Product Description

The i9900 Photo Printer is a high-end large format machine whose remarkable output can rival that of a professional processing lab. It's capable of producing edge-to-edge true borderless prints, from 4" x 6" up to a breathtaking 13" x 19" size, with the look and feel of a traditional photograph. Think of it: you can take a digital picture, set your printing parameters and be holding an amazing 13" x 19" poster-size borderless print in under 3 minutes. For true printing freedom you can even connect a Bubble Jet Direct or PictBridge-compatible digital camera or DV camcorder to the i9900 printer's conveniently located Direct Print Port and print photos -- without a computer. 100 Sheet feeder Includes software for Windows & Mac 1-year limited warranty with InstantExchange Actual print speed will vary according to use

Product Details

• Brand: Canon
• Model: 8580A001
• Dimensions: 7.20" h x 22.70" w x 13.10" l, 21.00 pounds
• Memory: 0.08MB

Features

• 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 ink system for true-to-life color
• USB 2.0, Mac FireWire, PictBridge interfaces

Amazon.com Product Description
The Canon i9900 photo printer provides a high-quality, versatile solution for photo enthusiasts and low-volume photo professionals. This low-profile, quiet machine offers wide format printing (up to 13 by 19 inches) as well as fast 4-by-6-inch borderless prints in as little as 38 seconds. (All reported speeds are maximums. Actual speeds will vary.) For truly professional-looking results, the printer also supports resolutions up to 4,800 x 1,200 dpi.

Print directly from PictBridge and BubbleJet Direct cameras. No PC required.

The i9900 utilizes an eight-color, separate ink tank color system to increase the range of color reproduction. This multi-tank technology features low-ink sensors so you won't run dry in the middle of a print and saves you money by letting you replace only the color that has run out. The i9900 offers a built-in sheet feeder that's able to handle up to 100 sheets of 17 lb. stock, 10 envelopes, 30 transparency sheets, or a full range of specialty papers. It even comes with a sample package of 4-by-6-inch Photo Paper Pro.

Offering direct connection to Bubble Jet Direct or PictBridge-compatible digital cameras or DV camcorders, the i9900 also features fast USB 2.0 and FireWire interfaces (FireWire compatible with Mac OS only) for convenient peripheral connection. It comes with a comprehensive package of image editing software, including Easy-PhotoPrint Plus, Easy-WebPrint, ZoomBrowser EX, PhotoRecord, ImageBrowser, and PhotoStitch. (See tech specs for system requirements.) The unit is backed by a one year warranty on parts and labor.

What's in the Box
i9900 photo printer, i9900 print head, ink tanks (BCI-6C cyan, BCI-6M magenta, BCI-6Y yellow, BCI-6Bk black, BCI-6PC photo cyan, BCI-6PM photo magenta, BCI-6R red, and BCI-6G green), power cord, easy setup instructions, document kit (quick start guide, registration card, setup software and user's guide, software CD), Photo Paper Pro sample pack; printer cable not included

From the Manufacturer
Bigger just got better. The i9900 Photo Printer is a high-end large format machine whose remarkable output can rival that of a professional processing lab. It's capable of producing edge-to-edge true borderless prints, from 4-by-6 up to a breathtaking 13-by-19-inch size, with the look and feel of a traditional photograph. Think of it: you can take a digital picture, set your printing parameters, and be holding an amazing 13-by-19-inch poster-size borderless print in under 3 minutes. For true printing freedom you can even connect a Bubble Jet Direct or PictBridge-compatible digital camera or DV camcorder to the i9900 printer's conveniently located Direct Print Port and print photos—without a computer.

Higher resolution—it's all in the details. The i9900 Photo Printer features advanced MicroFine Droplet Technology, which combines revolutionary techniques in ink droplet size and quality with accurate ink application and composition, for spectacular photo results. Its newly developed, high-density print head contains an unmatched 6,144 precisely machined nozzles, delivering approximately 11 million droplets per square inch. Providing the exceptional quality demanded by serious photographers, the i9900 Photo Printer achieves a resolution of up to 4,800 x 2,400 dpi and delivers ultra-fine 2 picoliter droplets that reveal precise details in photographs that many other large-format printers just can't duplicate.

The quality of your photos will truly impress family and friends, while the speed at which they print will truly impress you. Edge-to-edge borderless 4-by-6-inch photos can be produced in about 38 seconds, or print your 8.5-by-11-inch photo enlargements in about 50 seconds. (See tech specs for details about speed and resolution.) The i9900's performance is further advanced with the addition of both a FireWire and USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface (FireWire compatible with Mac OS only) for the fastest photo transfers possible.

An 8-color ink system broadens your spectrum. The i9900 Photo Printer features the 8-color ChromaPLUS ink system designed to extend your color reproduction range significantly and reproduce colors that before now could only be printed professionally. The addition of red and green ink tanks will make it possible to print richer images with improved brilliancy and more true-to-life colors. The Canon Think Tank System featuring individual ink tanks combined with an intelligent ink management system lets you replace only the color that runs out, rather than an entire multi-ink cartridge containing unused ink, reducing printing costs. A unique low-ink sensor alerts you when ink levels are low, so you can drop in a new tank and avoid running out of ink unexpectedly.

Customer Reviews

After Three Months I'm Still Impressed
I've had my i9900 since it first came out and I love it! Before this I had two Epson photo printers and was happy with them at the time but everything about this printer is better... The print speed is incredible, I haven't had a clogged head yet (Epson owners will appreciate this), the individual ink cartridges are economical, and the print quality is phenomenal. Although I print more 4x6's than anything, I've made several 13 x 19 prints and they look great. Genuine Canon ink cartridges can be bought for about $10.00 each if you shop around a bit. They last a reasonably long time and are a snap to change.

