Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Printer

After dumping my HP 9180 printer (see post below) I did a bit of research and settled on the Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II. After my bad luck with the 9180 I certainly wasn’t going to buy another HP and I was disinclined to try another pigment printer right now. After reading this review, I decided that my best option was the P9000 Mark II. The availability of a $100 rebate sealed the deal.

In terms of size, the P9000 Mark II is nearly as big as the 9180. Due to its straight paper path it has a larger overall footprint, but size is not really an issue. Any pro printer is going to be big.

In the box you will find the following items: PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer, power cord, eight printer cartridges (black, cyan, magenta, yellow, photo cyan, photo magenta, red and green), Mac/Windows software, Getting Started booklet, various information sheets and a warranty. It’s important to note what’s not included. First, you will need to supply your own USB printer cable. Second and most surprisingly, there is no manual. The software that you install during the set up process contains an online user’s guide, but there is no hard copy or PDF manual. This is startling given Canon’s reputation for great documentation. The online guide can be printed (at your expense of course).

Unlike the 9180, the P9000 Mark II is an 8-color dye-based ink printer that handles fine art photo papers up to 13" x 19". From the samples I saw, in several cases the P9000 bests the 9180. Canon claims that the ChromaLife100 system can produce prints with a 100 year life span. I guess I won’t be able to validate that though.

Set up was simple and straightforward and went off without a hitch, partly because I had the review videos to refer to. Once you extract the printer from its abundant packing you install the power cord and plug it in. This allows the print head tray to move to the middle position affording you easy access to install the print head. This is done by lifting the latch and carefully setting the print head into place. Once it is seated correctly, close the latch and install each print cartridge in turn. When the cartridge is properly installed a friendly red light turns on and you can move to the next cartridge. The cartridges are amazingly small for a 13 x 19 printer so we’ll keep an eye on that.

After all of the cartridges are installed, close the top door and the printer spends a few minute adjusting itself. Now it’s time to load the software. During that process software and drivers are loaded, the printer is connected to the computer, an alignment is performed and test sheets are printed. That’s it. From start to finish it took about half an hour.

Here are a few initial impressions. First, I really like the straight paper path. The 9180 loads from the bottom and ejects from the top on the same side of the printer. That means that the paper path is curved which, in my opinion, results in more paper jams. At least that’s what I experienced. In addition, paper is clearly visible so there is no guessing when you are close to running out. Although this means a slightly larger footprint, I think it will mean fewer hassles in the long run. Second, the P9000 has a very simple design. For those who crave more on board controls that may be a problem. I like it. Finally, unlike the 9180 which required constant power, the P9000 may be turned off and on as needed. In fact, there is an auto on and off feature that can be set. A very green machine.

In the coming days I’ll be sharing my impressions of the P9000. I am particularly interested in printing an image already printed with the 9180 and comparing the two.