Canon i990 & i9950 printers

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Wednesday 19th May 2004

I had just received the Canon i965 printer for review when I found out there was going to be a new addition to the Canon range, the i990. The new i990 printer uses Seven colour ink tanks, in Canon’s “exclusive 7-ink ChromaPLUS photo system”. I am intrigued to see the difference between the ChromaPLUS inks and the inks we are all familiar with on Canon’s current range of printers. The only difference that I can immediately see is that Canon have added a new BCI-6R (red) tank, the others inks are the same as in the rest of Canon’s Photo quality range. The i990 also boasts up to 4800 x 2400 dpi resolution using 2pl drops of ink, firing through a high density head with 5,376 nozzles. The i990 also has PictBridge which allows direct printing from a digital camera or Camcorder. Sounds good to me.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get better, Canon informed me that an A3 printer the i9950 would be available in May 2004. This printer takes ChromaPLUS photo system one step further and adds two new inks, the BCI-6R (red) and a BCI-6G (green) making a total of eight tanks. The i9950 also has a PictBridge port, which I must confess baffles me. I would think that most people who buy an A3 printer will be experienced photographers and will probably print directly from their imaging application. I will make a point of producing an A3 print using PictBridge later in the review. The print head specifications, other than the extra ink, are the same as the i990. It will be interesting to see if there is a great deal of difference in actual print quality between the i990 & i9950 and the i965.

What's in the boxes?

Canon i990 A4 printer
  1. i990 printer
  2. Power cable
  3. Print head
  4. Photo Paper tray
  5. Manuals
  6. Installation CDs
  7. Seven ink tanks
  8. 6x4" sample pack of
    Photo Paper Pro.

The package looks minimal when compared to the contents of both the i865 and i965, but all that is missing is the CD printing tray, grey storage box and the usual USB cable. The printer was well packed in the box, and the parts of the printer that move or open were well secured with orange tape. A neat bundle.

Canon i9950 A3 printer

  1. i9950 printer
  2. Power cable
  3. CD printing tray
  4. Blank printable CD
  5. 8mm CD & Business card holder
  6. Eight ink tanks
  7. Print head
  8. Installation CDs
  9. Manuals and warranty cards
  10. 6x4" sample pack of
    Photo Paper Pro.

The i9950 package looks good. This printer has the CD printing facility, I don't know why the i990 hasn't got it - I will try to find out from Canon. As with other Canon printers, the printer was well packed in a sturdy box with all the usual protective coverings and infamous orange tape. Again as with most manufacturers, there wasn't a USB cable in the box. I don't think it is unreasonable to be able to use a printer straight away without having to think about purchasing extra cables first. It's always nice to get a sample pack of paper with any printer, but I think a five sheet pack of 6x4 is perhaps a bit minimal, especially for an A3 printer.

The first impressions I get with the i9950 is that this machine looks well built and feels solid, it inspires confidence before I have even switched it on. The i990 has some nice attention to detail too. I am looking forward to reviewing these two printers.


© Vincent Oliver 2004 www.photo-i.co.uk
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