I've heard all kinds of great things about the Canon I9900 but DH is a diehard HP fan and I'm having a difficult time getting him to see the light.

One of his irks is the ink usage...I've told him that the Canon I9900 has the separate ink wells so you don't have to replace the entire cartridge--only the one you're running out of. But can anyone give their experience on how often the cartridges need to be replaced?

How much printing do you do on average?
When did you have to change your first cartridge?
Which color did you have to change first?
How would you compare the print jobs to to a low-end laser jet printer (like the HP Laser Jet Printer 2550 which runs about $499)?
Is it noisy?
How long have you had your Canon Ixxxx? (It doesn't have to be the I9900...let me know about others in this same series.)
What problems have you encountered?

Thanks so much for your help!
Zee

I've had the Canon i9900 for many months now. I can't remember exact info for some of your questions, but I can tell you that I am NOT going through ink as fast as I thought I would. These cartridges really do seem to last quite awhile - and I have been printing both 12x12s and 8x8s, on both matte & glossy paper (as a side note, I believe the matte paper uses more ink).

When I bought the printer, it came with ink cartridges that lasted WAAAAAYYYY longer than I thought they would. But I also bought an entire set of replacement cartridges at Amazon - at the time, I think it was around $75 for the entire set, and I still have 2 cartridges left that I haven't had to replace yet.

I haven't encountered any problems with the printer and my prints are just beautiful.

I only use Canon ink and Canon paper for best results.

It's a pretty big printer - next to my HP Photosmart 7350, it's gigantic, but it also beats the pants off of it, quality wise.

It's also loud - but that may be because of where I have it - on a 6 foot folding table. Maybe on a regular counter/desk, the noise would be cushioned a bit.

I totally love it.

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Andy
MY GALLERY



(avatar photo from stock.xchng)

I have had mine for a few months and still haven't changed the ink. I would guess that I have printed out about 100 12 x 12s. Andy, I am surprised to hear that yours is noisy. That was supposed to be a feature. Are you sure you are running it in quiet mode (not trying to insult you! but aside from the first sounds of starting up, I cannot hear mine at all. I am hard of hearing so tested it out on spouse. Had him sit in a chair three feet away and listen. He was gobsmacked. This is essential to me because I do nearly all my work after midnight and am right beside young son's bedroom). Also, bought matte Canon paper and I must be doing something wrong because everything looks HORRIBLE on it. Seriously horrible. I have had better luck using the cardstock inside album sleeves! Makes me think it is me. Glossy works just fine.

Hi Nevermore

Believe me, you can't possibly insult me by asking an obvious question. More often than not, the obvious quite easily escapes me.

To prove my point .. the Canon i9900 has a quiet mode? I had no idea. There's nothing in my manual about it. Where the heck is it and how in the world do I activate it? (((throwing you some virtual Easter chocolate bunnies in gratitude)))

As for the matte paper, I just printed my Quintessential You layout on matte and it looks outstanding! I'm using Canon Matte Photo Paper MP-101. Are you sure you're printing on the bright, white side? (not to insult you this time! )

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Andy
MY GALLERY



(avatar photo from stock.xchng)

Andy, under the Maintenance Tab, the very last icon is quiet mode. There is on/off and during certain hours for options. The default is "off" so you might switch it on and see what happens! You get the original "clunk" sound as the heads line up etcetera and after that, nothing. Well, almost nothing. Really.

As for me, just looking at my last matte fiasco (I use it for a huge bookmark because it is really thick). I notice I printed on the shiny side which might be a mistake given that it is MATTE paper. Hmmmm. Do I get the idiot's prize or what? Printing as we speak (quietly, lol, because it isn't yet 6 in the morning)...

Andy, I am mistaken. Printed on the matte and it is fine. I have some OTHER kind of Canon paper (threw out wrapping so not sure what) which is very very very thick. Can't print properly on that. For all I know, maybe it isn't Canon and that is the problem. Will have to check it out.

We have the i9100 and I love it! I can't really say how many prints we get since both DH and I use it and we don't really keep track. I discovered a trick when the message comes up that a cartridge needs to be replaced. This happened once when I couldn't get to the store so I left if for a couple of hours. When I went back I was able to print 2 or 3 more pages before I got the message again. The ink inside the cartridge is in kind of a little sponge and I think by letting it sit for a while gravity did the trick.

One of the things I like best about the Canon is the speed. Much faster than our old HP. Better quality prints, too.

Carole

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Oh, I LOVE THIS PRINTER!!!! I have had it for about 4-5 months. It is wonderful. I replace the photo cyan and photo magenta's ink tanks the most, and the black the least. It will not do a borderless 12x12 page. But you can use the 13x19 paper and print a true 12x12 page if you want. What I do is print a 12x12 page and two 6x6 pages on the 13x19 paper. I love the little 6x6 sizes for mini-albums I make for my Mom and MIL. It does not come with a 12x12 driver, because Canon does not make this size of paper.

I also use canon inks only. I love to print on Ilford Professional gloss paper (I get this at Sams), and have printed on Staples 13x19 papers. But I really think the best colors come from Canons own Photo Professional Gloss paper.

Have fun!!!

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~the artist previously known as 'pharmangie' ~