Inkjet Spur Marks (Pixma Pro9500)

Hey all, just wondering what the general consensus is on 'spur' marks with inkjet prints. I'm talking about the tiny, miniscule dotted lines across a print that come from the teeth of the feeding mechanism (or something) while moving paper through the printer. They aren't readily noticed, but at certain lighting angles they stand out when looking closely at a print.

I wouldn't call it a huge problem but I was just wondering if there was a way to reduce them.

This is on my new (to me) Pixma Pro9500, on Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy. Apart from these dotted lines the prints are AMAZING! Right out of the box, with my calibrated monitor and using the proper ICC profiles I'm getting better prints than from the local pro shop. Especially the B&W. Got a couple paper sampler packs from Ilford and Canon coming (along with more ink) so I can't wait to get into some serious printing.

Oh yeah, and the marks don't show up on matte photo paper. So maybe it is just dependent on the paper finish?

I've done a lot of test prints on my new 9500 mII the last couple of days and I have not seen any spur marks. I know what you're talking about because I remember those from my old S9000. But, if I recall correctly I only got them when using the Canon Photo Paper Pro. This was a highly glossy paper that was also very prone to scratches. My recent 9500 printing has been on Ilford Smooth Pearl and Gold Fiber Silk and no markings at all. I even just did a print on some Smooth Gloss pearl that I found lying around. This is very glossy. No spur marks.

I would stay away from the Canon papers and stick with Ilford. Also, try a sample pack of the Red River papers. There are some very nice papers at nice prices.

Scott

Thanks Scott. I will post an update once I get some different papers. FWIW the spur marks are only visible anyway at distances closer than ~ 12 inches, so it's not an issue at all even with the glossy Canon papers unless your nose is smudged against the print.