and he claimed Canon is less prone to clogging than Epson. I do not take the word of salesmen, but that has been the reputation on other forums

Print quality. I would have to hold up my Epson and Canon prints to a magnifying glass to find major differences;
I can say that the Pro 10 really excels at printing on Lustre. Both on the free samples I got and even on Epson Luster. On glossy, it's a mixed case. I find that my Epson prints are GLOSSIER, eg more shiny. The gloss on the Canon is a bit duller. That being said I find that the Pro 10 has LESS bronzing. Not that Epson is bad. 
I have not yet printed on Fine Art paper . . Nor have I done black and white

The Pro 10 was very easy to set up despite some stuff I read. It has wireless LAN connectivity. 
I print through Adobe Photoshop or LIghroom and do not use the Canon software. Print matching on a well calibrated monitor is excellent. I would say Canon is a bit better than my EPsons using the same workflow and doing side by side comparisons.

The build quality on the Canon is excellent. On the other hand, it has a huge footprint on the desk for an a3 machine and weighs nearly 50 lbs.

Print speed on the Canon is slow as molasses. I really don't care because I'm not running a printing shop. It;s also dead quiet. I hear nothing.

To conclude. I am not bashing Epson. I still have mine on a huge desk next to the Pro 10. After using Epsons since the advent of inkjet printing, my brand loyalty ran out because I was sick of the clogging and Canon "made me an offer I couldnt refuse." Right now I have to say the Canon is my primary printer. 

I realize your choice is bet the 10 and the hundred. As mentioned in previous post. 10 is pigments. They will not run if gotten wet, the will last very long. 100 is dye. New dyes also can last long, but if you ever intend to sell photos esp unframed, I would go w the pigment. The dyes do have a bit more color saturation. However the dye Canon prints I've seen (but not used) seem to be a bit over the top with the color; The pigments are more subtle on default settings. If want more pop or exaggerated color, you can still adjust your files to achieve it

If you keep it, I suggest you buy a complete set of inks in a package, I got it for 132 on B&H. Then you will have a spare for every color. Some colors like gray will be used much faster than others and then you can buy individual tanks as needed, until you are ready for a full set.

Good luck


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## Dylan777 (Dec 15, 2014)

I don't have much experience with neither printers. I'm new to printing and currently using Pro-100. 

I just did a quick comparison between local Walgreen Vs my Pro-100(same photo). My pro-100 seem to have upper hand. I'm not sure it has to do with paper type.

I'm printing 4x6 and 5x7, quality looks excellent.


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## Ryan85 (Dec 15, 2014)

lescrane said:


> Ryan85 said:
> 
> 
> > Mt Spokane Photography said:
> ...



Think you for your response and sharing your experience. I haven't decided yet. I'm thinking it'd be fun to do some of my own printing. I've never done any printing of my own so i don't really know anything about it yet. If the tanks clog up is that a easy self fix or are you sending it out for repairs or buying new parts?


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## Ryan85 (Dec 15, 2014)

Dylan777 said:


> I don't have much experience with neither printers. I'm new to printing and currently using Pro-100.
> 
> I just did a quick comparison between local Walgreen Vs my Pro-100(same photo). My pro-100 seem to have upper hand. I'm not sure it has to do with paper type.
> 
> I'm printing 4x6 and 5x7, quality looks excellent.



Thanks for sharing. Where did you find your paper deals? Are they still going on?


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## lescrane (Dec 15, 2014)

_
Think you for your response and sharing your experience. I haven't decided yet. I'm thinking it'd be fun to do some of my own printing. I've never done any printing of my own so i don't really know anything about it yet. If the tanks clog up is that a easy self fix or are you sending it out for repairs or buying new parts?_

I think you are not clear on the clogging issue because we weren't clear. It's a built in issue because of the chemistry of the inks and how they have to pass through the nozzles in the print head. If you print often, and turn the printer on and off between prints, the pigment ink will not get mucked up in the nozzle or tank and will shoot through easily.
If the ink sits in the tank, and residue in the head,you wind up w;prints that could be off color or banded, some ink may not get through. The "solution" isnt really a repair, it s going to your settings and telling the printer to run cleaning cycles which charge the ink in the tanks and shoot int thru the noozles, the flow "cleans out" the nozzle. most of the time this works, but as mentioned earlier in this thead, it wastes ink and is generally a p.i.t.a as you have to wait for the cleaning cycle to complete.

I suppose if the heads cannot be cleared/cleaned this way, you can replace them but a) this has never actually happened to me...,and, the cost of replacing heads probably more than just thowing the printer out the window and getting a new one w/rebate. Just make sure its a basement window so no one gets killed


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## Ryan85 (Dec 15, 2014)

lescrane said:


> _
> Think you for your response and sharing your experience. I haven't decided yet. I'm thinking it'd be fun to do some of my own printing. I've never done any printing of my own so i don't really know anything about it yet. If the tanks clog up is that a easy self fix or are you sending it out for repairs or buying new parts?_
> 
> I think you are not clear on the clogging issue because we weren't clear. It's a built in issue because of the chemistry of the inks and how they have to pass through the nozzles in the print head. If you print often, and turn the printer on and off between prints, the pigment ink will not get mucked up in the nozzle or tank and will shoot through easily.
> ...



Lol thanks for clearing that up for me.


