can the canon 9900 replace professional printing?

[my2dramaqueens]

For those of you who have or heard about the canon 9900 can it replace going to a professional photo developer? Im contemplating purchasing this printer, but I want to make sure its worth the investment? I use a canon 20d i just purchased. (loving it by the way) I will be printing 4x6 , 5x7, 8x11 and up to the 13x19 occasionally Im trying to convice my husband that I NEED this printer :wink: ... lol. any thoughts would help.. pro or con

thanks!

[aikidoforever]

Hey my2dramaqueens,

I just went ahead and ordered it. Should be in tomorrow.

The reviews that I've read are all incredible. Speed and photo lab quality (at or surpasses some labs so some say) are the reasons I chose it. The fact that I will be able to print up to 13 X 19 is simply awesome. No more dealing with the labs and being disappointed. The down side is the up front price for the unit, but I also read the amount of ink it uses is less that typical. So perhaps there are savings there. :wink: (?) Let's hope. I think it's a worth while investment.

Check out a few reviews:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/canon_i9900.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_i9900/4505-3156_7-30732994.html (read the consumer review at the bottom)

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=26115&forum_id=56

http://www.pcmag.com/review/0%2C2491%2Cs%3D26648&a%3D127799%2C00.asp

That should give you a little bit of input.

Cheers! :D

[new girl on the bloc]

is the archival quality there? that would be a primary concern for me.

[DReb-MO]

This printer rivals anything I have received from my local photo stores from the professional photo store to Costco, Walgreen's and others. The cost of ink is about $10 per tank. I have had the printer for about three months now and have only had to replace the black to date. I have made about 250 prints of various sizes. Mostly 5*7 and 8*10 with some 13*19 thrown in for good measure.

[BigRed450]

The 9900 produces better color and quality then my local processors. The print logevity is said to be approx 50 years with high grade Photo Pro Canon paper. You would be hard pressed to find chemical photo paper that will last that long...

I regularily have 13x19 posters made up and they are truely awesome.

[Belmondo]

Qualtiy-wise, I'd put my 9900 prints up against anything from a lab. I can't comment on durability, and I frankly don't plan on living long enough to see my prints degrade.

Now, I have to figure out what to do with them once they're printed. I have fairly limited wall space, but those 13 X 19 prints are just so darned impressive.

[new girl on the bloc]

well, this sounds impressive indeed!

i have the canon i960, which prints incredible photos, but when using the canon pro glossy i have already noticed degradation. the colors are fading fast!

so this is my concern; how is this printer different. Different inks?

[DReb-MO]

...the colors are fading fast!

so this is my concern; how is this printer different. Different inks?

I look at it like this. I am an amateur. Therefore 90% of what I print is for myself. That means I have the original files. IF, 50 years from now I notice the picture is faded, I’ll print another from the file I have. Heck by then I am sure my i9900 will have been replaced by something more technically advanced, but who knows.

[new girl on the bloc]

my concern is that my customers would not come back in a short time complaining of the problem.

[DReb-MO]

My guess is the fading is either from not using Canon inks or not using the recommended paper. If you are using both and you have a quick fade problem I think you have some bad ink.

[PacAce]

well, this sounds impressive indeed!

i have the canon i960, which prints incredible photos, but when using the canon pro glossy i have already noticed degradation. the colors are fading fast!

so this is my concern; how is this printer different. Different inks?

The i9900 and the i960 both use the BCI-6 series ink cartridges so on the Photo Paper Pro the prints from both printers should have the same longevity. If you read the find print (somewhere), the longevity of the prints are ensured only when they are mounted behind glass or some other barriers such certain types of clear plastic sheet to protect them from UV and air pollutants. If they are left exposed to the elements they will fade prematurely. This is from what I've read and not from personal experiences.

[timmyquest]

Well i was thinking about just getting a 960 and letting the labs deal with my larger stuff. This after i almost actually pushed buy on this printer many times.

Now...i'm rethinking this again.

