Ryan85 said:
Mt Spokane Photography said:
Unless you are using them 3 or more days a week, sell them while they are new. The printers do a self cleaning when turned on, and clog if left on, which means they will use even more ink. If left off for a few days, they will clog and waste a lot of ink to clean them.
They generally only come with starter ink cartridges, so you'll need to replace them after just a few prints. It can use half those starter cartridges just to set it up initially. Buy a couple of extra sets to start.
The printers are free, but ink can cost you big bucks. Check out the cost of a new set of inks before deciding.
I have a Epson 3880, and use Cone ink tanks and 1 liter refills which cuts the cost a lot, but even so, its expensive. Still, its a fraction of the price of Epson inks.
The Pro 100 is dye ink based. Dye ink looks nice, but is not long lasting, and not water proof. It does not clog as easily, and there are compatible inks that work well. Cost is $100 per ink set, they won't last long.
The Pro-10 uses pigment based inks, which will have a long print life, and are more water resistant. They are what you should use if you want serious prints. The down side is more clogging, $130 / set of inks or $15 each. Those small ink tanks will not last long. You will notice that more inks are used in a set. This overcomes the inherent color pop advantage of dye inks, and provides sublime B&W prints.
Thank you for your advice
Please consider other opinions before deciding. I have owned Epson pigment printers for 10 years, dye printers before tha. Like you I was offered incredible rebates and sale prices on Canon recently and chose the Canon Pro 10. I admit that it cost me nothing after all sales and rebates.
First, I want to say that while many opinions and experiences differ, the above poster is wrong on the the point of starter ink tanks. I read about that myth in some reviews. The ink tanks that came with my Pro 10 are full ink tanks, the same as what you buy. As the poster states, they are small. Smaller than the Epson 3000 series and Canon Pro 1, about the same as Epson dye printers and R1900. While I agree that the Epson 3000 series give you lower cost per print on ink, unless you do a lot of printing, those huge cartridges will just sit there for a long time and eventually clog if you don[t use them
So far my experience has been:
printed about 30 8x10s and have not changed any ink. usage indicators vary, but I think I have a lot left
I have left the printer off for about 2 weeks and have had zero clogging issues. I am not declaring that Canon is better than Epson on this(yet) but I have always had clogging on my Epson pigment printers and have wasted loads of ink doing repeated cleaning cycles with Epson. I met with a Canon rep when I bought my Pro 10 and he claimed Canon is less prone to clogging than Epson. I do not take the word of salesmen, but that has been the reputation on other forums
Print quality. I would have to hold up my Epson and Canon prints to a magnifying glass to find major differences;
I can say that the Pro 10 really excels at printing on Lustre. Both on the free samples I got and even on Epson Luster. On glossy, it's a mixed case. I find that my Epson prints are GLOSSIER, eg more shiny. The gloss on the Canon is a bit duller. That being said I find that the Pro 10 has LESS bronzing. Not that Epson is bad.
I have not yet printed on Fine Art paper . . Nor have I done black and white
The Pro 10 was very easy to set up despite some stuff I read. It has wireless LAN connectivity.
I print through Adobe Photoshop or LIghroom and do not use the Canon software. Print matching on a well calibrated monitor is excellent. I would say Canon is a bit better than my EPsons using the same workflow and doing side by side comparisons.
The build quality on the Canon is excellent. On the other hand, it has a huge footprint on the desk for an a3 machine and weighs nearly 50 lbs.
Print speed on the Canon is slow as molasses. I really don't care because I'm not running a printing shop. It;s also dead quiet. I hear nothing.
To conclude. I am not bashing Epson. I still have mine on a huge desk next to the Pro 10. After using Epsons since the advent of inkjet printing, my brand loyalty ran out because I was sick of the clogging and Canon "made me an offer I couldnt refuse." Right now I have to say the Canon is my primary printer.
I realize your choice is bet the 10 and the hundred. As mentioned in previous post. 10 is pigments. They will not run if gotten wet, the will last very long. 100 is dye. New dyes also can last long, but if you ever intend to sell photos esp unframed, I would go w the pigment. The dyes do have a bit more color saturation. However the dye Canon prints I've seen (but not used) seem to be a bit over the top with the color; The pigments are more subtle on default settings. If want more pop or exaggerated color, you can still adjust your files to achieve it
If you keep it, I suggest you buy a complete set of inks in a package, I got it for 132 on B&H. Then you will have a spare for every color. Some colors like gray will be used much faster than others and then you can buy individual tanks as needed, until you are ready for a full set.
Good luck