new printer - i'm hooked

[Andy]

ok i'm hooked! i came home today and the fedex man had left a new canon i9900 on my doorstep :) whoo-boy, i was excited. it *is* all about the print for me, and at home, i'd been printing up to 8x10s on an inexpensive hp inkjet ... occasionally i'd use a friend's canon for larger prints. well, at around $400 usd, this printer seemed like a good deal, and let me tell you, after a few prints, i'm *hooked* on it :) the prints are really high quality -
even my wife said *wow* and she's not easily impressed :)

http://www.moonriverphotography.com/photos/9895454-L.jpg

this thing does up to 13" x 19" borderless printing, so i'm going
to have some custom mattes made for that size, and then get some 20
x 24 frames from exposuresonline.

most of my prints are done by my smugmug, but there's nothing like doing your own every so often, too ... it's really gratifying to take the shot, work it in post, and then print it yourself, matte, frame it, and hang it on the wall.

enjoy (printing your work) photography,

[dkapp]

ok i'm hooked! i came home today and the fedex man had left a new canon i9900 on my doorstep :) whoo-boy, i was excited. it *is* all about the print for me, and at home, i'd been printing up to 8x10s on an inexpensive hp inkjet ... occasionally i'd use a friend's canon for larger prints. well, at around $400 usd, this printer seemed like a good deal, and let me tell you, after a few prints, i'm *hooked* on it :) the prints are really high quality -
even my wife said *wow* and she's not easily impressed :)

this thing does up to 13" x 19" borderless printing, so i'm going
to have some custom mattes made for that size, and then get some 20
x 24 frames from exposuresonline.

most of my prints are done by my smugmug, but there's nothing like doing your own every so often, too ... it's really gratifying to take the shot, work it in post, and then print it yourself, matte, frame it, and hang it on the wall.

enjoy (printing your work) photography,

I've read good things about that printer. I recently bought a new Epson 2200 that can do borderless 13x19, or 13x44 on roll paper.

What is the print life expected to be on that model? I have an s900 that gets about 6 months behind glass. Something you may want to check into if you plan on selling those prints. This is also the main reason for me getting the Epson.

How many 13x19's have you printed yet? I went crazy the first few days with that size! There is nothing like instant gratification of digital. Smugmug has a great product & price, but I like to see my photo in minutes, not days. :)

I've even thought about getting my own matte cutter & learning how to do it myself. Looking around the internet, it doesn't seem too expensive.

Congrats on a cool new toy!

Dave

[Andy]

the print life is much longer than 6months -- canon says "many decades" in their specs.

i won't be printing these for clients - those are done from smugmug / ezprints.

mattes? i'm just going to order a bunch of mattes for the 13x19 paper :D ... time to go a-googling!

I've read good things about that printer. I recently bought a new Epson 2200 that can do borderless 13x19, or 13x44 on roll paper.

What is the print life expected to be on that model? I have an s900 that gets about 6 months behind glass. Something you may want to check into if you plan on selling those prints. This is also the main reason for me getting the Epson.

How many 13x19's have you printed yet? I went crazy the first few days with that size! There is nothing like instant gratification of digital. Smugmug has a great product & price, but I like to see my photo in minutes, not days. :)

I've even thought about getting my own matte cutter & learning how to do it myself. Looking around the internet, it doesn't seem too expensive.

Congrats on a cool new toy!

Dave

[patch29]

the print life is much longer than 6months -- canon says "many decades" in their specs.

i won't be printing these for clients - those are done from smugmug / ezprints.

mattes? i'm just going to order a bunch of mattes for the 13x19 paper :D ... time to go a-googling!

Kodak has some new pro inkjet papers, here. (http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/products/papers/inkjet/main.jhtml?pq-path=2727) They come in either matte (lustre) or glossy. They feel just like RA-4 paper and absorb the ink/dye slightly deeper to prevent bronzing. Their test prints look really good. wxwax and I both picked up a free pack (5) 8.5x11 sheets. He was going to give me his, but if you want it PM him and see if he can drop it in the mail, or maybe a Kodak rep can get you some. This paper holds a lot of promise for making great prints with a traditional print feel and look, time to do some tests.

[pathfinder]

I've read good things about that printer. I recently bought a new Epson 2200 that can do borderless 13x19, or 13x44 on roll paper.