[my2dramaqueens]

I'm sold and so is my hubby!.... im an instant gratifiction kinda girl... I can't wait at the one hour sometimes :lol: so the digital camera and my own fabulous printer ! YEE HAW

[new girl on the bloc]

well, this sounds impressive indeed!

i have the canon i960, which prints incredible photos, but when using the canon pro glossy i have already noticed degradation. the colors are fading fast!

so this is my concern; how is this printer different. Different inks?

The i9900 and the i960 both use the BCI-6 series ink cartridges so on the Photo Paper Pro the prints from both printers should have the same longevity. If you read the find print (somewhere), the longevity of the prints are ensured only when they are mounted behind glass or some other barriers such certain types of clear plastic sheet to protect them from UV and air pollutants. If they are left exposed to the elements they will fade prematurely. This is from what I've read and not from personal experiences.

PacAce, the ones that i've noticed fading are exposed to the elements, so there you have it. re the inks, i am a purist, only using canon.

timmyquest, let me stress, this is a fantastic printer, so i would not hesitate to but it!

[BigRed450]

new girl on the bloc ....

There seems to be something strange here. I have prints in age from a year and a half to present that are not showing fading at all. As a matter of fact my local Pro shop has a few of my images from the Canon i9900 displayed in direct sunlight in NO frames at all (drymounted 13x19 Photo Pro Glossy) for that specific purpose, and to promote the quality output of the i9900.

[new girl on the bloc]

new girl on the bloc ....

There seems to be something strange here. I have prints in age from a year and a half to present that are not showing fading at all. As a matter of fact my local Pro shop has a few of my images from the Canon i9900 displayed in direct sunlight in NO frames at all (drymounted 13x19 Photo Pro Glossy) for that specific purpose, and to promote the quality output of the i9900.

strange indeed...i am not sure what to attribute it to either? :?

[DReb-MO]

.... in direct sunlight in NO frames at all (drymounted 13x19 Photo Pro Glossy) for that specific purpose, and to promote the quality output of the i9900.

South Gillies, Ont. Canada


Ya, but that's a cold sun...

[PacAce]

.... in direct sunlight in NO frames at all (drymounted 13x19 Photo Pro Glossy) for that specific purpose, and to promote the quality output of the i9900.

South Gillies, Ont. Canada


Ya, but that's a cold sun...

:lol: :mrgreen: :lol:

[RoB_m]

new girl on the bloc ....

There seems to be something strange here. I have prints in age from a year and a half to present that are not showing fading at all. As a matter of fact my local Pro shop has a few of my images from the Canon i9900 displayed in direct sunlight in NO frames at all (drymounted 13x19 Photo Pro Glossy) for that specific purpose, and to promote the quality output of the i9900.

strange indeed...i am not sure what to attribute it to either? :?

if the inks used are dye based, they fade fast. if they are pigment based, they have the same longevity as any lab print. i don't know anything about the canon line of printers [EPSON BABY] so i don't know what canon uses. you might want to consider buying third party archival inks if the problem continues. and if you're selling prints and producing a lot, you might want to try an external ink feed system, and buy the ink by the gallon [$2200!!]. that's what the lab i work in uses.

www.inkjetmall.com

[billsh]

This may be a little off topic, but I hope not too much. I have been thinking about buying the 9900. In the meantime, my home printer, which my son uses mainly for printing school work, crashes. So now I need a new one.

:idea: Kill two birds with one stone.

I presume this printer would work fine for text printing as well as photo printing. But the rational side of me says this is overkill for routine homework. Has anyone used it for other types of printing? Can anyone help me rationalize the need for this? Before you suggest it, none of the local shops carry it for me to go and look at.

[DReb-MO]

I use mine all the time for printing other stuff besides lab quality photo's. The main reason I do is to cycle something through to keep the print head in good working order. I have had Epson printers "die" becuase I may not have used it in a couple of months to print anything. The print head gets gummed up with the ink and caused problems. Now I just run somethng though if I have not used it in a week.

