NewsView's Full Review: Canon i9900 InkJet Photo Printer
After assembling a 135 megabyte Photoshop file consisting of scanned and digital color and monochrome images, I fully expected the i9900 to take a great deal of time to print while running under Mac OS 9.2.2. To my surprise, less than three minutes later, I had a 13X19-inch print on premium Canon Pro paper that blew me away. How the i9900 could print so fast with just a 80 KB buffer beats me.
Gradations are smooth, color natural and detail sharp—all of which makes for superb output. The printer’s 2-picoliter droplets are deposited from eight ink cartridges featuring 768 nozzles per color. It offers 4800x2400 maximum dots-per-inch overall, but 4800x1200 at the edges of the page. Any way you slice it, the resolution outpaces competing inkjets in this price range.
According to Canon, the i9900’s output rivals professional photo lab processing. While this statement comes off like a typical marketing gimmick, it's not just hype. The digital images in my collage originated from a 1.3-megapixel camera, but you’d be hard pressed to distinguish it from a high megapixel image because the printer's output is virtually grainless under any circumstance. Reprints of scanned monochrome images, some in excess of 65-years-old, looked better than the originals. (In fairness, print output can never be attributed entirely to the printer; it is also a function of the quality of the imaging hardware and the level of manipulation done in Photoshop.)
Interestingly, Canon’s print driver allows the choice of normal operating noise level and “quiet.” I’m not certain why such a choice is offered when, for obvious reasons, most people would prefer a printer that doesn’t make a racket. At 37 decibels in the highest print quality mode, you be the judge.
Another oddity: the printer offers a USB 1.1 and a USB 2.0 port. Considering that most, if not all, USB 2.0 ports are downward compatible, it’s not quite clear why two separate ports are warranted. Regardless, users may connect via Firewire as a third alternative.
According to the specs, the printer weighs just 20.94 pounds, is operational in temperatures ranging from 41 degrees to 95 Fahrenheit, and draws just 1.8 watts in standby and 28 watts during operation. It’s 22.7 inches wide, 13 deep and 7.5 inches high. Before you buy, make sure you have the desk space.
While the i9900 lacks a receptacle for digital camera memory media, it does connect directly to PICT-bridge compatible cameras. Likewise, Canon photo paper may cost a tad more than the competitors, but its $11 ink refills are significantly cheaper than those marketed for the Epson R800. The i9900 is capable of printing on envelopes, transparencies and T-Shirt transfers; however, unlike the Epson R800, it does not print on roll paper or CDRWs.
As with any of the pigment-based photo inkjets, which are supplanting dye-based ink technology, pairing generic or third-party photo paper with this printer may produce less than optimal results, including decreased print life (fading) or fragility (flaking). Fortunately, Canon offers glossy, matte, and semi-gloss in their Photo Paper Plus and Photo Paper Pro lines. Perforated paper is available as well as borderless in all popular sizes. Unfortunately, locating a full selection of Canon paper is not as simple as locating HP, Epson or Kodak photo paper.
The printer ships with a print “Quick Start Guide” and an online manual, the latter of which is intended as the primary source of detailed information. Like most computer products, however, the scope and depth of the online manual is limited.
The I9900 requires paper greater than 17 lbs but less than 28 lbs. There’s a “paper abrasion” adjustment in the driver, but the default is unchecked. The documentation could be clearer about where the weight limit cutoff falls. The documentation also fails to indicate when the overflow ink receptacle may be expected to reach capacity. The manual states only that the part must be removed and replaced by the manufacturer. There’s no telling how much it might cost and if the part/service will be readily available to all owners in all areas. Last but not least, there’s no control panel installed under Mac OS 9.x, which makes it impossible to check ink status. This leaves me to wonder if Canon’s proprietary feature, which tracks ink levels in each cartridge individually, will activate in Classic mode in the same way it does under OS X or Windows.
The only real flaw I found with this printer is the tendency to etch small grooves into the stock Canon photo paper. That, and the fact that I would like Canon’s ink longevity to rival the 80-year lifespan offered by Epson’s ink technology, has led me to cut my rating by one star. Even so, this is one printer any serious photographer or graphic artist should not pass up.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400.00 Operating System: Macintosh
Up to 4,800 x 2,400 dpi resolution 4-by-6-inch photos in as little as 38 seconds 13-by-19-inch posters in as little as 3 minutes 8-color ChromaPLUS in...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.