What is the print life expected to be on that model? I have an s900 that gets about 6 months behind glass. Something you may want to check into if you plan on selling those prints. This is also the main reason for me getting the Epson.

How many 13x19's have you printed yet? I went crazy the first few days with that size! There is nothing like instant gratification of digital. Smugmug has a great product & price, but I like to see my photo in minutes, not days. :)

I've even thought about getting my own matte cutter & learning how to do it myself. Looking around the internet, it doesn't seem too expensive.

Congrats on a cool new toy!

Dave

I have used an Epson 2200 for about 12 months and once I got it dialed in, I have really enjoyed it. I use it for 5x7s on 8x10 stock and for 13x19 on premium photo lustre paper. It blows away the Cibachrome imges I made years ago. I chose the Epson like you because of concerns about longevity. I just preferred the idea of pigment inks versus dyes for long life and stability. But the Canon does get rave reviews I know.

[cmr164]

ok i'm hooked! i came home today and the fedex man had left a new canon i9900 on my doorstep :) whoo-boy, i was excited.
...
this thing does up to 13" x 19" borderless printing, so i'm going
to have some custom mattes made for that size, and then get some 20
x 24 frames from exposuresonline
....
What is the material cost for a 13x19 print?

[Andy]

What is the material cost for a 13x19 print?

dunno, charles :D but it's priceless to have such quality at home, lemme tell ya!

[dragon300zx]

Andy Congratulations. It is an absolutely amazing printer. I have had mine for bout month month and a half now and it still blows my mind. They did a great write up on the printer in last months issue of shutterbug. The Canon 13X19 Photo Paper Pro costs me bout 28 bucks for a 10 pack at staples. I have tried a bunch of different brands of paper and the Canon photo paper pro is the best stuff I have found. I have heard there is a Canon photo paper film but I have yet to see it anywhere I have looked at least.

[Aaron Wilson]

Andy were do you buy your papper from?

[tmlphoto]

Andy were do you buy your papper from?
I've had mine for a couple of months and love it. Load up on extra ink (especially photo cyan) if you are going to make alot of large prints. I went through the photo cyan in a couple of days when I first got the printer. I was printing lots of 19x13. Somehow 8x10 looks puny now :D . Enjoy.

[wxwax]

:clap Great discussion. Damn, now I have printer envy. :wxwax

[Andy]

Andy were do you buy your papper from?


looking for good online suppliers now. got any ideas / suggestions?

[pathfinder]

looking for good online suppliers now. got any ideas / suggestions?


I order from epsonusa.com online and get delivery within 24 hours. I have an order in from Red River Paper also, but have not recieved it yet as it is shipped from Texas - heh hehe Red River!. When it arrives, I will report re its larger size papers.
Inkjetmall.com is another resource that is well thought of

[dkapp]

I order from epsonusa.com online and get delivery within 24 hours. I have an order in from Red River Paper also, but have not recieved it yet as it is shipped from Texas - heh hehe Red River!. When it arrives, I will report re its larger size papers.
Inkjetmall.com is another resource that is well thought of

I've been using the house paper from Calumet photo called Brilliant Supreme. They have Glossy, Lustre & Matte. So far I've used the Luster & Matte & its great. I probably will never buy glossy paper...I just don't care for it much.

You may want to go to B&H to see what they have. Most places have a sample pack so you can try all the different papers and see what you like best. I just picked up a sample pack of Photo Rag paper. This stuff looks like fun.

Let me know if you find anything good.

Dave

[Andy]

:clap Great discussion. Damn, now I have printer envy. :wxwax

fine. i have ff envy. i'll send you my i9900 and my undying love for your ff canon. :deal?

[windoze]

ok i'm hooked! i came home today and the fedex man had left a new canon i9900 on my doorstep :) whoo-boy, i was excited. it *is* all about the print for me, and at home, i'd been printing up to 8x10s on an inexpensive hp inkjet ... occasionally i'd use a friend's canon for larger prints. well, at around $400 usd, this printer seemed like a good deal, and let me tell you, after a few prints, i'm *hooked* on it :) the prints are really high quality -
even my wife said *wow* and she's not easily impressed :)

http://www.moonriverphotography.com/photos/9895454-L.jpg

this thing does up to 13" x 19" borderless printing, so i'm going
to have some custom mattes made for that size, and then get some 20
x 24 frames from exposuresonline.

most of my prints are done by my smugmug, but there's nothing like doing your own every so often, too ... it's really gratifying to take the shot, work it in post, and then print it yourself, matte, frame it, and hang it on the wall.

enjoy (printing your work) photography,
Ive had mine since it was introduced! Its an awesome printer that yields extremly high quality results - but you already know that!!! I bet those "greens" and "reds" show up really spectacular!!!

troy

[Sam]

I'm happy for you Andy, but just so the others here don't start felling inadequite, and rush out to buy this printer. I thought I would post a few well known negitive facts about the i9900.