[gerolamo]

If you read the find print (somewhere), the longevity of the prints are ensured only when they are mounted behind glass or some other barriers such certain types of clear plastic sheet to protect them from UV and air pollutants. If they are left exposed to the elements they will fade prematurely. This is from what I've read and not from personal experiences.

Speaking of these protective sheets or glass, I hope I'm not too off topic, but where can you get them?

[DReb-MO]

If you read the find print (somewhere), the longevity of the prints are ensured only when they are mounted behind glass or some other barriers such certain types of clear plastic sheet to protect them from UV and air pollutants. If they are left exposed to the elements they will fade prematurely. This is from what I've read and not from personal experiences.

Speaking of these protective sheets or glass, I hope I'm not too off topic, but where can you get them?

Any framing shop.

[jboyd]

Conservation glass in made specifically for this purpose. It is a bit more expensive, but well worth the cost to protect your photo.

[fdi]

All photos fade, chemical or inkjet. As someone else mentioned, die based inks fade quicker than pigment based. My understanding is that pigment based inks are more equivalent to the chemical in longevity. The technology behind the ink has progressed dramatically over the years. Photos printed on the early printers with so-called "photo quality" mode could fade in a matter of months. Regardless of the ink or paper, all claims stipulate that the image be properly framed to reduce its exposure to the environment.

There are different levels of glazing ranging from a few dollars a sheet to 100's for full museum quality glazing. Any glazing will help reduce the prints exposure ot the elements and will provide a reduction in UV-radiation of a couple percent. UV-radiation filtering is very good at helping to prevent fading. Conservation glazing will typically reduce the UV-radiation by 97% in glass and 98% in high quality acrylic. There are other attributes in glazing that will drive up the cost but not prevent fading. For instance, glass has a natural green tint but you can pay more for glass that does not, or use acrylic. You can also get anti-reflective glazing.

Mark Rogers
Frame Destination, Inc.
http://www.framedestination.com

[malum]

The i9900 and the i960 both use the BCI-6 series ink cartridges so on the Photo Paper Pro the prints from both printers should have the same longevity. If you read the find print (somewhere), the longevity of the prints are ensured only when they are mounted behind glass or some other barriers such certain types of clear plastic sheet to protect them from UV and air pollutants. If they are left exposed to the elements they will fade prematurely. This is from what I've read and not from personal experiences.

My personal experience (with a BJC 8200 which uses the same ink tanks) is that
a) If you use anything other than Photo Paper Pro the results are sub optimal
b) if you don't put them behind glass or in an album under plastic they fade very fast indeed. I have a couple of montages on my fridge at home one printed by the Canon on Photo Paper Pro and one printed by an HP 920
The Canon one was noticably faded after a month or so, after 8 months it is now almost completely faded (it's a soft yellow colour all over)
The HP one is the same as the day it went up.
There is no sunlight in my kitchen at all, they fade when exposed to air.
They also fade wherever they are so it's not just the kitchen atmosphere that's doing it

It does indeed say in the small print on the Photo Paper Pro packaging that they need to be covered.

Also for anyone that is contemplating it: Third party BCI-6 cartridges are bloody awful

This is with a BJC-8200, your results may of course vary :)

[Longwatcher]

well, this sounds impressive indeed!

i have the canon i960, which prints incredible photos, but when using the canon pro glossy i have already noticed degradation. the colors are fading fast!

so this is my concern; how is this printer different. Different inks?

My experience with Canon s9000 and now i9900.
I hate Canon paper, but I love Canon ink.
The reason I hate Canon Paper is it fades very quickly in my office (although it is fine at home)

I use Kodak Ultima (not premium, not everyday, only Ultima) High-Gloss and Saitn paper, Ilford Classic Pearl and Epson Matte as I have overall gotten the best results from these papers in terms of color and longevity. Canon paper looks great when it comes out, but that fading is irritating.

