The Canon range of professional desktop printers offer superb print quality in combination with PermaJet media. But which is right for you?
How many cartridges
One of the main things to consider is the amount of inks the printer has. The more inks, the better colour accuracy and depth your prints will achieve. When you start venturing into the higher end printer models with 10 or more inks, you will see there is a Matte Black (MK) and Photo Black (PK) ink. The printer automatically swaps between these depending on the kind of paper you are using, resulting in richer blacks on matt paper. This is highly recommended if you’re producing fine art prints and want the best results possible.
Dye or pigment ink
Another thing you should consider when choosing your printer is whether it has dye or pigment inks; this is most important for those who are looking to produce archival work with better print longevity. The comparison below details the benefits of each ink type.
DYE BASED INK
- Liquid dye that absorbs into the paper fibres
- Resists fading for 25 to 30 years
- More saturated colours, better colour range and denser blacks
- Lower costs
- Can be susceptible to smudging and fading
- Better suited to gloss surfaces
Perfect for…
- Smaller budgets
- Prints where longevity is not as important
PIGMENT BASED INK
- Solid pigment particles that sit on the paper and bond with the fibres
- Resistant to external influences such as water, environmental gases and UV rays
- Higher colour stability and print longevity with the potential to resist fading for up to 200 years
Perfect for…
- Archival fine art and professional printing
- Prints that will see a lot of handling or sunlight
Canon PIXMA iP8750
Maximum sheet size A3+
6 dye inks (PGBK/BK/C/M/Y/GY)
Produce stunning prints up to an impressive size of A3+ with this excellently priced entry-level photo printer.
The 6-dye based ink cartridges includes a grey ink that enables richer colour photos; while the FINE printhead technology delivers up to 9600dpi resolution for exceptional detail and photo-quality results. The PIXMA iP8750 is ideal for photo enthusiasts and small studios who need to print high quality images with shorter term display in mind. If you print a lot of monochrome work we would recommend upgrading to one of the higher end printers with more inks, but for day-to-day prints this is an excellent printer.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300
Maximum sheet size A3+
10 pigment inks (PBK/MBK/GY/C/M/Y/PC/PM/R/CO)
Take your printing to a brand new level with this beautifully compact professional A3+ printer that has all the advantages and qualities of the imagePROGRAF PRO professional range, rewarding you with rich, vibrant and exquisite gallery quality prints. A series of newly introduced features make this printer hard to beat in all aspects of quality, price and performance.
The 10-ink pigment-based system enables you to produce prints onto a variety of media finishes including gloss, matt and fine art papers that are resistant to fading and ideal for display or archival purposes. This printer is optimised for fine art Giclée printing with it’s newly introduced Baryta paper options and borderless feed tray for any print size, plus the improved Matte Black ink that prints deeper blacks than ever before.
Key Features:
- 15% smaller footprint than the PRO-10S
- Achieve much deeper blacks on fine art matt paper
- Borderless printing in all print modes
- Nozzle Misfire Detection switches to backup nozzles when a nozzle is not firing correctly to ensure there is no banding
- Paper Skew Correction detects skewing and corrects it
- Ink Tank Density Checking periodically shakes the cartridges to maintain constant ink density levels – ensuring colours are always consistent
- Enhanced colour gamut for greater depth
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100
Maximum sheet size A2
12 pigment inks (MBK/PBK/C/M/Y/PC/PM/GY/PGY/R/B/CO)
The PRO-1100 is the best printer you can get in the Canon desktop range, and technically considered part of the large format professional printers.
Small enough for the home studios, schools and small design environments, the Canon PRO-1100 offers exceptional print quality using its 12-colour LUCIA PRO II ink system, yielding a superb level of colour, sharpness, detail and expanded colour gamut. Monochrome printing is enhanced by the Matte Black, Black, Gray & Photo Gray inks offering superior grayscales and increased black density. Like the rest of the PRO-series range, expect more accuracy than ever before.
Need further advice on which printer is best for you? Give PermaJet a call on 01789 739200.
