- Superb photos
- Excellent black-and-white performance
- Up to 13-by-19-inch prints
- Slow
- Large footprint
Bottom Line
Canon's Pixma Pro-1 produces gorgeous prints, including outstanding black-and-white photos, but you'll need to wait a while to see them. Also, make sure you have an ample ink budget.
Performance
Gorgeous prints. The Pixma Pro-1 produces stellar photo prints of up to 13 by 19 inches. It's the flagship model in Canon's line of Pixma Pro printers, and clearly targets professionals and dedicated enthusiasts. The 12-color LUCIA pigment ink system includes five monochrome inks, making it a particularly strong performer when it comes to producing black-and-white prints.
But that doesn't mean the Pixma Pro-1 is a slouch at color work; reviewers say color prints are rich and vibrant. It's a slow printer, however, with one Amazon.com user saying it takes eight minutes to print a 13-by-19-inch borderless print, and more than six minutes for an 11-by-14 photo.
The Pro-1 is also capable of handling everyday printing, although as PCMag.com notes, "Using a near-dedicated photo printer like the Pro-1 to print text documents is a bit like using a Maserati for grocery runs." Still, text quality is very nice, as is performance for graphics such as charts and PowerPoint presentations.
Features and Design
Make room for this heavyweight. The Canon Pixma Pro-1's size and weight will never be big selling points. It's very heavy at 61 pounds, even for a professional-grade photo printer. The Pro-1's measurements of 27.4 by 18.2 by 9.5 are fair given its capacity for producing 13-by-19-inch images, but you'll want to make sure you have enough space for it before lifting it out of the box.
Features are sparse and there's no LCD control panel. Connectivity options include Ethernet, USB or PictBridge, but cables aren't included.
Durability
Questionable ink consumption. Professional reviewers cheer the Canon Pixma Pro-1's sizable ink cartridges, which is important since replacements don't come cheap. However, some users say the inkwells that ship with the printer drop astonishingly fast. The replacement tanks seem to perform better, but many owners post comments about the Pro-1 being an "ink hog." Switching the cartridges can be a challenge, according to an Imaging-Resource.com test.
| Canon PIXMA PRO-1 Professional Inkjet Printer | |
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Our Sources
1. PCMag.com
Review Credibility: Very Good Hoffman, a photo enthusiast, tests the Canon Pixma Pro-1 and gives it rave reviews for its quality prints and large ink cartridges. However, it doesn't get an Editors' Choice award. Black-and-white aka monochrome prints are especially stellar, he says, but the printer's speed is a drawback.
Review: Canon Pixma Pro-1, Tony Hoffman, July 20, 2012
2. Shutterbug.com
Review Credibility: Very Good This in-depth review targets professional photographers and photo enthusiasts, and offers a ringing endorsement of the Canon Pixma Pro-1. Schaub is particularly impressed with its features, including not having to switch out inks for matte and glossy prints.
Review: Canon Pixma Pro-1: A New 12 Pigment-Ink, 13x19" Printer, George Schaub, March 1, 2012
3. Imaging-Resource.com
Review Credibility: Very Good Pasini provides one of the most detailed reviews of the Canon Pixma Pro-1. He explores all facets of its setup and use, and critiques its performance. He says the Pro-1 makes it "easy to make gorgeous prints."
Review: Canon Pixma Pro-1 Launches a New Era in Photo Printing, Mike Pasini, Dec. 6, 2011
4. Imaging-Resource.com
Review Credibility: Very Good This is a follow-up review, ten months after Pasini's initial evaluation of the Canon Pixma Pro-1. He says his comments are now colored a bit by his experience with a competing printer, the Epson R3000, but at the end of the day, the Pro-1 remains an excellent choice for the serious photographer. "In fact, we have to smile at what a wonderful problem you have in choosing between the two," he writes. "You can't really lose."
Review: Canon Pro-1 Ten Months Later, Mike Pasini, July 2012
5. BHPhotoVideo.com
Review Credibility: Good Canon's Pixma Pro-1 generates about 20 reviews on the website of New York City's B&H, where owners give it 3.8 stars out of 5 stars. They like its print quality, especially for black-and-white photos, but many complain that it uses too much ink.
Review: Canon Pixma Pro-1 Color Inkjet Photo Printer, Contributors to BHPhotoVideo.com, As of February 2013
6. Amazon.com
Review Credibility: Fair The Canon Pixma Pro-1 attracts only six user reviews at Amazon.com but earns 4.8 out of 5 stars. Many posts are detailed and are clearly written by professionals; they praise the Pro-1's quality but a few complain about the ink usage.
Review: Canon Pixma Pro-1 Professional Inkjet Printer, Contributors to Amazon.com, As of February 2013
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