Catdaddy
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As some of you may have read in the Talk Printing And Presentation forum, I've just got hold of a new printer - the Canon ix6550, and wanted to get my thoughts down on it after having had it for a day or two
Forgive me if I'm stating anything that might be obvious to those that print regularly, but this is about the first printer I've bought since an HP Deskjet quite a few years ago.
ESSENTIALS
The printer itself is an A3+ printer, which I figured would be a good size for getting prints big enough to hang on the wall. the printer's footprint on (or under) your desk is 550 x 300 x 160mm, and it weighs about 17lbs. It requires 5 separate ink cartridges - one black for normal printing, and the rest are photo-quality dye inks - black, cyan, magenta and yellow. The printer head is packaged separately, which I assume means that it's available for replacement, should the need arise, and available resolution is up to 9600 x 1440 dpi.
When I bought it from Curry's (£179), I also managed to get hold of another set of inks at a 10% discount (their standard offer) and some paper, also at a 10% discount. That part wasn't standard, but I managed to talk the salesman into letting me have the money off. I also persuaded him to give me a 7-day 'on approval' period in which to try the printer out. If I wasn't happy, I could bring it back within that period and get a full refund.
UNPACKING
Unpacking the printer is a breeze - just follow the simple instructions. Install the software (it runs on Win XP/Vista/7, etc as well as OS X). It does say that for running on OS X Lion, you need to download the latest drivers software, which didn't prove any sort of problem. Software installed, it was time to set the printer itself up.
First step was to install the printer head. Simple - just raise the top flap, lift the flap that secures the printer head tray and place the printer head unit inside. Then fit the actual inks before plugging it in (it comes with a power lead and thankfully no nasty external transformer). The USB cable is not included in the price, and takes the standard 'square end' type usually associated with larger computer peripherals.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The first paper I bought was a small pack of 6x4 Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II and a pack of A4 Matte Photo Paper. First up was the 6x4, and I used it to try out the settings and different profiles. Software being used was Aperture 3 and Photoshop CS5.
My initial reaction to the output was one that I guess is common to a lot of users when they first start printing - that the photos being produced are a bit dark, compared to what I see on my calibrated screen. Having said that, I was reliant on standard room lighting when I printed the images, and it's to be expected - prints obviously reflect the available light whereas an LCD monitor is backlit
The colours seem to be quite rich on the glossy paper with a standard print, so I thought I'd see what the back levels were like. Printing a low-key photo was interesting - at first, the blacks seemed to be very rich indeed, but then I noticed some slight fading around the edges of the print, which I found to be a bit of a worry. However, I also saw that the 'fading' area was spreading, so I put it down to the ink drying. Seeing the shots that I'd printed in daylight the next morning put any worries to rest - the blacks were still very black indeed.
Sharpness couldn't be faulted at all - even on a small 6x4 head-shot portrait print, you can see skin at pore level if you look closely enough. Colour reproduction is actually very good when using Canon's own paper, and skin tones look very good indeed.
Next up, I tried printing a couple of mono portraits of the kids onto the A4 matte paper using the grayscale setting. Unfortunately, they seem to have a slight 'smokey-blue/gray' quality to the colour, and not quite pure grayscale, which I thought was a minor disappointment. Having printed the same images onto the Glossy paper, again, using the printer driver's Grayscale setting, it would appear to be the matte paper that was at fault - the printed output on the glossy paper was fine. The output on the same mono images without selecting the 'Grayscale' option was very similar, but not exact. Certainly nothing to complain about, though, and you'd probably not be able to tell if the two images weren't being compared side-by-side.
