Review: Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-2000

[Canon Rumors Guy]

Keith over at Northlight images has completed his exhaustive review of the Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-2000 printer, this is a replacement for the iPF 6300/6400 printers and uses the new ink set we first saw in the imagePROGRAF Pro-1000.</p>
<p>From Keith:</p>
<blockquote><p>If you can’t produce wonderful impressive looking large prints on a variety of media from this printer, then I’m going to suggest that the fault lays firmly with -your- skills elsewhere. <a href="http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/printer/review_canon_pro-2000.html">Read the full review</a></p></blockquote>
<p>If you’re in the market for a 24″ printer, it looks like the imagePROGRAF Pro-2000 should be on your very short list.</p>
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[keithcooper]

The printer has not been taken back yet, so if there are any specific questions, let me know?

 

[privatebydesign]

As always Keith, great work, and many thanks for the Epson PLPP profile.

Still making my way through the review, thanks again.

 

[privatebydesign]

Keith, childish I know but now it is charged up and full of ink, how are you going to get it out of your house?

 

[RGF]

The printer has not been taken back yet, so if there are any specific questions, let me know?

You said you had difficulty, but were able to get the printer through a UK door.

Disassembled, out of the box, how large is the printer and how large is the stand. Wonder if I could get through my doors (in the US).

 

[keithcooper]

Keith, childish I know but now it is charged up and full of ink, how are you going to get it out of your house?

I leave that as an exercise for Canon...

There is actually a 'moving it' section in the review that says it will be updated with info when it happens ;-)

 

[keithcooper]

The printer has not been taken back yet, so if there are any specific questions, let me know?

You said you had difficulty, but were able to get the printer through a UK door.

Disassembled, out of the box, how large is the printer and how large is the stand. Wonder if I could get through my doors (in the US).

My door frames have a max passable width of 29" if the door is fully open or removed.

The printer, not tilted or twisted (as shown in the setup article) is just under that, so I could get it through to the next room, but not round the next doorway to the hallway.

If you look at the photos in the setup article, you can see how they had to tilt the empty printer to get it through

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/printer/canon_pro-2000_setup.html

I've just added some measurements to the setup article, so thanks for asking ;-)

 

[9VIII]

When I saw this article, for half a second all I could think was "why is there a barbecue on the front page of Canonrumors?"

 

[keithcooper]

When I saw this article, for half a second all I could think was "why is there a barbecue on the front page of Canonrumors?"

That would be why the review machine is in my kitchen

 

[sold5]

Hi Keith,

Any advice for someone who has a large format canon 6400 printer that has been sitting idle in an office in powered for a few years? I don't even know where to start with it.

It was in regular use for a year or so before this.

Thanks!

 

[RGF]

This may be an unfair question, but if you had to choose between a Canon or Epson 24" printer, which you pick and why? I usage will be fairly light.

Thanks

 

[privatebydesign]

This may be an unfair question, but if you had to choose between a Canon or Epson 24" printer, which you pick and why? I usage will be fairly light.

Thanks

RGF, if i may?

I am sure Keith is only in a position to comment on initial use and print quality, with regards those the conclusions in his reviews of the Canon Pro-2000 and Epson P-7000 are that both are better than we are (he includes himself in that too).

As for longevity and long term use, obviously somebody doing an initial review can't comment on those very important aspects of long term ownership.

My personal experience as a long term Epson owner and user with an average photographer type usage of both a 4900 and a 7900 (1,500 prints in 3 years). The Epson system has a fundamental flaw, the head relies on zero nozzles ever getting blocked and the heads are not user replaceable or available for purchase. This resulted in the scrapping of my 7900 after less than 300 prints, I personally took it to a landfill. I had really hoped the P7000 would address these concerns, they did not, the design is essentially the same.

The way Canon printers work is quite different, the heads are readily available and user replaceable, the Pro-2000 head is $675 from B&H. They also have many more nozzles and when one is blocked it is mapped around and another nozzle does its job. This makes reliability much easier on the Canon style of implementation.

I am in the market for a 24" printer again and whilst I love the output from my Epson, I can't trust it. I will never buy another Epson until there is a head redesign.

