Which Canon printer?

Hello,

I have a friend who is not a photographer but who does like to print images. He is looking for a new printer, and prefers an all-in-one unit, but what is most important to him is the quality of the prints. He wants to make sure reds are reds and blues are blues (his words, not mine!). He has tons of Canon paper on hand and so was hoping to buy another Canon model, but he is willing to switch brands if another manufacturer provides a better unit. He is also older, so a simple interface is preferred, but he would still like to be able to make adjustments as needed (i.e. increase saturation, contrast, etc).

Any thoughts?

Budget allowance?

The PRO-100 can be had for super-cheap during rebates, while the PRO-xxxx/s models
offer pigment inks with reds & blues for longevity.
The PRO-100 uses dye inks which fade more readily,
while the PRO-xxxx/s printers use pigment inks.
Pigment ink fades less rapidly, and lays down solids instead of simple colors.
Pigment inks generally cost more than dye inks.

I can't speak for all-in-ones, as they are often a different ball of wax altogether,
though my older MG5320 still holds up for good quality output.
There are plenty of current Canon and other-brand printers in the all-in-one
spectrum available now which do a fine job of laying down the print.

The main thing you get with "better" dedicated printers is larger format printing and high quality inks. The print quality on most decent all in one Canon prints is really pretty amazing. I was buying and using dedicated Epson printers in the 90's, today's basic color all in ones are much, much better than the top of the line back then.

My all in one is MP310 (I think) and pushing 10 years old. I only use it for copying now, but have run some decent paper through it. Works great. The driver is where you make adjustments.

So, I guess what I'm saying is just shop for specs and price. The prints will look fine. If you can find one with archival inks, that would be the biggest difference maker.

Unless a friend is planning to print in high volumes or must meet tight deadlines I point her or him to a good service because it saves money and yields fine results.

For routine good prints of various sizes: www.mpix.com/

More options: www.millerslab.com/

Canvas: www.cgproprints.com

There are many good printing services. These are just the ones I use.

My advice is based on the issues encountered keeping a photo printer happy with low volumes.

This:

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #18770423
I was buying and using dedicated Epson printers in the 90's, today's basic color all in ones are much, much better than the top of the line back then.
So, I guess what I'm saying is just shop for specs and price. The prints will look fine. If you can find one with archival inks, that would be the biggest difference maker.

Archival and/or pigment inks will deposit and retain colors much more reliably than dye inks,
but in the long haul, many current all-in-one printers will do an excellent job of producing
high-quality print output without much expense.

One of the biggest differentials seems to be the combination of ink & paper used,
and whether the prints are subsequently protected from environmental variables
such as UV and air exposure.