Canon ipf5100, usage requirements

[Theo Kik]

Hi!

As a new member (long time reader), I hope its ok that i start off with a question.

I own a Pixma 100, which serves me well. I use it weekly on average i'd say. For larger prints I order from one of the print services here in the Netherlands.

I  am an amateur photographer, industrial engineer by trade (and job), we design and build factories basically. I love shooting industrial and architectural work. I have the odd job here and there, sell some prints and shoot some portraits now and again. I hope to move towards making a living photographing for the companies i now build plants for.

Anyway, the canon ipf5100 is now around 1150€ in the Netherlands. This seems to be an exelent oportunity to get into large format printing, since i thouroughly enjoy the whole printing and framing thing. I am worried i might not print enough to keep the printer in good shape? I dont feel like replacing 700€ worth of ink or a 350€ head every few months. What would be the minimum usage? Also, how many prints do you get out of the 700€ worth of full catridges?

Hope to find some experience with this stuff among you guys.

Thanks in advanced.

Theo Kik

[Landscapes]

If it was me, I would want to print an 8x10 every 2 days.  This way, the printer would never trigger an auto nozzle check and when you start to print, it would go right to the print.  If you wait 3 or 4 days, I think the first thing is does is a nozzle check, and then it might do a clean, and the clean will surely use more ink than the 1ml or so for an 8x10.  Its probably cheaper in the long run to print three 8x10's per week than to only do 1 print, but have to do a clean cycle between each one.

If you keep the ink flowing, I think the chances are good that the printer and heads will last a long time.  The printhead, being a replaceable item, has nozzles that get used up and burned out with usage.  If your usage is small, I can imagine it can be used for a long time, as long as there is minimal usage.  Its like a car.  If you only drive 5000km per year, even after 20 years and hence 100,000km, its probably in good condition.  But if it just sits there and you don't fill up the tires with air and use it at least once a week to keep it lubricated, even running the AC at least once a month, even during the winter is good for the hoses, then this will degrade quickly.

So I would make sure to space out your prints and do at least 2 or 3 a week, trying to use it every couple of days, versus just a couple of times a month but doing lots of prints each time.  Its also like eating I guess.  You could perhaps eat 6,000 calories every 3 days, but eating 2,000 every day is probably better, even though it would amount to the food intake.

[Pete Berry]

I have used my iPF 5000, now 5100 with no attention at all to printing on a regular schedule, but make sure to leave it plugged in for it's auto-maintenance cycles, which appear to use little ink. With both printers, following the initial nozzle test print, I've had no cause to repeat this or do manual head cleaning cycles. I frequently go up to four weeks without printing. Larger format Epsons and Canons are two entirely different beasts!

The heads on the 5000 lasted five years before failure, and rather than replace them I bought the updated 5100, as the retail value of two new heads plus the $600 value of the starter inks was close to the new printer cost.

Pete

[Georgecp]

Hi Theo,

Welcome! 

I purchased a Canon IPF5100 in 2007 and had a great experience for 5 years. I ultimately scrapped it after the circuit board needed replacing which was far more expensive than the printer's residual value (and I was concerned that it may fail again after investing in an expensive repair).  I ended up purchasing an Epson 4900 as a replacement in 2012.

A couple of high points - the printer was very good in daily use and paper handling as well as very efficient with ink.  Even if I didn't print for a period of time, it fired up and worked very well.  It made beautiful prints - which is the most important criterion.  The canon software driver and photoshop plugin gives you a fair amount of control.

Before I go any further, a note of explanation is in order.  When users say that their Canon printer never clogged, you have to put this into context.  Canon and Epson use different approaches to managing ink head clogs.  An Epson printer is expecting that all nozzles are clear and therefore careful printers need to have a fully clear nozzle check pattern before they print.  Canon, on the other hand, automatically "maps" clogged nozzles and "prints around them" so in effect, the nozzles are clogging but you don't experience it until so many clog that you have to replace the print head ($500 each - the printer takes two).  The Canon printer is designed so that the print heads are user replaceable.  Epson is not designed to be user replaceable.

Back to your decision.  I gave you some positives before; here are the negatives.  1) the printer technology is almost 10 years old.  While the prints were, and are, nice, the prints made with my Epson 4900 are noticeably better to my eye.  The newer epson produces prints with more gamut and more subtlety.  The prints made with my Canon look very nice until I compare them to my Epson 4900 prints!  The difference may not matter to you.  2) Not sure how much effort Canon is putting into keeping its 5100 printer software up to date - you should check this.  Photoshop and Lightroom continue to progress - the fact that Canon has not entered the 17" pro market with a new model since the 5100 indicates that they have de-prioritized it.  I would do some homework here.  3) Ensure that there will be a steady supply of print heads - My guess, though I could be wrong, is that Canon ceased production of this printer some years ago - not sure how long they will support it.  I have seen "new/old" stock sales of the printer from online merchants in the US.

Of course, there are other options, but you did not ask about those so I will not walk through them.

Net/Net - it is a solid printer that should serve you well.  However, the print image technology is 10 years old and Canon does not seem to put much emphasis this model any more.

Best of luck with your decision.

[Theo Kik]

Thanks so much for your replies.

Now im starting to doubt if its even such a great bargain, since i didnt realize its this old.

A bit a a varied answer in terms of min usage. If its truly every 2 days, this might not be for me.

Does this printer differ much from the epson P800? Would that be a suitable choice for my use aswell?

Thanks,

Theo

[Nora_nor]

The Epson ink is very nice  re. bronzing and gloss differential! I miss the 4900 (does not work).

Right now they have the theory that the P800 is made kind of like the 3800 that did not readily clog.
If you check garment printers forums, they use a few types of printers, including the 3800. That says a lot.
But new printheads maybe do not tolerate aggressive cleaning fluids? They do not know yet what the P800 tolerates re. third-party ink and third-party cleaning fluids....