Printers aren’t exciting. They’re printers! We make fun of them and of HP for stuffing them full of apps. But professional-photography-grade printers? Yeah, we care about those. And Canon’s new PIXMA PRO-1 inkjet is really dang impressive.
The PIXMA PRO-1 uses a a 12-ink system — five monochromes — with a tubular delivery system, and ink tanks 2.5x larger than the previous generation stored on the sides of the printer. That allows it to produce prints faster than previous models: Canon claims that it can pop out a pro-quality 13-inch x 9-inch print in about four and a half minutes, which sounds, well, fast. The five monochromes should help smooth gradations and suppress graininess in the colours of reflected light.
The PRO-1 also applies a Chroma Optimiser to the print, which helps smooth out stray ink drops that might cause uneven reflection. The claimed light fastness — how long a print resists fading due to light exposure — for the PRO-1’s prints is 70 years, and of course it’s got other more standard niceties, like ethernet connectivity for multiple machines, and dual paper feed, for glossy and non. The PIXMA PRO-1 has an estimated price of $US1000, availability TBD. [Canon]