It takes (8) ink cartridges! Many fine printers of today only need half that many. High expense, and serious design flaw.

Way too quite. If you leave the room for say coffee, you will have to keep runng back to see if it's still printing. Why spend resources to eliminate a usefull continuing audible operating notification feature?

Print speed is too fast. A quality job takes time.

Short print life. By their own admission, if you use their paper, and ink, the print life is only 25 years. What a rip off.

6,144 nozzles! Good grief........the other printers do it with far less. Over complicated with more chances for maintenance issues.

Then of course they are brain washing you into printing huge 13" X 19" prints that suck up ink by the gallon, and are the cause of entire forests being cut down.

Just thought you would like to know. :D


ps: I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....

[Andy]

sam, i had to read your post twice :D

lol.


I'm happy for you Andy, but just so the others here don't start felling inadequite, and rush out to buy this printer. I thought I would post a few well known negitive facts about the i9900.

It takes (8) ink cartridges! Many fine printers of today only need half that many. High expense, and serious design flaw.

Way too quite. If you leave the room for say coffee, you will have to keep runng back to see if it's still printing. Why spend resources to eliminate a usefull continuing audible operating notification feature?

Print speed is too fast. A quality job takes time.

Short print life. By their own admission, if you use their paper, and ink, the print life is only 25 years. What a rip off.

6,144 nozzles! Good grief........the other printers do it with far less. Over complicated with more chances for maintenance issues.

Then of course they are brain washing you into printing huge 13" X 19" prints that suck up ink by the gallon, and are the cause of entire forests being cut down.

Just thought you would like to know. :D


ps: I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....I am not getting one....

[ian408]

I have an older i860 for mostly text printing and have been reasonably
happy with the quality though it realy lacks in the photo printing
arena (it's pitched as more of a 4x6 photo printer which is does ok
with).

I'd be curious to know how the printer stacks up with respect to consumables.
How is it on ink? How many prints of your average size are you able to print
between refills? I know most of this is easy enough to come by in the specs
but real world info would be best.

Ian

[jwear]

how does it work for invoices ? :dunno Will one of you that is a happy owner let us know what you think the cost of a big print is after a while .I know Andy it is not a concern of yours but to us HOW MUCH DOES IT COST folks concerned minds what to kow! :deal

[Andy]

how does it work for invoices ? :dunno Will one of you that is a happy owner let us know what you think the cost of a big print is after a while .I know Andy it is not a concern of yours but to us HOW MUCH DOES IT COST folks concerned minds what to kow! :deal

13x19 paper seems to be about $1.25 or $1.50 a sheet. dunno about the ink yet.....

[patch29]

looking for good online suppliers now. got any ideas / suggestions?

I don't use a ton of supplies, so I tend to by locally, but a friend of mine orders his supplies from atlex.com (http://www.atlex.com/). They have a lot of inventory and good prices.

[wxwax]

fine. i have ff envy. i'll send you my i9900 and my undying love for your ff canon. :deal?

:rofl Actually, the body I just got is the 1DmkII, so still 1.3x. Someday, tho! :evil

[lynnma]

So Andy.. you say these pictures won't fade and dissolve in a year?? or more?? I mean I"m so old it does'nt have to be too long.

I want one.. I want it now... I may have to get one.. secretly.. I wonder if he'll notice it's not the same printer...:1drink oh dear.. I can feel it.. I'm afraid Dave, going on line now to look...:wink

[tmlphoto]

I seem to be having somewhat of a Magenta cast on some of my prints with the Canon i9900. I have read some posts on other forums that alluded to this, but I haven't really been able to nail it down. Anyone else having this problem or know of the solution. The prints look great from ezprints and the ezprints match up to monitor very well so I don't think its a monitor calibration issue. I suspect I need a printer profile of some kind. I tried using the different color management profiles supplied with the printer to no avial. Help!!

