Canon Pixma Pro-100 review
Cheaper to buy and run than other A3+ inkjets, with great print quality to boot
In common with the rest of the Pixma Pro range, the printer feeds paper from a rear tray. A rear support folds out to help feed even large A3+ paper sizes. While we had no trouble with large sheets of photo paper, paper feeding was a little less reliable when it came to printing 4x6in photos. If we had only a few sheets in the rear tray, the printer would at times pick up two sheets at once. It’d then stop printing while we removed the extra 4x6in sheet. This isn’t a problem if you’ve got a healthy stack of paper in the tray, but is worth bearing in mind if you plan to leave the Pro-100 carrying out a large print job while you go away and do something else.
For similar reasons, you won’t want to use this printer for plain A4 documents on lightweight copier paper. Not only is it a waste of expensive ink, but the printer constantly fed multiple pages at once when we used 75gsm photocopier paper. They didn’t get stuck in the printer’s workings, but the resulting prints were unusable. Thicker 100gsm inkjet paper fared better, but mono text print speeds are poor, with even a single page taking 40 seconds.
Photo print speeds, on the other hand, are rather good. Our reference A3 print completed in three minutes and 25 seconds, while two 10x8in photos printed in three minutes, 48 seconds and six 6x4in photos in seven minutes and 23 seconds.
As well as being one of the cheapest A3+ photo printers you can buy, at £374, the Pixma Pro-100 is also one of the cheapest to run. Even including the cost of Canon’s most expensive Platinum Pro glossy photo paper, a 6x4in print costs 32p. Only 3p of that is down to the cost of the ink and less expensive papers are available both from Canon and third-party manufacturers such as Illford. If you use a third-party paper, make sure it’s a good one with an ICC profile available for this particular printer, to make sure you get optimal quality. Even using Canon’s most expensive paper, the printer is massively good value for A4 and A3 posters, which come in at 82p and £1.96 respectively.
We love the Pixma Pro-100, despite its occasionally flaky paper handling. It’s the best choice for amateur photographers who want hassle-free printing, but its support for colour profiles and a wide range of professional papers makes it a great choice for a professional on a budget, too. It’s our Best Buy.
Basic Specifications | |
---|---|
Rating | ***** |
Maximum native print resolution | 4,800×2,400dpi |
Quoted Speeds | |
Quoted speed, mono A4 | N/A |
Quoted speed, colour A4 | N/A |
Tested Speeds | |
Time for two 10x8in photos 1.0 | 3m 48s |
Time for six 6x4in photos 1.0 | 7m 23s |
Print Quality | |
Number of ink colours | 8 |
Number of ink cartridges | 8 |
Maximum number of ink colours | 8 |
Maximum number of cartridges | 8 |
Quoted photo durability | 30 years |
Quoted photo durability source | Canon |
Physical and Environmental | |
Standard printer interfaces | USB, 10/100 Ethernet, 801.11n wireless |
Optional printer interfaces | none |
Size | 215x689x385mm |
Weight | 19.7kg |
Noise (in normal use) | 38.5dB(A) |
Paper Handling | |
Maximum paper size | A3+ |
Maximum paper weight | 350gsm |
Standard paper inputs | 1 |
Standard paper input capacity | 150 |
Maximum paper inputs | 1 |
Maximum paper input capacity | 150 |
Duplex (code, cost if option) | No |
Photo Features | |
PictBridge support | Yes |
Borderless printing | A3+ |
Direct (PC-less) printing | Yes |
Supported memory cards | none |
CD printing | Yes |
General | |
Printer technology | thermal inkjet |
Supported operating systems | Windows XP/Vista/7/8, MacOS X 10.5.8 – 10.8 |
Other inkjet features | automatic print head alignment, print via Android/iOS app |
Other inkjet options | none |
Buying Information | |
Price | £374 |
Consumable parts and prices | £13 each |
Quoted life of supplied photo cartridge(s) | Black: 900 photos, Grey: 492 photos, Light Grey: 835 photos, Cyan: 600 photos, Magenta: 416 photos, Yellow: 284 photos, Photo Cyan: 292 photos, Photo Magenta: 169 photos |
Price per colour A4 page | N/A |
Price per mono A4 page | N/A |
Warranty | one year RTB |
Supplier | http://www.printerbase.co.uk |
Details | www.canon.co.uk |
Tested Print Speeds | |
Time for two 10x8in photos 1.0 | 3m 48s |
Time for six 6x4in photos 1.0 | 7m 23s |