Printer Review: Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6100 Printer

When Kirk Kennedy first opened his photo studio back in 2000, little did he know how digital technology would change the face of his business in a short nine years.

“When I decided to become a professional photographer, the digital revolution was still in its infancy. Some medium-format photographers were scanning their transparencies and then adjusting them in Photoshop Others were investigating the early digital backs. Hardly anyone was shooting with a DSLR,” said Kennedy owner of ScenicVisions located in Salinas, CA.

“I wanted to shoot and print landscape photography from the very beginning. I love being out in the wilderness, especially at dawn and dusk. I also wanted to output large mural prints. I believed there was a market for large murals that brought dramatic landscape scenes into the walls of corporate America and homes with large walls. However, I knew it would take a while for the capture and output technologies to offer the output quality I needed.”

As time went on, Kennedy purchased a number of Canon DSLRs and their line up of printers soon followed the cameras into the shop. He currently has four of Canon large format printers in his shop: the imagePROGRAF iPF 5000, iPF5100, iPF6100 and iPF9000.

“I do a lot of work for a number of local marketing companies in the area. I provide trade show graphics and posters. In addition, I output large prints for board rooms and conference rooms. I use my entire arsenal of Canon printers to get the work done. It’s a total Canon-to-Canon capture to output solution,” he said.

Kennedy’s most recent purchase was the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6100, 24-inch model, which was installed a few months ago. “I was looking to purchase a 24-inch printer and considering my satisfaction with the other Canon large format devices, I decided to add the iPF 6100 to complete my printer line up. Now, I can easily cover all a wide range of output. A good part of my work is output on 24-inch materials. I print many of the images I shoot as 24x18 inch fine art posters The 6100 is perfect for this type of application,” he said

The 24-inch wide imagePROGRAF iPF6100 is equipped with a 12-color pigment ink set allowing for the reproduction of high quality photographic prints with vibrant colors, subtle mid-tones, smooth gradations and fine details.

“Because it’s a 12 ink printer, I can put any media into it and I have no downtime switching out inks. I print on a wide variety of media, so to be able to quickly switch from canvas to luster paper, to scrim banner vinyl is terrific. I have no downtime which is important to me because I’m a small operation and time is very valuable. I think my ink costs with Canon and my ink usage has dropped and that’s a significant savings to my bottom line. I have no nozzle clogging issues.”

Kennedy also likes the Print Plug-in Adobe Photoshop that allows you to print right from Photoshop, allowing for ture 16-bit image processing. “It’s a great time saving option to print right from Photoshop,” he added.

“The iPF6100 has been a great addition to my studio. It has helped me increase my production workflow and lower my ink costs while maintaining sharp photographic maintaining quality,” he concluded.

Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6100 Printer At A Glance

• 12-color pigment ink system
• Built in calibration
• Automatic switching between black inks
• Dual print head system
• Borderless printing