Canon PIXMA Pro 9000 Mark II (A3+ Printer, 4800 X 2400 dpi) Printer

I migrated to this after using a Canon i950 for years. Always wanted an A3+ printer and after gumming up the print head of the 950 by using so called "compatible" inks (BIG lesson there!) it gave me the excuse.I analysed the A3+ printers available and it was really either this or the Epson equivalent. All other things looking equal the Canon won on being more economical to run using the OE manufacturers ink (remember the BIG lesson). I spent about 3 weeks spreadsheeting the alternatives and was really tempted by the Epson: print quality looked superb but if you consider one, look at how much ink there is in the replacement cartridge compared to others..........I run the printer using Vista, had no problems with drivers or set up, installing the print head and ink cartridges was a doddle and it even does a self alignment check! The printer is disconcertingly quiet when working and print speed faster than expected. You can look at the specs but until you have it working in front of you speed doesn't mean that much.I use mainly Ilford Galerie paper with the respective downloaded ICC profile (very easy to do) and results surpass my expectations. Colours are true and vibrant with exceptional gloss levels. Monochrome prints are all I could wish for - deep blacks, snowy whites and everything in between that goes to make up that beautiful darkroom quality black and white print with not even a hint of a colour cast!I'm struggling to find something negative to say: there's no USB cable in the box and the printers foot print is quite large (but then it is an A3 printer so what should I expect?). Oh yes, the included Canon software does lots of clever stuff but I recommend resisting the temptation to try the "vivid printing" option unless you have a very strong stomach.That's about it really - it's all about making lab quality prints quickly and without fuss: and this printer does! If I had to buy one over again, this is the one I'd buy.

I have had this printer for six months and I really like it. The build quality is really, really good. You can close up all the flaps when you're not printing and it becomes a sleek, rectangular box. The print quality is superb. I am not a professional photographer and I have read that some people have had problems with colour matching. I think that this problem might be Mac specific. I am running Windows 7 and the colours are superb - comparable to professional printing.I use the printer to print architectural drawings on plain paper and the plans are crisp and vivid, even on the standard print quality setting.The printer does take a bit of time to limber up if it has been off or if you haven't printed for a while which is slightly annoying if you are wanting to print something and rush out (most days). You have to hop about on one leg while the printer makes noises and wiggles its bits about in preparation.The snag? It has no network connectivity - no wireless and no ethernet. I could not believe it when I opened it up. I turned and rolled it over and over looking for the ethernet socket but it's only USB. Nowadays when even £50 printers have network connectivity, this seems to be a real oversight. It means that I have had to buy and set up a little Silex print server to make it work with more than one machine (laptop, desktop and one other).2014 UPDATE: Still pleased with this printer. It's solid and reliable. It does use quite a bit of ink and the ink's expensive. I have ditched the Silex print sharing thing and now use the built-in USB print sharing facility that came with my TP Link router - which works adequately. I still can't believe that there's no network connectivity in a printer at this level.

I have now had the Canon Pixma Pro Mark II since November 2010 and perhaps is the worst printer that the office has purchased. Since we bought the machine we have spend more that the original purchase price buying inks. If you intend to buy this unit think twice as to run this machine is extremely expensive. Furthermore when using A3 paper it does not work all the time meaning that paper jams or machine feeds paper at an angle therefore resulting in many lost prints and additional ink down the drain.