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Configuration (7.00)
The Canon Pixma Pro9500’s pigment-ink set is made up ten ink cartridges: matte black, black, cyan, magenta, yellow, photo magenta, photo cyan, red, green, and gray. This differs from the Pro9000, which offers a dye-ink set comprising eight of the same colors, minus the Matte black and gray. The Epson R2400 features more gray inks, light light black and light black, in addition to the black and matte black inks, which are user-interchangeable, in contrast to the automatically changing black cartridges in the Pro9500.
The Pro9500’s print heads spray 3-picoliter droplets though 7,680 nozzles (768 per cartridge) in a thermal inkjet system (in which heat is used to expand the ink and eject the droplets). The Epson R2400 uses 1,440 nozzles (180 nozzles per active ink cartridge) sprayed in 3.5-picoliter droplets in a piezoelectric ink system (in which an electric charge causes the ink to expand and eject ink). The quality of droplet size is difficult to see at this size, but in general, smaller droplets allow more color and therefore, more information to be placed on the page. The HP B9180 uses eight pigment-ink cartridges, one less light gray than the Epson model, sprayed in a thermal system through four printheads (one each for Photo Black/Light Gray, Matte Black/Cyan, Magenta/Yellow, Light Cyan/ Light Magenta).
The advantage of these separate ink systems is that individual colors can be replaced when they run out. In multicolor cartridges, a single color may run out quickly depending upon the images printed, forcing the user to replace the entire cartridge while there still may be ink remaining in the other chambers.
Value (7.50)
Canon’s cartridges for the Pro9500 hold 14 milliliters (ml) of inks for $14.99. Epson’s inks for the R2400 cost $14.24, with no information available on cartridge volume. The cartridges are roughly equivalent in size, so we may assume that inks are comparable. HP’s pigment-ink printer, the B9180, features inks that hold 27 ml for $33.99.
Ink Management (7.00)
In keeping with Canon’s helpful drivers and software, their ink management system is helpful, visible, and easy to locate and use. The driver brings up the print status window (shown below) whenever the printer is in use. The window shows a simple graphic of a cylinder representing each ink color and an approximate level within that cylinder. If the ink levels are low, a message appears to check ink status, which is accessed via the Ink Status button at the bottom of the Printer Status window. This new window apprises the user of which cartridges are low, and a separate window displays the cartridges and their appropriate part numbers.
When the user opens the Pro9500’s access door, the cartridge carriage moves into the open access area in the center. The cartridges themselves have LED lights that burn solid red when the ink level is full and blinking when the cartridge needs to be replaced.
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