Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Review

Overall Rating:   

The Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer is marketed as a competent, serious photo printer at a reasonable price point, and in this capacity, it succeeds.  The Pro9000 Mark II doesn’t offer the absolute top-end fidelity available from some photo printers, but there isn’t a printer currently available in the same price range that offers the same level of quality.

Buy Discounted Canon PIXMA Pro9000 MK II Here

Despite its power, the Pro9000 Mark II has a fairly sleek and versatile design.  When you’re just using the standard paper tray, it’s relatively compact as far as professional-level photo printers go.  On the other hand, that’s not to say it’s small; even in its most compact state, the Pro9000 Mark II will require a couple of square feet of space with which to work.  If you need to use the straight-pass feeder, you’ll need some extra space, but thankfully the Pro9000 Mark II has rollers on the bottom which make it quite easy to move.  It prints on pretty well any type of photo paper available, even the thickest varieties, without jamming or other problems.

In terms of ease-of-use, the Pro9000 Mark II is a typical Canon printer in that it’s very easy to set up, with a quick assembly process and plug-and-play installation.  You’ll be able to get printing in as little as 15 minutes.  Similarly, as always, Canon photo editing software is included, although at this level, you’re more likely to be using Photoshop anyway.  (This model does come bundled with Photoshop Elements, the entry level version of Photoshop, in case you don’t already have it.)  One very nice aspect of the proprietary software is that it has a Photoshop plugin component as well, allowing you to use Canon’s useful Ambient Light Correction feature within Photoshop.

Print quality is right where you’d expect from a printer at a slightly lower price point than the top-end models.  The Pro9000 Mark II uses an ink-based system rather than the pigment system used by professional photo printers, which results in slightly less durable photos with a slight drop in overall picture quality that is, for the most part, only noticeable with very, very close attention.  The Pro9000 Mark II’s strong point, in this respect, is that its ink refills are cheaper than high-end pigment refills, which amplifies its advantage in affordability over the long term as well.  Although the monochrome print quality could perhaps be a little bit better, the Pro9000 Mark II offers very good value for money in terms of picture quality, without disappointing in any area.  Some mid-range photo printers, while only slightly less expensive than the Pro9000 Mark II, don’t offer nearly the same level of print quality.

Apart from that, though, there are a couple of areas in which the Pro9000 Mark II is lacking.  Apart from having a PictBridge port, this model doesn’t offer any media reading capability, a design decision which was likely based on the assumption that advanced users wouldn’t be printing directly from memory cards, which may be a mistake on Canon’s part.  The Pro9000 Mark II doesn’t have any Wi-Fi or other networking options either, which is difficult to excuse.

The Pro9000 Mark II is well-positioned in terms of price.  It’s currently priced at about $100 less than some of the top-end photo printers – a significant savings – while offering most of the quality that you’ll get from these printers.  As such, it’s about right for an enthusiast, as opposed to a professional, who may be let down by the Pro9000 Mark II’s ink-based color and slight lack of advanced functionality.

Buy Discounted Canon PIXMA Pro9000 MK II Here