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## Hillsilly (Dec 15, 2014)

I picked up a Pixma Pro 100 earlier this year at a good discount. I'm an infrequent printer, only printing with it about once per month. So far, I'm really impressed with the printer. It produces very nice, vibrant, detailed prints. But, deep down, I'm concerned about the longevity of the dye prints. Therefore, I only use the printer for prints which I'm entering into competitions and want to look great for a short period. For things which I want to last long term, I use a lab to print them on Kodak Endura, which should provide a lifespan easily surpassing any inkjet printer.

One of the benefits of the Pro 10 is that the pigment based ink is longer lasting than the the dye based ink in the Pro 100. But just note that the Pro 10 images might still only last 9-12 years (per Redriverpaper site). While they will last longer depending upon the framing material and how they are stored, in comparison, Kodak Endura (and Fuji Crystal Archive etc) should last 100+ years on display in a typical home environment and 200+ years in dark storage. Dye vs Pigment lifespan is an important consideration, but if you are looking for an archival quality solution, there are better options.


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## LDS (Dec 15, 2014)

Ryan85 said:


> So which printer would you keep and sell? And why?



I've just bought a Pixma Pro 10 (no luxury rebates here in Italy, unluckily), and I weighted both the 100 and 10 before buying - price was not so distant to be the issue. Eventually, I decided for the 10 because it looks better for B/W prints (especially on matte paper), and many reviews put it close to the Pixma Pro 1. It also uses a chroma optimzer that shoud improve some kind of prints.
Unlike some Epson models, it can switch between glossy/matte black ink without wasting it. On the other hand, on fine art papers it forces to use wide borders, and can't use roll paper. Reviewers put ink cost among the lowest ones for the category, but printing is still an expensive "hobby" - it it's not part of your job - especially if besides inks you end to print on some expensive large papers or canvases.
Also, learning to print "high quality" prints requires some time, experiment and mistakes to gain the required experience.
What printer to keep depends on what kind of prints you believe you are interested most in, what costs you are ready to sustain, and how often you print and what kind of paper you prefer.
I'm satisfied of the first results I obtained from the Pixma Pro 10, and the main reason I wished I could print myself was to have "total" control of the result, despite the costs. O well, once I was spending in films, now I spend in inks... but I find it is great have the printer create your print


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## LDS (Dec 15, 2014)

Hillsilly said:


> But just note that the Pro 10 images might still only last 9-12 years (per Redriverpaper site)



For print stability tests, I suggest to check http://www.wilhelm-research.com/. They perform extensive professional tests, and have a huge library of tests.


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## Hillsilly (Dec 15, 2014)

Thanks - Just realised I "misspoke" above. The Chromalife test on the redriverpaper site is for the Pro100. So maybe a better comparison for bare prints is 9-12 years for the pro-100 vs 30-40 years for Canon pigment ink per Wilhelm-Research. And with both, you'll get extended lifespan with better framing and storage methods.

I'll find out how accurate the Pro100 prediction is in 10 years time. In any case, I can just reprint the photo.


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## Ryan85 (Dec 15, 2014)

Thanks for all the comments and advise.


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## danski0224 (Dec 16, 2014)

Ryan85 said:


> Thanks for sharing. Where did you find your paper deals? Are they still going on?



Venture on over to the Canon USA website, and you will find several "buy one, get 4 free" paper deals covering glossy, luster and matte finishes.

If you buy replacement ink from the same Canon website, they usually have deals/freebies on paper with an ink purchase. The OEM ink seems to be about the same price everywhere, so why not get free stuff with it?

Miss the sales/specials on paper? Then try Red River Paper- they have a sampler pack.

I have a Pro-10 and have had zero print issues, even with the printer sitting in sleep mode for a couple of weeks at a time. I wouldn't be too concerned about clogs unless you are in the desert.

Having this printer is nice, and being able to print fantastic images is awesome, but economical it is not. It is a very expensive convenience. 

You will definitely want to have at least 1 10 pack of refills onhand, plus the color optimizer and the set of 3 blacks.

Also install the Canon Print Studio plug-in.


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## Ryan85 (Dec 16, 2014)

danski0224 said:


> Ryan85 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for sharing. Where did you find your paper deals? Are they still going on?
> ...



Thanks for letting me know


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## LDS (Dec 16, 2014)

Ah, BTW, I forgot to add another difference between the Pixma Pro 10 and 100 - the former allows for printer calibration using an X-Rite ColorMunki or i1 Pro/Pro2 using the supplied Canon Color Managemt Tool Pro, and ICC profile creation, just like the Pixma Pro 1. The 100 supports only creating ICC profiles.
If you have a wholly color managed workflow the 10 can be a better choice, especially if you're going to print on papers for which an ICC profile is not available, of if you want to create your own.


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## JPAZ (Dec 16, 2014)

Just spent the weekend playing around with my new Pixma PRO-100 including some 8 x 12 and 5 x 7 prints in both color and B&W. I do need to spend some time learning more about the process but I am impressed. And, none of the prints were on Canon papers!

I can say that the ink usage, at least based on the software monitoring, is reasonable. I've yet to experience any clogs (admittedly this is only a short time) and I do live in the desert! I've ordered some of the buy 1 get 4 paper deals and did order some replacement ink cartridges. 

Given the rebates, this printer cost me less or about the same as other less capable printers I was considering. I really do hope I made the right choice.......


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## Ryan85 (Dec 17, 2014)

Thanks


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