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Canon turns up the competitive heat with this 24-inch, 12-ink printer
With the introduction of its 24-inch, 12-ink pigment printer, the iPF6100, Canon has not only provided the missing link in its printer line-up but also has turned up the heat on its competitors as well. The iPF6100 provides a solid combination of on-board features and technology, speed and image quality, and will likely end up in the studios or on the wish list of more than a fair share of photographers who want or need a 24-inch large-format printer.
The iPF6100 features newly formulated black inks, on-board calibration, a motorized roll feed, new print heads (which are covered under a separate warranty), a plug-in that supports 16-bit printing and a built-in Ethernet port. (USB is also supported; Firewire is optional). Although the printer can be placed on a sufficiently strong table or desktop, it also comes bundled with a well-built stand with wheels.
At $3,495, the iPF6100 falls somewhere in the middle of its closest competitors, the HPZ3100 and the Epson Stylus Pro 7800. Its attributes and performance, however, are far from middle of the road.
MAKE ROOM
A little preparation goes a long way for setting up the iPF6100, and it's best to start before the printer is delivered. Essentially, you need a place for the printer box (52W x 32 D x 35H inches and weighs about 174 pounds), an area to assemble the stand, and a minimum working area of 42 x 44 inches once the printer is placed on the stand.
The printer is delivered by truck on a wooden palette and although the driver will bring it to the front door (or into the garage), you'll need to move it into your studio. The easiest method is to unpack the box, set up the stand in your studio, and then enlist a well-muscled friend or two to help move the printer into place. Like the iPF5000, the iPF6100 has...