Printer News

Canon just officially unveiled the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 Professional Inkjet Printer, a long-awaited 17-inch professional photo printer that borrows some design elements from the company's high-end lens line. (This is the same printer that Canon showed off as a prototype at its Canon Expo event in September.)

George Schaub, Shutterbug’s Editor-at-Large, got a chance to test out the new Canon printer during the Albuquerque Balloon Festival last month. Below is his hands-on report on the new imagePROGRAF PRO-1000.

Hands-On with the Canon PRO-1000
In a “sneak peek” meeting attended by Shutterbug at the Canon Call Center in Albuquerque, NM, held in conjunction with the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, of which Canon is now an official sponsor, the company unveiled their latest imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 inkjet printer ($1,299.99).

Sporting the “red stripe” of Canon’s L series lenses, which the company says is indicative of high-end build and quality, the 17-inch printer is said to be the “first step” in a coming line of photo printers that will appeal to the enthusiast, art and pro photographer, schools, designers, and ad agencies.

Measuring 28.5 (W) x 17 (D) x 11.2 (H) inches, the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 weighs in at a hefty 70.5 lbs. and is delivered with full load of Lucia Pro ink cartridges, although, of course, the initial tube fill consumes more than would occur with mere cartridge replacement. The new single print head in the Pro-1000 has 18,432 nozzles and if any should “non-fire” there is a backup compensation feature that picks up the slack for the print at hand.

There are eleven 80 milliliter Lucia Pro ink cartridges plus a chrome optimizer (for elimination of glossy paper surface anomalies) that promise to deliver vivid colors with an enhanced dynamic range. One gray ink cartridge has been dropped in favor of a blue ink cartridge and the green ink has been eliminated.

Black and white printers will be glad to hear that switching from matte to photo black does not require a separate dump and switch cycle, as each type of black ink has its own channel. Replacement cartridges run $59.99 and $54.99 for the chrome optimizer.

The Canon PRO-1000 printer has no roller attachment and can be fed through the top or front, the latter being for paper stock over 300 gsm. There’s a skew correction system as well as an air-feed/vacuum system that holds the paper flat once it enters the printing channel.

Pro style enhancements include a Media Configuration setup that allows the user to profile and store any and all media used, making setup of different paper stock a one and done task. There’s also a Calibration Link that can be used for multiple printers: in short, the user can customize their settings for media in one or many printers with ease.

Soft proofing is also available, as well as workflow compatibility with DPP and Print Studio Pro (Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software), Lightroom and Photoshop. Canon claims the  PRO-1000 printer has a printing speed of six minutes for a bordered 17x22 inch print and four minutes 10 seconds when printing in high-speed mode.

The Canon PRO-1000 printer will be on display at the Photo Plus Expo show in New York on Thursday, October 22nd. Shipments of the PRO-1000 should commence shortly.