Printer Reviews

Every year member magazines from the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) gather to consider and vote on the top products of the year in 40 categories, ranging from cameras to tripods to software and printers. This year’s selections represent technological sophistication along with features and functionality that make them leaders in their respective categories.

I decided to take a look at two new AiO devices, the Canon PIXMA MP980 and the HP Photosmart Premium Fax All-in-One to see how they did with photo printing and scanning—two functions that any photographer needs.

Use your inkjet printer to create 3D toys, stunning calendars, scrapbook pages, holiday cards, hanging decorations, reproductions of famous artwork and much, much more. Canon’s Creative Park offers an outstanding collection of templates and activities—complete with detailed instructions—and no, you don’t have to own a Canon brand printer. With Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Proms and Graduations rapidly approaching, here’s your chance to create personalized cards and gifts using your shareable digital images.

There’s no question that digital printmaking equipment, ink, and paper has undergone steady improvement over the years. Gone are the days of excessive dry-down effects and color shifts, poor paper feed mechanisms, and complicated setups. The debate over silver vs. inkjet image resonance and quality is seldom heard anymore, and we’re at the point now where the precision and ease of use of printers, the amazing selection of papers and “substrates” (things you can print on), and the fact that getting WYSIWYG results does not need an advanced degree in color science all make producing really good prints accessible to all.

For those seeking a larger print size at an affordable price, the Canon PIXMA iP8720 ($299) provides fast output (under two minutes for a 13x19 print) with very good image quality. The unit fits comfortably on a desktop (about 2 feet by 1 feet, given that you need more space for the catcher up front) and at 18 pounds or so, it does not require lifting from the knees, as do some 13x19-inch printers. Canon makes it very clear in their marketing, and in the features the unit has, and in some cases lacks, that this is a consumer-oriented printer. It goes head-to-head in price with the Epson Artisan 1430, and while this is not a comparative review, it’s good to know the competitive landscape for your further investigations.

The new Canon PIXMA PRO-1 is a 13x19” pigment-ink printer that makes fine quality prints in a price range that could be considered quite fair for what you get ($999). Aimed at avid photographers and enthusiast printmakers, as well as pros choosing to do their own mid-size prints, the PIXMA PRO-1 fills a void left by HP’s abandonment of the category and directly challenges Epson. The printer offers ease of use, solid performance, 12 ink cartridges, and all in all seems to improve upon 13” printers of the past. Our tests were aimed at determining if the PIXMA PRO-1 could be a solid contender in its class and if there were upgrades or new workflow techniques that would differentiate it from the competition.

The introduction about a year ago of 12-color pigment printers by Canon was a major addition to the fine art and photo printing area. No longer did only Epson own this category. For the first round, Canon brought out the 17" iPF5000, 44" iPF8000, and 60" iPF9000 wide format printers. Using a new LUCIA pigment inkset, these printers offered long archival life...