OTHER MEDIA
I wanted to try some A4 glossy papers, so I got hold of some Kodak Ultra Premium Photo paper. Unfortunately, I couldn't download the correct ICC profile for this stuff from the Kodak website, and the output from the printer had a very definite red cast to it, despite me using the suggested settings for the paper itself. I can understand that, and I'm sure that if I did have a valid ICC profile for it, there wouldn't be any colour cast for it at all. However, what was slightly more worrying was the fact that there were visible 'track marks' from the rollers as the paper was moved through the printer. My guess is that the ink wasn't drying fast enough. Suffice to say I wasn't too thrilled about that and started to look for similar marks on earlier prints that I had made. Thankfully, when using the Canon paper, I couldn't see any. The Kodak paper weighs in at 280g/sq m, and the Canon paper was only 260g/sq m Maybe that had something to do with it
so I went to my local Jessops today to get a pack of heavier paper - some Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl, weighing in at 290g/sq m, and have just printed off a few images now. Thankfully, there are no such track marks. Furthermore, the ICC profile is readily available online at Ilford's website. A few seconds installing it, and you're away. For this paper, I selected the Ilford colour profile and set the printer driver to print onto Photo Plus Pro Platinum (or was it Platinum Pro ?!) This was the best so far for colour rendition and vibrance, and looks like it'll be the paper of choice for future printing. Ultimately, if I were to get these prints back from a lap, I'd be more than happy.
My ONLY real quibble is the driver itself. There is a section when printing borderless to define the 'wrap' around the edges - how much the image gets 'enlarged' to ensure that there aren't any borders. Unfortunately, on a few of the images, there has been about a 1mm gap on the leading edge of the paper with the second-lowest 'wrap' setting. Changing to the default, however, and it's fine, and you only lose a millimetre or two of the image itself at A4.
CONCLUSION
I guess the cost of printers has come down a huge amount in recent years, but I must admit that for a printer of this size and quality, I'm more than impressed. The colour rendition is accurate and consistent, the output looks professional, it's quiet, and using Canon's 'Colourlife 100+' inks with the right paper, prints should last a while as well. Plus, of course, it has the ability to print up to A3.
Basically, I'd say that if you have a couple of hundred quid spare and you're in need of a printer, I'd give this one a go - I'm more than happy with it, and I think I'll finally be peeling all the plastic off it later on - I've kept it on so far because of the 7-day approval period I was given. But I won't be needing that now...
I'll try and post some photos a little later on
ESSENTIALS
The printer itself is an A3+ printer, which I figured would be a good size for getting prints big enough to hang on the wall. the printer's footprint on (or under) your desk is 550 x 300 x 160mm, and it weighs about 17lbs. It requires 5 separate ink cartridges - one black for normal printing, and the rest are photo-quality dye inks - black, cyan, magenta and yellow. The printer head is packaged separately, which I assume means that it's available for replacement, should the need arise, and available resolution is up to 9600 x 1440 dpi.
When I bought it from Curry's (£179), I also managed to get hold of another set of inks at a 10% discount (their standard offer) and some paper, also at a 10% discount. That part wasn't standard, but I managed to talk the salesman into letting me have the money off. I also persuaded him to give me a 7-day 'on approval' period in which to try the printer out. If I wasn't happy, I could bring it back within that period and get a full refund.
UNPACKING
Unpacking the printer is a breeze - just follow the simple instructions. Install the software (it runs on Win XP/Vista/7, etc as well as OS X). It does say that for running on OS X Lion, you need to download the latest drivers software, which didn't prove any sort of problem. Software installed, it was time to set the printer itself up.
First step was to install the printer head. Simple - just raise the top flap, lift the flap that secures the printer head tray and place the printer head unit inside. Then fit the actual inks before plugging it in (it comes with a power lead and thankfully no nasty external transformer). The USB cable is not included in the price, and takes the standard 'square end' type usually associated with larger computer peripherals.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The first paper I bought was a small pack of 6x4 Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II and a pack of A4 Matte Photo Paper. First up was the 6x4, and I used it to try out the settings and different profiles. Software being used was Aperture 3 and Photoshop CS5.
