Canon Pixma Pro9000 Mark II VS. Costco (quality + cost)

I am just starting to look into printing at home and the Pixma Pro9000 looks like a very affordable ($200 new on craigslist) option.

I am curious how prints from this printer would compare to prints from Costco.

I currently use Costco for my printing and I am satisfied with their quality.

Also does anyone have a typical total cost (paper+ink) of various print sizes using this printer? I'm specifically interested in 5x7 & 8x12 cost.

And one more thing.. is there a good site for getting started in at home printing? Everything I find is geared towards printing snapshots. I'd like to print some semi-professional/art quality photos.

Thanks

buurin wrote in post #11571398
And one more thing.. is there a good site for getting started in at home printing? Everything I find is geared towards printing snapshots. I'd like to print some semi-professional/art quality photos.

You're already here.

I was more curious about a tutorial / faq / basics style site.

I'm a complete novice when it comes to printing and I have some very very basic questions. I still don't even know if I should get a printer yet. I'd rather not spam the boards with questions that have already been asked 1000 times.

Topics like:

• Canon vs Epson vs HP
  
• Cost per print
  
• Dye vs Pigment
  
• Color management
  
• Roll paper vs sheet
  
• Print quality compared to pro lab
  
• Paper types
  

buurin wrote in post #11572199
I was more curious about a tutorial / faq / basics style site.

I'm a complete novice when it comes to printing and I have some very very basic questions. I still don't even know if I should get a printer yet. I'd rather not spam the boards with questions that have already been asked 1000 times.

Remember that information is always changing and the purpose of the forum is to share knowledge and experience. Your questions, no matter how basic, will help many others just starting out.

Let's start by asking you about your budget. Then, how large will you want to print? How much B&W?

This site has some good resources on techniques.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/index.sh​tml

For black and white I'd strongly recommend the 9500 mk2 instead. For glossy/luster stuff, the 9000 is great.

If you are wanting to print 200 4x6 prints, go to Costco. Save money there.

If you want to do big fine art prints, 13x19, 12x16, etc, do it at home. Check out Canon paper to start, it's good stuff. Then check out Illford, Hanhemuhle (i spelled it wrong), etc. I like the Canon 9500 more than the R1900 etc because of the user replaceable printhead. However epson print quality is great, too!

Pixma 9000 is great for glossy/luster stuff, and vivid color. Not as good at black and white (but still decent, for sure).

If you are like me and believe the 4x6 print has been replaced by the internet, e-mail, and facebook, and nice enlargements are what matters, then you will love a nice home inkjet printer--quality if you do it right is absolutely stunning.

buurin wrote in post #11572199
Topics like:
Canon vs Epson vs HP

This is a personal preference issue. HP is now out of the market completely for consumer level photo printers.

Printing for yourself is much more expensive and time consuming than using a lab, but it makes up for it in control of the output and sheer artistic satisfaction. If you need to print off a few hundred 4x6s for a client, you'll want to use a lab.

Pigment ink has the advantage for printing on heavily textured and absorbent fine art media. Pigment ink printers are more expensive. Dye ink may have an advantage for color vibrancy. Pigment ink may have an advantage for print longevity.

Printing without a grasp of the basics always results in frustration and expense in wasted time, ink, and paper. First step in ANY color managed workflow is to have a calibrated monitor and consistent color balanced lighting.

Printers capable of handling roll paper are generally more expensive pro level models. This excludes the Canon 9000 mkII.

Depends on the lab and your skill.

Start conservatively by using the manufacturer's recommended paper. Once you've achieved a level of predictable, repeatable print quality, experiment with third party media. But not before.

buurin wrote in post #11571398
I am just starting to look into printing at home and the Pixma Pro9000 looks like a very affordable ($200 new on craigslist) option.

I am curious how prints from this printer would compare to prints from Costco.

I currently use Costco for my printing and I am satisfied with their quality.

Also does anyone have a typical total cost (paper+ink) of various print sizes using this printer? I'm specifically interested in 5x7 & 8x12 cost.

And one more thing.. is there a good site for getting started in at home printing? Everything I find is geared towards printing snapshots. I'd like to print some semi-professional/art quality photos.

Thanks

Hi,
I have just gone through the same process. I wanted to print but was VERY confused as to how much you needed to spend to get good results. I went to a few local PC suppliers and they all recommended a Kodak printer which was much cheaper than the Canon models I was looking at. Also the inks were the cheapest by far.
I talked to a salesman who was their "printer expert" He had a few samples of pics printed by this Kodak printer, which to be fair were quite impressive. Against my gut feeling I nervously purchased this cheap printer and some A4 paper.
WOW !!! I printed some bird shots first at 6x4, they were really nice. Then I went for the 12x8's. I was staggered by quality of my shots in print. Everyone who has seen them has been VERY impressed and all commented "you should be selling your shots".
I recently lost all my pics due to hard drive failure and I hadn't backed them up. I was a bit disappointed at the time but thought I'd just go get some more. Now I've started to print I'm GUTTED I've lost them all, I had some I think would have looked stunning.
I am pretty fussy over everything I do, and I honestly didn't think I'd be so impressed with this printer but I cant stop looking at my shots, the detail is superb. The cost was £105 with a full ink set and some 12x8 glossy paper. I set what size I want when I export my shots in Lightroom 3. I set the DPI to 300 and do the same in the Kodak program, that the disc that came with the printer installed on my PC.
Easy peasy, and the results WOW again. I wish I'd done it years ago.....