I have been waiting for Keith's review of the Pro-2000 to illustrate any handling issues I feel I couldn't live with, so far I am happy and notice on B&H the price of the P-7000 has been reduced and the Pro-2000 is competitive.

Now do I need that second roller or not..........

 

[RGF]

This may be an unfair question, but if you had to choose between a Canon or Epson 24" printer, which you pick and why? I usage will be fairly light.

Thanks

RGF, if i may?

I am sure Keith is only in a position to comment on initial use and print quality, with regards those the conclusions in his reviews of the Canon Pro-2000 and Epson P-7000 are that both are better than we are (he includes himself in that too).

As for longevity and long term use, obviously somebody doing an initial review can't comment on those very important aspects of long term ownership.

My personal experience as a long term Epson owner and user with an average photographer type usage of both a 4900 and a 7900 (1,500 prints in 3 years). The Epson system has a fundamental flaw, the head relies on zero nozzles ever getting blocked and the heads are not user replaceable or available for purchase. This resulted in the scrapping of my 7900 after less than 300 prints, I personally took it to a landfill. I had really hoped the P7000 would address these concerns, they did not, the design is essentially the same.

The way Canon printers work is quite different, the heads are readily available and user replaceable, the Pro-2000 head is $675 from B&H. They also have many more nozzles and when one is blocked it is mapped around and another nozzle does its job. This makes reliability much easier on the Canon style of implementation.

I am in the market for a 24" printer again and whilst I love the output from my Epson, I can't trust it. I will never buy another Epson until there is a head redesign.

I have been waiting for Keith's review of the Pro-2000 to illustrate any handling issues I feel I couldn't live with, so far I am happy and notice on B&H the price of the P-7000 has been reduced and the Pro-2000 is competitive.

Now do I need that second roller or not..........

Thanks. I have a 4880 and find if I leave it for a month or so (perhaps 2 or 3 over the summer when I am out shooting a lot) it gets clogged. I have had to run several deep clean cycles to get rid of the clogs and that does not completely get rid of them. The yellow in particular tends to clog most frequently.

 

[keithcooper]

Hi Keith,

Any advice for someone who has a large format canon 6400 printer that has been sitting idle in an office in powered for a few years? I don't even know where to start with it.

It was in regular use for a year or so before this.

Thanks!

Start it up and see what happens - unfortunately it uses up rather a lot of ink just to pull the heads for a look

 

[BeenThere]

My opinion is that wide format roll printer work best if they get heavy use. Light use and sitting idle for days or weeks invites clogs. Also, if you don't live close to a big city, service calls will eat you alive.

 

[keithcooper]

This may be an unfair question, but if you had to choose between a Canon or Epson 24" printer, which you pick and why? I usage will be fairly light.

Following on from the very good answer already given... which also covers many a reason I'm disinclined to ever do direct comparisons ;-)

The printers I've had here were both excellent, and I could live with either.

Any reasons for choosing one over the other would be purely related to my own personal usage and needs.

I've written a lot of reviews over the years and one thing I've studiously avoided is any semblance of the...
"Printer/camera/lens X scored 84% and gets a Northlight Golden Pineapple 'Highly recommended award"

Sorry to sit on the fence here, but I wrote a bit more about the difficulties of doing reviews a while ago at

http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/stuff2/?p=2484

 

[LDS]

Keith, childish I know but now it is charged up and full of ink, how are you going to get it out of your house?

It would not be the first printer I've seen delivered or removed through a window...

 

[keithcooper]

Keith, childish I know but now it is charged up and full of ink, how are you going to get it out of your house?

It would not be the first printer I've seen delivered or removed through a window...

Not without some serious grief from the 'house management' it won't ;-)

I've told Canon to ensure that the people who come to take it away bring several empty maintenance tanks to drain the ink from the lines/subtanks. The printer does have a 'prepare for transport' function.

 

[[email protected]]

I didn't know that Canon makes bbq grills.

 

[privatebydesign]

Do I win "biggest Canon box of the day" award?

Got my Pro-2000 today. First 'issue', it does not roll through a 30" doorway whereas my old Epson 7900 did easily. Not a huge issue as it will go into one room and stay there a good while, but taking three doors and frame trim off or empty it of ink to move it is a choice I hopefully won't have to make for a long time.