[pathfinder]

I seem to be having somewhat of a Magenta cast on some of my prints with the Canon i9900. I have read some posts on other forums that alluded to this, but I haven't really been able to nail it down. Anyone else having this problem or know of the solution. The prints look great from ezprints and the ezprints match up to monitor very well so I don't think its a monitor calibration issue. I suspect I need a printer profile of some kind. I tried using the different color management profiles supplied with the printer to no avial. Help!!


Are you using Canon's paper, Thomas? Does Canon provide ICC profiles for their papers? If you are using other brands you will probably have to create your own profiles or look for another source for a profile.

I had an HP Photosmart P1100 that made lovely prints but never would match my monitor without using HP's program to deal with a magenta tint. I finally ditched it for an Epson and have never looked back. But some printers are VERY sensitive to brands of paper also - I have just settled on Epson paper. I am in the process of trying some paper from Red River, but need more time to formulate an opinion.

[tmlphoto]

Are you using Canon's paper, Thomas? Does Canon provide ICC profiles for their papers? If you are using other brands you will probably have to create your own profiles or look for another source for a profile.

I had an HP Photosmart P1100 that made lovely prints but never would match my monitor without using HP's program to deal with a magenta tint. I finally ditched it for an Epson and have never looked back. But some printers are VERY sensitive to brands of paper also - I have just settled on Epson paper. I am in the process of trying some paper from Red River, but need more time to formulate an opinion.
I'm using the Canon Pro paper. I'm not sure about ICC profiles. I'll have to do some research. There are several options for color management in PS that deal with the i9900. Quite frankly, I don't really know much about this. I quess I'll have to do some reading. You would think that if the printer is selected it would automatically handle the color management straight out of the box. I quess life's not that simple.

[pathfinder]

I'm using the Canon Pro paper. I'm not sure about ICC profiles. I'll have to do some research. There are several options for color management in PS that deal with the i9900. Quite frankly, I don't really know much about this. I quess I'll have to do some reading. You would think that if the printer is selected it would automatically handle the color management straight out of the box. I quess life's not that simple.

If you are using Canon paper then you surely already have the appropriate profiles for the paper you are using. But as for the printer automatically doing eveythiing re color management - you are right - life is not that simple
:D

Printing from Photoshop is different than printing from other computer programs. When I print with my Epsons - I have to chose a box in The Printer Settings that says "No Color Management" That is to say - the printer is not going to alter the color in ANY way but just print what it is sent from PS -- BUT if I print a page from the WEB, I have to let the printer do the color management. You also must tell the printer somewhere what paper you are using.

When you print directly from Photoshop, PS has already done the color managment and you do not want the printer to make any changes whereas if you try to print an image from a CF chip directly out of a camera it will look really flat unless you let the printer perform some color management. This took me a while to get my head around, but now it makes sense to me.

Look around your printer driver or your printer drop down menus and see if their is not some where to stop printer color management when you print from PS. Maybe Andy can help you here as he has a Canon printer also and loves it. My experience is limited to an Epson 2200 and a 4000 both of which have the same check box to disallow printer color management. Maybe that is why my H&P would never print what I saw in Photoshop without a color cast!


:D

[tmlphoto]

If you are using Canon paper then you surely already have the appropriate profiles for the paper you are using. But as for the printer automatically doing eveythiing re color management - you are right - life is not that simple
:D

Printing from Photoshop is different than printing from other computer programs. When I print with my Epsons - I have to chose a box in The Printer Settings that says "No Color Management" That is to say - the printer is not going to alter the color in ANY way but just print what it is sent from PS -- BUT if I print a page from the WEB, I have to let the printer do the color management. You also must tell the printer somewhere what paper you are using.

When you print directly from Photoshop, PS has already done the color managment and you do not want the printer to make any changes whereas if you try to print an image from a CF chip directly out of a camera it will look really flat unless you let the printer perform some color management. This took me a while to get my head around, but now it makes sense to me.

Look around your printer driver or your printer drop down menus and see if their is not some where to stop printer color management when you print from PS. Maybe Andy can help you here as he has a Canon printer also and loves it. My experience is limited to an Epson 2200 and a 4000 both of which have the same check box to disallow printer color management. Maybe that is why my H&P would never print what I saw in Photoshop without a color cast!


