The Canon PRO 9000 MKII is a semi-professional A3 + printer and is the successor of the Canon PRO 9000. With the Canon Pro 9000 MKII, Canon has a cheap alternative to the PIXMA PRO-1. Many competitors do not exist, only Epson has a number of competing models.

What is different compared to the Canon PIXMA PRO-1?

• The Canon PRO 9000 MKII uses dye ink and PIXMA PRO-1 uses pigmented ink

• The PIXMA PRO-1 has gray inks, while the Canon PRO 9000 MKII does not

• The Canon PRO 9000 MKII ink cartridges are much smaller than those of the PIXMA PRO-1

• The Canon PIXMA PRO-1 has a recommended retail price that is approximately € 250 higher than that of the Canon PRO 9000 MKII

What are the differences with the Epson R1500W?

• The Epson R1500W features a six-ink set while the Canon has an eight-ink set.

• The Epson ink cartridges of the R1500W are larger than those of the Canon PRO 9000 MKII

• The Epson 1500 uses pigmented inks, while Canon uses dye ink

Canon PRO 9000 MKII

Printer type: A3 +

Test Paper: Canon Platinum 300 grams

Recommended test paper: € 19.99 for 20 sheets A4

Ink set: Canon ChromaLife 100

Test method: see FAQ

Dimensions: 660 x 195 x 355 mm

Maximum quality A4 print time: 3 minutes and 5 seconds.

Ink costs A4 size € 0.92

Recommended retail price, March 2012, NL: € 549

Ink and ink costs

Canon uses an ink set which consists of 8 cartridges for the Canon PRO 9000 MKII. Common in dye ink printers is the number of 6. These are supplemented here though with green and red in order to get a wide range of colors. The color range, large 811,122 when using Canon Pro Platinum photo paper, is high as a result. The contents of the cartridges is 10 grams; this is very little for an A3 + printer. Accordingly, it means that if you want to make quite a few A3 prints, you have to stop every time to change 1 of the 8 cartridges. I also miss a cartridge with gray ink in order to get neutral grays that way. The cost per A4 is € 0.92. This is a high, but not unusual, amount per print.

The printer software

Installing the Canon PRO 9000 MKII is easy. When printing, you see that the Canon software is different than the Epson software. With the Epson printers, you have an overview on 1 screen on the PC; Canon does not offer this handy overview. If you print under color management, common for this type of printers, you need to open a lot of screens to select or check the correct items. And if you change the paper type, and thus the ICC color profile, the probability of error is large.

The practice

The Canon PRO 9000 MKII feels sufficiently solid and printing a photo on A4 size, highest quality, takes 3 minutes and 15 seconds. That is somewhat shorter than with the Canon PIXMA PRO-1. If you use fine art papers, you need to load the printer at the front sheet by sheet , whatever the thickness. The paper then passes through the printer to almost come out entirely at the back and only then, the printer begins to print. In many cases, you must therefore put the printer forwards. Conveniently, this printer is equipped with little wheels, the moving forward goes easily as a result. With fine art paper, the margin is at 35 mm at least, very annoying and the Canon PIXMA PRO-1 knows this phenomenon also. Printing from roll is not possible. A roll is useful for printing panoramic photos. Additionally, the paper costs go down by using roll. With many Epson printers, you can define the paper size yourself; that is a possibility too that you will use a lot when printing panoramic photos, and this is not possible with the Canon.

When testing the Canon PRO MKII we use the professional Canon Platinum gloss photo paper. Besides this photo paper, Canon provides a number of other RC photo papers such as the semi-gloss photo paper. For professional users, Canon has a few fine art papers in the program; these are products from Hahnemühle. Conveniently, Canon also provides the correct ICC color profiles for this paper.

Test result color on Canon Platinum photo paper

The display of the different colors by Canon PRO 9000 MKII is generally good, where the yellow is displayed remarkably clearly and accurately. We have not encountered such a beautiful display of yellow at any printer. The largest deviations are found in brown, which is displayed too light, and the green. This is displayed a bit bright. The grays have the right coverage and the black is just strong enough. The display of the colors by the more expensive Canon PRO-1 is a bit more accurate with a deeper black.

Test result black and white on Canon Platinum Photo Paper

The different shades of gray are displayed fairly neutral by the Canon PRO 9000 MKII and that is quite the accomplishment. After all, this printer does not have a gray ink cartridge. The black is deep enough. Epson offers the option with which you can decide how warm or cool the black and white prints, and I miss that here. You notice that the Canon PRO 9000 MKII is not built specifically for the black and white photographer.

Gloss and surface of Canon Platinum Photo Paper

The Canon Platinum Paper is 300 grams and consequently feels firmer than many other types of photo paper. The gloss is higher when using dye inks rather than pigmented inks. The color of this photo paper is almost white. Bronzing and gloss differential, see FAQ, are completely absent by using dye ink.

Conclusion

• High print quality color
• A few ICC color profiles for fine art papers available by default
• Deep gloss
• No bronzing and gloss differential

 Cons    

• No easy way to adjust the hue in black and white
• No possibility of printing from roll
• Margin of 35 mm for fine art paper
• High ink costs and small ink cartridges