ChromaLife 100 printers are out. Anyone here using one?

[The Hardcard]

Can anyone compare the new ChromaLife inks to the previous inks? Obviously, they are far more durable, but how to they look for photos and text?

I have read some people claim that there is a small but noticeable tradeoff of reduced quality in exchange for the greater durability. But that was in reference to other companies attempts, I'd like to hear some comment on Canon's efforts. I don't see any reviews for these printers yet.

Canon decided to release their consumer and low-end printers with the new system first - perhaps they are still tweeking the system for the big kahunas, the iP8500 and i9900 replacements.

I am getting a iP4200 next week to replace my venerable old S520. I would expect the new printer to outprint such an old (relatively) printer. A better judgement of the new inks would be if someone could do an iP4200 to iP4000 or an iP5200 to iP5000 comparison.

I plan on getting a high-end printer for production of photos in the coming months. So I am interested if there would be any advantage to getting an i9900 over its replacement in terms of quality.

[guitarman]

The new printers that I saw that come with the chromalife inks were low end cheaper printers. I don't think you can use the bci-7 cartridges with the i9900 or 8500. I think that the black ink is pigment based which is why there will be a trade off in quality. Pretty sure that is what I read.

[The Hardcard]

Yes, you can't use the new inks on the old printers. The entire printer line will eventually be replaced. The replacement for the i9900 is already being sold in some markets, it is only a matter of time before it is worldwide.

I was hoping someone could provide a comparison of old printers +old inks vs. new printers + new inks in terms of image quality. Did Canon have to make some sacrifices there in order to get the extended life?

It appears that the printers out so far are different from their immediate predecessors only in the ink system. So it should be straightforward to compare the inks. However, my current printer is two or three generations ago, so I couldn't compare just the inks, the improved printing mechanisms would also be a factor in my case.