My initial reaction to the output was one that I guess is common to a lot of users when they first start printing - that the photos being produced are a bit dark, compared to what I see on my calibrated screen. Having said that, I was reliant on standard room lighting when I printed the images, and it's to be expected - prints obviously reflect the available light whereas an LCD monitor is backlit
The colours seem to be quite rich on the glossy paper with a standard print, so I thought I'd see what the back levels were like. Printing a low-key photo was interesting - at first, the blacks seemed to be very rich indeed, but then I noticed some slight fading around the edges of the print, which I found to be a bit of a worry. However, I also saw that the 'fading' area was spreading, so I put it down to the ink drying. Seeing the shots that I'd printed in daylight the next morning put any worries to rest - the blacks were still very black indeed.
Sharpness couldn't be faulted at all - even on a small 6x4 head-shot portrait print, you can see skin at pore level if you look closely enough. Colour reproduction is actually very good when using Canon's own paper, and skin tones look very good indeed.
Next up, I tried printing a couple of mono portraits of the kids onto the A4 matte paper using the grayscale setting. Unfortunately, they seem to have a slight 'smokey-blue/gray' quality to the colour, and not quite pure grayscale, which I thought was a minor disappointment. Having printed the same images onto the Glossy paper, again, using the printer driver's Grayscale setting, it would appear to be the matte paper that was at fault - the printed output on the glossy paper was fine. The output on the same mono images without selecting the 'Grayscale' option was very similar, but not exact. Certainly nothing to complain about, though, and you'd probably not be able to tell if the two images weren't being compared side-by-side.
OTHER MEDIA
I wanted to try some A4 glossy papers, so I got hold of some Kodak Ultra Premium Photo paper. Unfortunately, I couldn't download the correct ICC profile for this stuff from the Kodak website, and the output from the printer had a very definite red cast to it, despite me using the suggested settings for the paper itself. I can understand that, and I'm sure that if I did have a valid ICC profile for it, there wouldn't be any colour cast for it at all. However, what was slightly more worrying was the fact that there were visible 'track marks' from the rollers as the paper was moved through the printer. My guess is that the ink wasn't drying fast enough. Suffice to say I wasn't too thrilled about that and started to look for similar marks on earlier prints that I had made. Thankfully, when using the Canon paper, I couldn't see any. The Kodak paper weighs in at 280g/sq m, and the Canon paper was only 260g/sq m Maybe that had something to do with it
so I went to my local Jessops today to get a pack of heavier paper - some Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl, weighing in at 290g/sq m, and have just printed off a few images now. Thankfully, there are no such track marks. Furthermore, the ICC profile is readily available online at Ilford's website. A few seconds installing it, and you're away. For this paper, I selected the Ilford colour profile and set the printer driver to print onto Photo Plus Pro Platinum (or was it Platinum Pro ?!) This was the best so far for colour rendition and vibrance, and looks like it'll be the paper of choice for future printing. Ultimately, if I were to get these prints back from a lap, I'd be more than happy.
My ONLY real quibble is the driver itself. There is a section when printing borderless to define the 'wrap' around the edges - how much the image gets 'enlarged' to ensure that there aren't any borders. Unfortunately, on a few of the images, there has been about a 1mm gap on the leading edge of the paper with the second-lowest 'wrap' setting. Changing to the default, however, and it's fine, and you only lose a millimetre or two of the image itself at A4.
CONCLUSION
I guess the cost of printers has come down a huge amount in recent years, but I must admit that for a printer of this size and quality, I'm more than impressed. The colour rendition is accurate and consistent, the output looks professional, it's quiet, and using Canon's 'Colourlife 100+' inks with the right paper, prints should last a while as well. Plus, of course, it has the ability to print up to A3.
Basically, I'd say that if you have a couple of hundred quid spare and you're in need of a printer, I'd give this one a go - I'm more than happy with it, and I think I'll finally be peeling all the plastic off it later on - I've kept it on so far because of the 7-day approval period I was given. But I won't be needing that now...
I'll try and post some photos a little later on
How many A3 sheets can you get from set of ink cartridges?