Some people have mentioned problems with Kodak paper, but after I slowed the printer down (still 8 times faster then a Epson) I have never had a problem with it. The prints I have done on Canon paper have faded the fastest in the environments they have been in. The prints on Kodak paper have lastest the longest in all but the back of the car window test I did (not recommened to place prints in the back of car windows in the summer) The only fading I have seen from Kodak paper has been some prints I did for a model in Jamaica which I got to see a year later. It is a tough environment. The Canon prints where noticeable faded, the Kodak had some slight discoloration, but given the environment I was pleased. Kodak has since inproved their Ultima paper further, while as far as I know Canon has not.

Note: I have never noticed any fading with ilford outside of the back of the car window test. So if you don't like Kodak that may be a way to go. Also there are some expensive archival papers that have been recommended to me, but at $4 per sheet a bit steep for what I do.

Back to Canon paper for a second. The few prints I spray coated have not faded, so the problem seems to be outgassing of the dye based inks. However, spray coating prints is not convienent for printing on location so I advocate against this, but it does help a lot.

As to archival:
Kodak claims 100 years for Ultima with Canon Inks in OPEN environment, longer under glass. I belive at least 25 years of this. I can only confirm at least 3 1/2 years behind glass and 2 1/2 in open environment (meaning inside my house) to date, but looking good so far. The date difference has to do when I actually started testing; I just happed to have a really nice print under glass before I noticed the Canon paper fading and started testing.

Canon Claims 25-30 years sealed BEHIND GLASS. I will believe this also, but my prints don't always look good behind glass and my experience is 3-12 months in OPEN environment before fading becomes noticeable, which is not acceptable.

It is my understanding that most photo processing prints last about 25 years in an open environment. Black and white maybe a bit longer.

If you want your prints to last longer then you need to go to archival standards which is considerable more expensive per print, which is why art prints tend to cost a lot of money. Even then they are only good for about 50-100 years under glass. Unless stored in a controlled environment.

All times are average and some may go either way.

Unless you are doing ART prints, the i9900 is an excellent printer, but I personally don't recommend using Canon paper.

One final note:
Kodak does not make 13x19 size paper that I am aware of, but ilford does. For this size I usually use Canon or Epson paper and then spray coat it.

Just my experience and opinions

[Dale]

Ya, but that's a cold sun...

That depends on if you are on the inside looking out or the outside looking in :lol:

[dpanicc1]

I went with the Epson 2200 because of paper choices and even third-party manufacturers like Ilford make paper specifically designed for the 2200. Canon makes pretty prints and they're fast; I chose slow and better support. Additionally, Canon's printer's can't match the 2200's B&W printing--especially if you print on their Velvet Fine Art Paper.

//dan

[DReb-MO]

I went with the Epson 2200 because of paper choices and even third-party manufacturers like Ilford make paper specifically designed for the 2200. Canon makes pretty prints and they're fast; I chose slow and better support. Additionally, Canon's printer's can't match the 2200's B&W printing--especially if you print on their Velvet Fine Art Paper.

//dan

That's one opinion...

[Dale]

My experience with Canon s9000 and now i9900.
I use Kodak Ultima (not premium, not everyday, only Ultima) High-Gloss and Saitn paper, Ilford Classic Pearl and Epson Matte as I have overall gotten the best results from these papers in terms of color and longevity.


What print driver settings do you use for the Kodak and Ilford papers? Do you have profiles for the papers?

Thanks in advance.

[IanD]

What print driver settings do you use for the Kodak and Ilford papers? Do you have profiles for the papers?

Thanks in advance.
Profiles are available at www.ilford.com as well as suggested printer settings for most Canon printers.

[Dale]

Profiles are available at www.ilford.com as well as suggested printer settings for most Canon printers.
Thank you. I have some Ilford Classic Pearl and Gloss on order so I'll grab their profiles. It is the Kodak Ultima printer settings I'm interested in now. Staples in Canada have the Kodak Ultima Gloss on at buy one 15 sheet pkg get one pkg free.

[Tiger1]

For those of you who have or heard about the canon 9900 can it replace going to a professional photo developer? Im contemplating purchasing this printer, but I want to make sure its worth the investment? I use a canon 20d i just purchased. (loving it by the way) I will be printing 4x6 , 5x7, 8x11 and up to the 13x19 occasionally Im trying to convice my husband that I NEED this printer :wink: ... lol. any thoughts would help.. pro or con

thanks!

