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Author Topic: Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500  (Read 10329 times)

The View

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« on: June 28, 2008, 02:24:09 pm »

If you buy a Canon camera right now, you get a 300$ rebate on the Canon 9000 Pro and a 350$ rebate on the Canon 9500 Pro.

This sounds like a great opportunity.

How good is the print quality/reliability compared to Epson printers?

Feedback greatly appreciated, as I'm going to place my camera order on Monday!
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BradSmith

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2008, 02:29:51 pm »

Quote
If you buy a Canon camera right now, you get a 300$ rebate on the Canon 9000 Pro and a 350$ rebate on the Canon 9500 Pro.

This sounds like a great opportunity.

How good is the print quality/reliability compared to Epson printers?

Feedback greatly appreciated, as I'm going to place my camera order on Monday!
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Here's a link to a highly detailed review of three competing printers, including the 9500 and the Epson 2400.

[a href=\"http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/printers/Pigs/page_1.html]http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/printers/Pigs/page_1.html[/url]

Brad
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The View

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2008, 09:06:09 pm »

Thanks for this link, Brad!

Looks like the 9000 is a dye based printer, the 9500 a pigment based printer.

Pigment based printer have to run regularly, or the ink will dry up, so I'm thinking about the 9000.
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The View

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #3 on: June 29, 2008, 03:20:17 pm »

I just found out the Canon Pixma 9000 has been introduced in 2006.

Maybe Canon is preparing for launching a new printer model, and this is why they sell this one off.

I have no experience in inkjet printers so far, and I wonder if this is too old a model.

Also. It costs over four times as much as the R280 (which is a new model), and I wonder  if you pay the extra dollars for print quality or for its ability to print larger.

Thanks for your comments.
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GKN

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2008, 06:51:24 pm »

Canon seem to be offering good cashbacks at the moment, maybe to counter the new offers from Epson.

The Canon 9000 is the dye printer, while the 9500 is the pigment printer (archival). The 9500 is also going to produce better black and whites.

Trying to compare with the R280 is difficult - they are such different beasts. The 9000 and 9500 will have more ink tanks - more colours means better graduations. The 9000 and 9500 will also take fine art media - not so sure about the R280. The R280 is an A4 printer, unlike the other 2 which are A3+. Regarding their age, the 9000 came out in 2006 and the 9500 in 2007, so not that old.

Reviewing the 3 pigs review at Photo-i, there is little to separate the 9500 from its competitors - each printer has its own faults, each has its own strengths. The key problems found with the 9500 were:

- cost (although where I live (NZ) the Canon is the cheapest, not the most expensive)
- gloss prints not quite as good as the competitors
- 35mm forced margin with fine art setting
- speed to print is slow

The quality of fine art, matte and semi gloss media is great. The build quality is excellent and you get neutral B&W prints.

As for my experience ..... I can't really offer too many useful comments / conclusions - it's too new - I'm still learning to use it (my first inkjet printer), but the last couple of prints have been great
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The View

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2008, 09:47:42 pm »

I actually got some good information, and finally ordered the Pixma Pro 9000.

I'm not doing any black and white, and I like the way of dye colors.

The PixmaPro 9000 seems to be a rock solid, professional piece of equipment, and even though it's not a new model, it's great printer, and in a different class than the R280.

My main interests are printing on fine art paper, photo rag, and what Ilford calls "pearl", not matte, but not glossy or semi-glossy either (even in my darkroom years I never used anything that looked like a shiny surface. Tried and stopped using plastic papers for rag/baryt).

Regarding the inks: the Claria inks of the R280 are advertised to last 200 years, the inks of the Canon to last 100 years. What I heard of the really knowledgeable sales people of the printer department at B&H is, that the Claria inks aren't good, and don't even last as long as the Canon PixmaPro inks.

And the latter inks last many years in an album or behind glass, and years even exposed to light. They last longer than the C-prints of yesteryear.

So I ordered three different kinds of paper and will try out what I like. I was careful to buy only paper where I could get an ICC profile.

The printer cost 429$, and the mail-in rebate is 300$.
« Last Edit: June 30, 2008, 09:48:17 pm by The View »
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The View

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2008, 09:51:03 pm »

By the way: the Canons are much less prone to have their nozzles clogged, as they work with heating up ink, in comparison to Epson working with cold ink and piezo-electricity.

So, if you're not a high volume user - and I'm just starting out to print with inkjets - that's also a fact to consider. I have heard people complain regularly about clogged nozzles with Epsons.
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haefnerphoto

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2008, 10:09:02 pm »

There are a few issues I have with the 9000 (I have 3 of them).  The main problem is metamerism, the color shift is very noticeable.  Another issue is the small cartridges, you will get tired of changing them as frequently as they run out.  Lastly, the dye inks do not last 100 years, in the dark maybe but any print left out will start to fade in a year or so.  On the plus side is that they are quite fast and the photographs exhibit no gloss differential.  Also, the images really look like photographs, which is hard to explain but I find true.  While I still utilize these printers, my new choice of a printing device is the Epson 3800, especially when combined with Ilford Gold Fiber Silk paper (which doesn't work well with dye inks).  That's my 2 cents worth of advice.  Good luck!  Jim
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colinm

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2008, 10:31:55 pm »

Quote
Lastly, the dye inks do not last 100 years, in the dark maybe but any print left out will start to fade in a year or so.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=204678\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Yeah, the thing to keep in mind with the ChromaLife100 inks is that the 100 year figure is for storage in albums. They're not ideal for display at all, and even the album longevity figures are assuming you're sticking the pictures (printed on only approved Canon papers) in a barrier album in a climate-controlled environment and not looking at them for 100 years.

