Thanks for the info, the size/weight is a factor to consider since I have my studio in the second floor.
Yah, this printer head is much bulkier and heavier than the Epson 9600.
Caveat Emptor! I have run into issues which I hope to address in this forum.
- Are you using PC or Mac to print?
- Is any RIP included?
- The IPF8000 comes with a Photoshop plugin ala IPF5000? if so, do you use it?
- Color out of the box is ok?
- Using non Canon paper has good results?
- how fast is it?
- This printer behaves like the IPF5000 using double check on software and printer control panel to setup the paper?
- Any issues so far?
I've set it up as follows:
• Power Mac computers (non-Intel) on LAN in studio all print to the printer
• Printer connected via ethernet to ethernet switch. Printer given static IP address.
• Using the included Canon GARO print driver. Printing from Photoshop and Acrobat.
Once assembled and turned on, it fills the ink supply lines. Once paper is loaded for
the first time, it performs an auto head alignment. As with my 9600 I used the supplied cheap matte paper to print info from the panel and utility software. This helps me get acquainted with the equipment.
I loaded a 42" wide roll of "Canon Premium Bright Photo Satin Paper (230gm)" and it was not as easy as loading paper into a 9600. The roll goes under the printhead area and must be pushed/slid up into the paper spooling area. This requires the use of cotton gloves or else palm grease will get on the paper. The spooler takes up the paper easily and once its been fed throught the platen it must be straightened by manually pulling on the paper and aligning it to guides on the printer. Once that's done, the printer prompts the user for the paper type.
Because this printer prints on most substrates known to man, there is a special program that is used to make custom paper setups with. Criteria such as thickness, dry time, advance adjustment, cutting method are entered. This is an excellent feature for the studio that prints on many different substrates.
However, the ICC profiles that come with the printer are minimal. There was no profile specifically for "Bright Photo Satin" or any satin at all for that matter. There are only
five paper profiles for the iPF8000, each with three quality settings: Normal, High & Highest. I was disappointed in Canon for this - I assumed if I bought a Canon branded paper there would be profiles available for it (Epson has profiles for their premium papers). The issue of "Are they good enough" is moot at this point. There are none for the specific Canon papers I bought.
So I ran some tests using the ICC profiles for Photo Glossy just to get going. The printer is
much faster than the 9600 in any print mode (unidirectional, finest output, draft, etc.). Under a magnifying loupe I can see the ink dither is slightly coarser than the 9600, but at normal viewing distance (hand held) the image is continuous tone. As expected, the colors are richer, more vibrant and with better black than the 9600.
I also output a few monochrome images using the Monochrome setting in the print driver. I was very pleased with the color of the tone. In "Neutral" it was very slightly warmer than the grays on the MacBeth color chart. This warm tone was identical thoughout every image. My 9600 exhibited strange shifts in color/tone on my B&W prints unless I used ImagePrint (this was a well known issue with that printer/inkset).
One of the downsides to this equipment is the very poor User's Manual (the HTTP version is a near-duplicate of the printed version). The setup manual, used to assemble the printer is extremely detailed and my high hopes were dashed when I opened the manual to find things like this:
"If you cannot adjust the printhead as desired using special media, select
Advanced Adjust." (pg. 41)
Then there is
nothing about "Advanced Adjust" anywhere in the printed or online manual!
An unbelievable issue with the on-line manual is the fact that several of the the links are completely non-functional. Click it and get a "404 Not Found" error.
Besides this egregious manual the printer is functioning perfectly. Only time will tell about its durability and overall performance.
Another nit is the printer driver. In most cases, when you set output parameters and click "Print", the parameters are saved. Not so with the Canon driver. I must select the paper type each time I print. It's already selected in the hardware panel on the printer, but I must also select paper type each time I print.
What I need now is to know how to work the Canon "AutoLayout" feature. This allows multiple images from multiple programs to be printed at the same time, much like a RIP feature. I hope to get that going next.