Canon iPF8000 firmware

[Malcolm Payne]

Does anyone know if there are regionalisation or other differences between firmware posted on the Canon USA and Europe sites?

V1.31 of the iPF8000 firmware dated 8 October '07 was posted on the USA site a couple of weeks ago, but the only version currently listed on Canon's European site for download is v1.20, which is the version loaded on the printer as originally supplied.

Published information on the improvements in v1.31 for the iPF8000 is very limited, but details of the comparable upgrade for the iPF5000 suggest that it is likely to be beneficial.  I can't see any reason why there should be any differences for the two regions, but it's a bit odd that the European site is taking so long to catch up and I am very reluctant to attempt to install the US version of the firmware on a European-market printer in the absence of further details.

Thanks in advance for any further information.

[John Hollenberg]

While there have been many claims from Canon that "this will break your printer", "you will go blind", etc., there do not appear to be any regional differences in Firmware versions.  There certainly aren't any documented cases of problems on the Wiki from installing a firmware version released in one region to a printer that is "designed" for another region.  The difference appears to be when a particular region feels that a firmware or software version is "ready for release".  How it could be ready in one region, but not in another is certainly beyond comprehension.

Bottom line: I doubt there would be any problem with installation, but use at your own risk.

--John

[Malcolm Payne]

Thanks, John.  I have no desperately urgent need to upgrade, other than that I need to run a couple of dozen profiles as soon as my i1 gets back from service and I was a bit concerned that any subsequent changes to the diffusion pattern similar to those in the equivalent firmware update for the iPF5000 might invalidate any profiling I'd already done. Under the circumstances, I think I'll sit this one out for a bit to see if Canon remembers that it has a European user base as well as the USA!

(Apologies for any errors in posting here, I'm still finding my way around the system)