They do make beautiful—if fleeting—prints, though.
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Colin

The View

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #9 on: July 01, 2008, 03:54:12 am »

But how about behind glass? That should help to prolong life for display.

The Epson 3800 is definitely a desirable printer.

But for his you need to print regularly, or the ink nozzles will clog.

Also, it just costs 1o times as much as I paid for the Canon (with the 300$ rebate). The cartridges are small, but I wont print high volume at the beginning.

For me it is, right now, to experiment with different papers (I ordered three different kinds) and find a way to get my work on paper on my own so it still looks like my work.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2008, 04:40:18 am by The View »
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The View

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2008, 03:59:51 am »

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There are a few issues I have with the 9000 (I have 3 of them).  The main problem is metamerism, the color shift is very noticeable. 
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=204678\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Three!

With color shift, do you mean it is impossible to hit certain colors right? Or all colors? Wouldn't that be solvable in softproofing?
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haefnerphoto

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #11 on: July 01, 2008, 06:12:34 am »

Metamerism occurs when the print is viewed under different light sources.  The color shift is not attributable to just the change in color temperature.  What will happen is that a print will look fine when viewed in tungsten illumination but then when viewed in daylight the color will shift dramatically to the cyan-green side.  This will be especially noticeable in neutral areas of the print.  As I mentioned I still use my printers but when accurate color is important I use my 3800.  The heads, by the way, do not clog.  At least that's my experience.  Glass won't buy much time, the color will definitely fade.
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GKN

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« Reply #12 on: July 01, 2008, 06:47:08 pm »

The dye printers give great results at the glossy end of the scale, but won't be as good on fine art papers as the pigment ink. Watch the paper recommendations closely and you'll get great results with the 9000. Here are two links to the Ilford info

http://www.ilford.com/en/pdf/prods/galerie/correctpaper.pdf

http://www.ilford.com/en/pdf/prods/galerie...LERIE_MEDIA.pdf

While all papers can be used with dye papers, it seems that the "Classic" papers are the optimal ones in their range for a dye based printer.
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The View

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« Reply #13 on: July 01, 2008, 08:29:50 pm »

Quote
Metamerism occurs when the print is viewed under different light sources.  The color shift is not attributable to just the change in color temperature.  What will happen is that a print will look fine when viewed in tungsten illumination but then when viewed in daylight the color will shift dramatically to the cyan-green side.  This will be especially noticeable in neutral areas of the print.  As I mentioned I still use my printers but when accurate color is important I use my 3800.  The heads, by the way, do not clog.  At least that's my experience.  Glass won't buy much time, the color will definitely fade.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=204730\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Looks like I'm going to print only during daylight hours, as I want my prints to be at their best for daylight viewing.

Regarding your print heads do not clog. How regularly do you print? Every day, or every other day?
« Last Edit: July 01, 2008, 08:40:50 pm by The View »
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The View

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #14 on: July 01, 2008, 08:39:08 pm »

Quote
The dye printers give great results at the glossy end of the scale, but won't be as good on fine art papers as the pigment ink. Watch the paper recommendations closely and you'll get great results with the 9000. Here are two links to the Ilford info

http://www.ilford.com/en/pdf/prods/galerie/correctpaper.pdf

http://www.ilford.com/en/pdf/prods/galerie...LERIE_MEDIA.pdf

While all papers can be used with dye papers, it seems that the "Classic" papers are the optimal ones in their range for a dye based printer.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=204874\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


Looks like polymer coated is the way to go with dye inks.

Unfortunately, art papers and photo rag seem to be my favorite. Well, I'll see what results I'm able to get on those surfaces.

It'll be good enough to gain experience, and then step up to a higher end pigment printer in a year or two.
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haefnerphoto

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« Reply #15 on: July 01, 2008, 10:31:46 pm »

I've had my 3800 for about 3 months.  I don't use it everyday or sometimes even every other day.  Some days I'll print all day long.  So far I've had no head clogs.  After 3 months I've had to change the light black cartridge once (others are not far behind it), in three days I've changed at least 6 13ml dye cartridges.  For 100-150.00 the Canon is fine, keep in mind that you'll spend a fortune on ink.  It's a good printer but the Epson, in my opinion, is superior.  Jim
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The View

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« Reply #16 on: July 02, 2008, 07:10:40 pm »

You print a lot.

I can't tell how much I will be printing, and before I print commercially, for clients (for which I probably have to get a pigment ink printer) I'll do my testing and learning with this one.

I repeatedly read on the web that putting prints behind glass enhances their longevity.

Well, I'll see if that's true. I'm still researching that subject.
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The View

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Canon Pixma pro 9000 / 9500
« Reply #17 on: July 09, 2008, 02:08:06 am »

I found an interesting link regarding the dye/pigment ink debate.

http://www.marrutt.com/digital-ink-myths-2.php

Quote:

"Choose between pigments and dyes wisely. The choice is a compromise between color quality and longevity. For extreme long life requirements, pigments are the way to go, but they have reduced color quality when compared to dyes. For very good life and great color, go with the dyes."
« Last Edit: July 09, 2008, 02:15:47 am by The View »
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