CANON PIXMA PRO9000 MARK II
Announced in March this year, the Canon PIXMA
Pro9000 Mark II carries much expectation from the professional photographers and photo labs. With this printer, Canon claims exceptional color reproduction, uncompromising quality, and precise color management. The new printer features an advanced eight-color ink system which, Canon claims, can rival positive fi lm in terms of color consistency. The printer allows you to print photographs up to 14 x 17 inches.
DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY
The Canon Pro9000 Mark II is designed to captivate you with its looks. The printer is sleek and boxy, but is not compact in any sense. The device is built very sturdy and all components convey that secure feeling. The printer has two wheels at the back, which allows you to move it back and forth by lifting the front. While sitting fl at on the table, the wheels do not touch down and hence the printer does not move.
KEY FEATURES
The PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II leverages on the 8-color dye-ink system. The eight ink cartridges are Red, Green, Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Photo Cyan, and Photo Magenta. Individual ink cartridge system is more economical than composite cartridges since you can replace only the empty color cartridge without needing to change the others. The printer can print with a minimum droplet size of 2 pico liters and at a maximum resolution of 4800 x 2400 dpi. Pro9000 Mark II is capable of printing up to 11x14 inch prints. Canon claims that the printer can churn out A3+ size color prints as fast as in one minute. The device is PictBridge compatible for standalone use, and the included CD tray allows you to print labels directly on a printable CD or DVD.
Unlike in most other printers, the print head of the Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II does not come attached to the printer. Though this could appear a complicated process, in fact, it is very easy to attach the print head and the cartridges. A welcome feature is the LED on each cartridge that emits a red light when the cartridge is attached properly. These lights also indicate the status of the ink tanks. If the lights start fl ashing slowly, the ink is low and you need to keep fresh ink tanks ready. If the lights fl ash frequently, the ink tanks are installed in the wrong position or the ink has run out. The Pro9000Mark II comes bundled with various software to make your task easy, including Canon Easy-PhotoPrint Pro plugin for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements 6.
ERGONOMICS
If you go only by the looks, the Canon Pro9000 Mark II could give you an instant cardiac arrest, thinking about the sophistication in setting it up. But once you start with the actual process, you will realize how easy it is. Apart from the Getting Started manual, Canon has included a detailed On Screen Manual with the printer. This makes installing, using, and troubleshooting the printer as easy as it can get.
PERFORMANCE
We tested the Canon Pro9000Mark II with A3-size, 240 gsm NovaJet High Gloss Paper WR papers. The printer reproduced text well, but this is not the best we have seen. On A4 size, the fonts were resolvable up to 4pts when printed in reverse and up to 2pts in normal black and white scheme (black font on white background). Line resolution too suffered a bit compared to our reference printer in the professional A3+ size category. The device reproduced colors well, at par with the top performers in this category. Saturated colors lacked detail though the tones were excellent. The same was the case with printing subtle colors. The prints also suffered in color depth. The Pro9000 Mark II reproduced skin tones excellently with good consistency. Another area where the printer excelled was the reproduction of blacks in grayscale mode. This is certainly among the best printers we have tested so far in reproducing blacks.
The Pro9000 Mark II printed our A3 sized color test page in 3 minutes and 37 seconds from click to print, in which 38 seconds were taken for processing and spooling. The printer was one of the most silent we have ever come across. You need to put your ear close to the top of the printer to hear the print head moving.
FINAL SCORE
Design and Build Quality 18/20
Key Features 17/20
Ergonomics 18/20
Performance 16/20
Value for Money 17/20
OVERALL 86%
+Very smooth operation
+Easy to setup
+Excellent bundled products
+ducts+Feature-packed
-Print quality could have been better
VALUE FOR MONEY
The Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II retails at an MRP of Rs.35,995. At this price the printer is good value for money considering that its nearest rival costs about Rs.4,000 more.
VERDICT
The Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II is certainly one of the best printers we have tested in the A3+ category. Though it could be a very close second in terms of fi ner print quality, the price and the smooth operation makes it a best buy in this category.