I only have two quibbles with this printer and neither is serious enough to affect its five-star rating... It doesn't print on CD's and you can't make a borderless 8 x 10" print (you can make a borderless 8½ x 11" but my Epson handled both sizes).

I can't speak to print longevity yet but I don't expect it to be a problem. I never used Epson's archival inks & papers and have not noticed any fading of those prints, even after 3-4 years hanging on my wall. I expect that prints made with the i9900 will be equivalent, which is fine with me. I don't sell my prints so if in ten years a print has faded, I'll simply make a new one.

One last thing... Although I usually don't recommend using paper from anyone but the manufacturer of the printer, I've found that Epson's Premium Glossy Photo Paper works fine with this model. You get a very slight shift toward yellow when compared with Canon's best paper but can be easily adjusted out if desired. I mention this because I print a lot of 4x6's and Epson's 100 pack of their best glossy paper (S041727) is quite a bit cheaper than even Canon's mid-line paper. Also, although the glossy surface on the Epson and Canon papers are near identical, the back of the Epson paper is smoother than the Canon's, making the prints slide easier (and feel better) in your hand. This is a small thing but you may want to give it a try.

If you're looking for a wide-carriage photo printer, there's a lot to like with this one.

Update - 6/30/2005: After living with this printer for nine months I'm still impressed. I've not had any problems, not even a clogged head (something I constantly had with my Epsons). I did stop using the Epson 4x6 paper and now use Canon's mid-line "Photo Paper Plus" for my 4x6 snapshots. I make a lot of 4x6's and don't see any difference between this and Canon's much more expensive "Photo Paper Pro" (I still use "Pro" for my larger prints though). One small complaint is that a few other photo printers do a better job producing neutral black & white prints. Lastly, I didn't mention text printing in my first review because I have an HP for that. I have used the Canon for text documents on a few occasions and it does an Ok job but that's not why people buy this printer.

Great printer.
I've had this printer since it was first stocked at compusa. so far, its's been an amazing inkjet printer. I previously owned epsons (3000, 2200) which required lots of maintainance such as frequent head cleaning, tweaking with color profiles to get color matching, and having a designated computer as RIP print server. Canon is easy--direct connection to my computer via FireWire (or USB1/2). Straight out of the box, photo prints had relatively good color matching to what I see on my Apple Cinema display. Colors were a bit warmer and more saturated than what I would prefer. But they were still very good. It prints quietly and very fast (especially compared to Epson 2200 & 3000) . I wanted to get precise color matching to what I see on my screen. It took me about an hour to calibrate my monitor, set up color profiles, and adjusting only the color intensity on the Canon printer and printing with my custom color profile to get the colors nearly perfect.
I saw that some complained about the ink cost. Canon uses 8 inks and will run you about a hundred dollars to get all 8. BUT...it rarely uses Red and Green. Photo colors (PCyan, PMagenta) seems to run out pretty fast. If you have photoshop you can always adjust the color distribution in CMYK so that the printer uses more ink from black but and not from the four process colors. I looked at the prints under a loop and found that 2-picoliter droplets stay on the surface of the page. It seems like a lot of ink does not go on the page but they are tightly held together to produce excellent color and definition. Anyway, the cost of printing on this Canon is no more than Epson 2200.Text printing is so-so if you are printing direclty to the printer. It isn't as tight and defined like printing through RIP. BUT. you can emulate this effect and get near perfect text printing by saving your doc as a PDF and then printing the PDF file. The result is amazing! Anyway, it's an excellent printer. Get to know it well and it will treat you well.

Awesome Printer EXCEPT for Archival Prints! (Dye vs. Pigment)
All the good reviews of this printer are true. It's fast, quiet, and the prints are amazing. But I just wanted to mention something VERY important some people. This is a DYE INK based printer. Not a PIGMENT INK based printer. That means your prints will fade over time compared to a pigment ink printer.

I have a photo that I've printed from the i9900 with the Canon Pro paper that is hanging in my office (which has florescent lights). After 6 months, the print has faded quite noticeably. The deep blacks are turning brown and everything else is changing colors. Now this print is not under glass. It's just pinned up on my board. Glass will protect the prints longer.

If you are looking for archival prints that will last a long time (100-200 years by their estimates) get a pigment based printer. Epson's Stylus Photo R1800 and R2400 are their 13"x19" printers in this class. Now if you are a Canon fan... Canon just announced that they are releasing two new printers this Fall (2006). One is the PIXMA Pro9000 which will use a better dye ink. The other is the Canon PIXMA Pro9500 which is going to be 13"x19" printer that finally uses pigment based ink. For more details, goto [...] and these new printers will be listed there.

There is kind of a debate between dye and pigment inks. They both have their pro's and con's. Google "dye vs pigment" and you'll come across some articles that go into detail and will help you determine what ink system will be right for you.

I have prints under glass that still look great. But I don't know how they will last in the years to come. But walking into my office and seeing that faded print made me decide to sell my i9900 and either buy the Epson now or wait the the new Canon. Since I'm so impressed with every other aspect of the i9900, I'm probably going to wait till the Canon PIXMA Pro9500 is released and buy that system.

The bottom line is that a 13"x19" print can cost around $5 (ink and paper). Having it last is extremely important. I hope this helps. Don't forget to Google those articles!