The Canon i9900 is professional printing using archival inks.

[Hatem Eldoronki]

Ok, back to the original topic.
I was going through the same ordeal: Canon or Epson. Very briefly:
Epson has:
1-Longevity better than Canon.
2-Paper choices: three ways to feed the paper into the printer, including the straight path to accomodate thicker paper.
3-Second-party archival inks in bulk delivery systems.
4-Waterproof prints.
Canon has:
Slightly better color output, and speed.

I bought the Epson, never regretting it.

[drpoundsign]

...but I have an HP 3 in1 for photo AND non-photo aps. Its like a miniature xerox. would hate to spend money (and need extra space) for a machine that only handles photos

[Tom W]

Qualtiy-wise, I'd put my 9900 prints up against anything from a lab. I can't comment on durability, and I frankly don't plan on living long enough to see my prints degrade.

Now, I have to figure out what to do with them once they're printed. I have fairly limited wall space, but those 13 X 19 prints are just so darned impressive.
Long live Belmondo!! May he see his images fade!!

Actually, the durability has been something that I've wondered about for quite some time. I've used services ranging from Walgreens to Adorama to Cord Camera for my image printing needs because of the proven longevity of the process. But hearing that the newer inkjet printers are doing such a fine job in that area is encouraging. I may soon opt for a 9900 myself after the holidays are past.

[wetbaloney]

In general the 6+ color printers do not work that well for printing text. They will do the job, but quite a bit slower than the 4 color printers.

[SWPhotoImaging]

FYI, I have a bare print, hung with tacks, in my office under flourescent lights and with some daylight from the window. This print is of a colorful California coastline (near Carmel), with lots of blue-green and contrasty rocks, surf, etc. It is printed on Canon Photo Paper Pro, on a Canon i9100 (BCI-6 inks), the same inks as the i9900, but without the added advantage of the green and red inks.
This print shows no fading after almost 2 years in this exposed situation. I believe that is a testament to the longevity of Canon ink & paper.

[michael.luczkow]

What you need to get is the iP9910. It has the new pigment based inks and the prints look GREAT. I own one myself and I would recomend it to anyone. You can order this printer from a location in Japan or you can just wait for the states side version to come out. That would be my recomendation. That or the Epson PX-G5000/R1800

[codex0]

In response to billsh's question about printing for homework, I'd recommend getting an older B+W Laser printer. I'm planning on buying the i9900, and I currently have both a Lexmark Optra R and a Hewlett Packard 5M (local university threw them away). They are great for black and white printing. ($20 for a ~7000 sheet toner cartridge) I think it will be a great combination to use the laser for all text and drafts and the 9900 for photo prints and color final copies. I think you can get those older printers on ebay for about $100.

[InskiP]

The Canon i9900 is professional printing using archival inks.


Where do you get archival inks for Canon printers? Does Canon make them or someone else? From the sound of it the BCI inks aren't archival, correct? I have the much cheaper i860 photo printer that I've made prints on both Canon and Epson papers and haven't noticed any fading. It uses the BCI inks as well. I to am going back and forth between the Canon i9900 and Epson 2200 when I upgrade...iP9910 sounds promising though, I will have to keep my eye out for it...

[chtgrubbs]

FYI, I have a bare print, hung with tacks, in my office under flourescent lights and with some daylight from the window. This print is of a colorful California coastline (near Carmel), with lots of blue-green and contrasty rocks, surf, etc. It is printed on Canon Photo Paper Pro, on a Canon i9100 (BCI-6 inks), the same inks as the i9900, but without the added advantage of the green and red inks.
This print shows no fading after almost 2 years in this exposed situation. I believe that is a testament to the longevity of Canon ink & paper.

Check back with us in 20 years, and then we can talk about archival quality. You should see my prints of Egypt, circa 1878. Now that's archival.