:D
Here is a screen shot of the options in PS. There are several i9900 options. From what you said maybe I should just pick the sRGB option at the top. I working in sRGB. Any ideas?
http://tmlphoto.smugmug.com/photos/10325208-L.jpg

[pathfinder]

Here is a screen shot of the options in PS. There are several i9900 options. From what you said maybe I should just pick the sRGB option at the top. I working in sRGB. Any ideas?
http://tmlphoto.smugmug.com/photos/10325208-L.jpg

The grey box lists various color spaces either theoretical spaces or spaces used by various devises - BUT I see no specific paper listings. I usually print on Epson remium Lustre and that is what goes into the output space.

The output should list a specific paper so the printer knows which profile to use. The "NO Color Management" is not an Adobe box but part of the menus from the printer drivers or printer utility itself. In my case it is specifically in the Epson driver boxes which I reach after leaving the photohsop menus in setting up the act of printing.

The i990 options may refer to different papers perhaps? I do not know - have you tried printing with one of the 1990 choices? This can be so confusing - It took me a while before I got straightened out and that was because of the Epson Print Academy. Is there any on-line discussion groups for the 1990 or on line FAQ sources?

[pathfinder]

The grey box lists various color spaces either theoretical spaces or spaces used by various devises - BUT I see no specific paper listings. I usually print on Epson remium Lustre and that is what goes into the output space.

The output should list a specific paper so the printer knows which profile to use. The "NO Color Management" is not an Adobe box but part of the menus from the printer drivers or printer utility itself. In my case it is specifically in the Epson driver boxes which I reach after leaving the photohsop menus in setting up the act of printing.

The i990 options may refer to different papers perhaps? I do not know - have you tried printing with one of the 1990 choices? This can be so confusing - It took me a while before I got straightened out and that was because of the Epson Print Academy. Is there any on-line discussion groups for the 1990 or on line FAQ sources?


This is my setup for Color management in PS - This is rec'd by Scott Kelby and by the people who gave the online Epson Print Academy so I think it is the preferred setup for photographers who print with inkjets like you and me.
These are the setting for color management in PS CS.
http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/photos/10327747-L.jpg I just named it "My color settings" and saved it so I can get it back again easily.

The second image is the initial box I get when I hit 'print with preview'....
http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/photos/10327748-L.jpg

The document space is sRGB for this image, the Print Space is Pro4000 Premium lustre - this is the profile for Premium Lustre that came with the Epson 4000 printer. Next I hit Page steup in the upper right of this box to tell the printer whether I will be printing portait or landscape mode and what size paper I am using. The I hit print.....in the upper right. This then brings up the Epson printer utility box that i will show next here ..... I could not capture all of the information in this box for some reason but ... the third box from the top offers several drop down choices - one of which is "printer color management" ,,, Notice that I have No color management checked here. If I did not I get really funky colors when I print from PS.. BUT if I print from a web page I check color controls authorizing the printer to control color management.

http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/photos/10327749-L.jpg


I am not sure how Canon does their software, but I suspect thwy must do something similar along the way....

[tmlphoto]

Thanks Path for taking the time to put up that great explaination of the priniting process. I tried printing with the output print space set to sRGB earlier today and the prints looked much better. Still a very slight magenta cast, but much more subtle. I am going to have to dig out the manuals and do some more homework, but you have gotten me headed in the right direction. Thanks again for your help.

[tmlphoto]

I believe that I have found at least part of the problem. Every time I shut down Photoshop and then start it again, it resets settings for the printer and changes back to my default printer. When I pick the i9900 as my printer the printer driver has defaulted back to "plain paper" which is the default. You can save the printer settings as a profile, but it still reverts back to the default every time PS is started. Is that stupid or what? Basically, every time I print I must choose the printer and then choose the paper type for each session. Thankfully, it does remember the settings for additional prints as long as one doesn't shut down PS. Is there anyway to have a printer be assigned as the default for specific applications (ie Photoshop)? I keep my "cheap" printer as the default for printing out various text stuff and web reciepts so it gets alot more use.

NEWFLASH:
***I discovered that if I go into control panel and choose "printer properties" under the i900 and change the printer option to "Pro Paper" that this setting will persist despite closing and opening Photoshop ***** Maybe this will save someone from going through the same things I did.

I'm still not sure which "Print Space" profile to use in the photoshop preview tho.

