Pro 9500

Canon Pixma Pro 9500 offers professional 10-colour, A3+ photo printer with pigment inks, Pgi9 for studio quality, colour monochrome prints with exceptional image permanence. Supports photo fine art papers with full colour control.

Canon Pixma Pro9500 Mark II Review

Canon is renowned for providing series updates to its high-end imaging products instead of totally rejuvenating them. The latest example of this is the Canon Pixma Pro9500 Mark II. A wide-format photo inkjet designed for working photographers, graphics experts, and also dedicated enthusiasts, the latest version of the Pro9500 develops the original's success, by way of a ten-tank pigment ink system, borderless printing anywhere up to 13x19, as well as Canon's Ambient Light Correction process.

On a desk, the Mark II edition of the Pro9500 does not appear significantly unlike the previous model: it's really a hulking, grey and black two-tone box.

The unit uses two trays; each of which can support paper up to a whopping 13x19 (A3+), enabling you to create photo along with other fine-art prints on a variety of media. With regards to thickness, the auto feeder is spaced to allow media to about 100 gsm, and handle "Canon-approved" stock as thick as 300 gsm.

In assessing the Pro9500 with numerous photo stocks, we had not any problems making use of any of Canon's heavyweight fine art papers in the machine's auto feeder, plus with the proper adjustments, the Mark II handled 280 gsm (100 lb) art stock from different manufacturers without having any trouble as well.

Under the cover, the Pro9500 Mark II, much like the previous version, makes use of Canon's ten-tank Lucia pigment ink system.

Buttons and controls on the printer itself are bare minimum at the most: you'll find power, feed, as well as sheet load buttons upon the printer's front deck, as well as a PictBridge port, however the greater part of the Pro9500's applications are handled by way of Canon's supplied software - which controls preferences such as the much talked-about Ambient Light Correction feature.

The first Pro9500 was very well regarded for its print speed, but even though the technology has changed very little, both Canon's authorized numbers and our tests show that the Mark II has dropped a step or two in the speed category in comparison to its sister.

The Pixma Pro9500 Mark II produces exceptionally nice prints.

With regard to colour images, the Pro9500's pigment inks are vibrant as well as solid, supplying an impressively vast colour environment to function in. It was appropriately straightforward to profile the Pro9500's output, plus I was able to achieve nice and screen-accurate output results with little inconvenience.

Much like the original Pro9500, where the Mark II really excels is in making black and whites. We have tested some inkjets featuring fantastic monochrome functionalities, but the Pro9500 delivers some of the darkest blacks as well as even tonal transitions we have observed. On matte or semi-gloss paper, the end results definitely are commercial quality, making the Mark II entirely suited for making gallery prints or client deliverables.

The Pro9500 Mark II is a booming success. Skilled photographers will enjoy its adaptable media handling and straightforward output regulation, and amateurs really should find more than enough features in this device's black and white printing abilities, especially, to ensure that they're happy for years. Sure, we would like it if the speed was a bit greater, however everything else - from print quality, to easiness of use, to the ink utilization behavior - matches or exceeds our expectation, even considering the high (for enthusiasts, in any case) price.

Altogether, we still like the Pro9500 a lot. While we're splitting hairs at this point, it might deliver the best overall image quality - the closest thing to that photo-lab print experience - that you can get in a printer that is quite inside the financial budget of the serious hobbyist. Is this distinction, plus the Pixma's further understated benefits, enough to place it on top of the pile within photo inkjets? You (and your wallet) will need to decide for yourself.