[johnnydanger]

Use whichever profile most matches your printers output! I've got an Apple 22" LCD at work and a 20" at home and their color is furkin close to dead on with my Epson 1270 large format. The only colors I have trouble with are dark blues that like moving magenta a little bit. I generally adjust the colors in my print box just a touch to remove some magenta. Also colors shift based on the type of paper you use. For $75-100 a piece or so I'm told that I can get custom profiles made for my printer, a specific paper output, and my monitor to get them all in the same space. If precision is a really big deal for you, getting a custom profile may well be worth the money. Each different paper type requires a different profile to be as exact as possible.

Cheers.

[pathfinder]

I believe that I have found at least part of the problem. Every time I shut down Photoshop and then start it again, it resets settings for the printer and changes back to my default printer. When I pick the i9900 as my printer the printer driver has defaulted back to "plain paper" which is the default. You can save the printer settings as a profile, but it still reverts back to the default every time PS is started. Is that stupid or what? Basically, every time I print I must choose the printer and then choose the paper type for each session. Thankfully, it does remember the settings for additional prints as long as one doesn't shut down PS. Is there anyway to have a printer be assigned as the default for specific applications (ie Photoshop)? I keep my "cheap" printer as the default for printing out various text stuff and web reciepts so it gets alot more use.

NEWFLASH:
***I discovered that if I go into control panel and choose "printer properties" under the i900 and change the printer option to "Pro Paper" that this setting will persist despite closing and opening Photoshop ***** Maybe this will save someone from going through the same things I did.

I'm still not sure which "Print Space" profile to use in the photoshop preview tho.

Me Too!!! I think what you are saying is what I have been doing each time I print also - I have not saved a default paper setting because I use several different papers - thus each time I start a new print session I must instruct Photoshop and the printer driver what paper type and profile to use each and every time. And the default for the printer driver seems to be plain inkjet paper - not my first guess for an Epson 4000! I think once again we have each been discussing a different end of the same elephant!!!
:rofl :rofl :rofl

[patch29]

Kodak has some new pro inkjet papers, here. (http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/products/papers/inkjet/main.jhtml?pq-path=2727) They come in either matte (lustre) or glossy. They feel just like RA-4 paper and absorb the ink/dye slightly deeper to prevent bronzing. Their test prints look really good. wxwax and I both picked up a free pack (5) 8.5x11 sheets. He was going to give me his, but if you want it PM him and see if he can drop it in the mail, or maybe a Kodak rep can get you some. This paper holds a lot of promise for making great prints with a traditional print feel and look, time to do some tests.

Well I finally tried their paper. I downloaded their 2200 profile. The color looks spot on, especially for skin tones. They fixed the bronzing problem with the whites, but now I see a similar effect in the blacks, so this paper is of no use to me. Hopefully they can fix it, they are so close.

[hutchman]

This thread has been quiet for a while and I need to make a decision. The question I have for those of you who have an i9900 - How much ink are you using.

I am somewhat concerned with the cost of operation and wonder if the i9900 is substantially more than an Epson 2200?

Hutch

[Andy]

This thread has been quiet for a while and I need to make a decision. The question I have for those of you who have an i9900 - How much ink are you using.

I am somewhat concerned with the cost of operation and wonder if the i9900 is substantially more than an Epson 2200?

Hutch

i can't tell you vs. the 2200, but i've ordered ink once in the past month. that's after printing maybe 25 13x19 prints. and i only have changed 2 inks - photo cyan and photo magenta.

[hutchman]

Still like it? :scratch :scratch :scratch

[Simon D.]

This is a response to a lot of the posts.

I have recently purchased the Canon i9900 (about a month now) and love it. I did do a lot of research into canon vs epson printers and it seemed like a lot of people were running into more problems with the epson printers.

The one thing about the epson that I did like was the pigment based ink they use which is supposed to last longer.
But there are some papers out there that claim to have specail protection when they dry to have the picture last a very long time (up to 100 years). National Geographic has some photo paper that claims to do this, which regardless of how long the prints last I have gotten great results.

Which all in all about the lifespan of any print no one really knows for sure how long anything will really last, there are a lot of variables. One thing to remember though is in todays digital age the photo's are stored on computers which will last a long time so if prints do fade just print out another.

As for how much ink the canon i9900 uses it is hard to say as I got mine off of ebay with some of the tanks low. So when I printed out over 60 5x7's I did have to replace the photo magenta, and poto cyan
It would be nice for any printer to have larger ink tanks but thats how the companies make their money is by selling ink.

[Stustaff]

Photo ink is the 8th most expensive substance in the world! FACT!