Canon imagePROGRAF iPF5000
Cost Per Print and Ink Yield Analysis
Canon Glossy Photographic Paper (240gsm)
N5 (a.k.a., Bicycle Chart) Ink Cost Media Cost Total
Avg. Number of Prints/Ink Set
Canon Heavyweight Satin Photographic Paper
$0.58 $1.04 $1.$1.85 $1.04 $2.$1.22 $1.04 $2.26 742
Canon Premium RC Photomatte Paper
$0.58 $1.52 $2.$1.85 $1.52 $3.$1.22 $1.52 $2.74 742
$0.58 $0.89 $1.$1.85 $0.89 $2.$1.22 $0.89 $2.11 742

16x20 Borderless

(2.27 sq.ft. including borderless media waste)

Flower.tif

Ink Cost Media Cost Total

Clouds.tif

Canon Fine Art Bright White 330gsm (Cut Sheet)
Canon Fine Art Photo Rag 188gsm
$0.52 $3.92 $4.$1.97 $3.92 $5.$1.39 $3.92 $5.31 650
Canon Graphic Matte Canvas
$0.58 $4.79 $5.$1.74 $4.79 $6.$1.28 $4.79 $6.07 709

17x22 ANSI C

(2.597 sq.ft.)
$0.52 $2.01 $2.$1.91 $2.01 $3.$1.33 $2.01 $3.34 678
Canon Commercial Proong Paper
Canon Premium Bright Photo Glossy Paper
$0.35 $1.23 $1.$1.04 $1.23 $2.$0.81 $1.23 $2.04 1114
Canon Fine Art Watercolor Paper
$0.29 $2.08 $2.$1.22 $2.08 $3.$0.93 $2.08 $3.01 975

13x19 Cut Sheets

(1.715 sq.ft.)
$0.35 $0.60 $0.$1.16 $0.60 $1.$0.87 $0.60 $1.47 1040

Page 1

The ink cost analysis is based on actual ink usage, using the specied type of paper and print mode with the printer driver under conditions stated below. This analysis is based on the printers job log report on the amount of ink consumed to print. The media cost analysis is based on square footage from the size of the paper using roll feed paper except Fine Art Bright White 330gsm (Cut Sheet) and all of media used in 13x19 analysis, which list per-sheet cost. The total cost is a sum of the cost of ink consumed and the media cost including any waste to print one complete print, and does not include the cost of other customer replaceable items such as a print head, a cutter, and a maintenance cartridge. The average number of prints per ink set represents the average number of prints that can be printed with a set of twelve 130ml ink cartridges. All cost information has been rounded up to two decimals and therefore, is not exact and should be used as a conservative estimate. All prices used in this analysis are based on MSRP in U.S. dollars as of August 2006. This document is created in August 2006, and specications are subject to change without notice. All samples are printed under the following conditions: OS: Mac OS X 10.3.9, CPU: PowerPC G5 1.6GHz, RAM: 1GB, Application: Adobe Photoshop 7.0, Interface: 10/100 Base-TX, Driver: Print Plug-in for Photoshop v2.01 (Media Conguration Tool v2.0 applied), Rendering Intent: Relative Colorimetric, Print Mode: 2400x1200 dpi, 16-pass mode. (highest quality)
Sample images used in this analysis
N5 (ISO-JIS SCID N5 a.k.a. Bicycle Chart) Color mode: Auto (Color); Color Space: sRGB; Output image size: 16"x20" Borderless and ANSI C: 16.2 x 20.2" (Image resized to t paper, aspect ratio left unchanged from original.), 13"x19" Cut Sheets: 12.76"x15.95" (Fit to Media) Flower (ower.tif ) David Sparer Color Mode: Auto (Color); Color Space: ProPhoto RGB; Output image size: 16"x20" Borderless and ANSI C: 16.2 x 20.2 (Image resized and cropped to t paper, original size: 16"x24"), 13"x19" Cut Sheets: 12.76"x15.91" (Fit to Media) Clouds (clouds.tif ) David Sparer Color Mode: Auto (Monochrome Photo); Color Space: ProPhoto RGB; Output image size: 16"x20" Borderless and ANSI C: 16.2 x 20.2 (Image resized and cropped to t paper, original size: 20"x30"), 13"x19" Cut Sheets: 12.76"x15.91" (Fit to Media)
Media type mode used for this print cost analysis
Media Type Glossy Photographic Paper (240gsm) Heavyweight Satin Photographic Paper (300gsm) Premium RC Photomatte Paper Fine Art Bright White 330gsm (Cut Sheet) Fine Art Photo Rag 188gsm Graphic Matte Canvas Commercial Proong Paper Premium Bright Photo Glossy Paper Fine Art Watercolor Printer Control Panel Media Mode* GlossyPhoto 240 HW Satin Photo RC Photomatte FneArt HW Photo FineArt Photo Canvas Matte 2 Proong Paper HW Glossy Photo FneArt Wtrclr Driver Media Setting* Glossy Photographic Paper 240gsm HW Satin Photo Paper Premium RC PhotoMatte Fine Art Heavyweight Photo Fine Art Photo Canvas Matte 2 Proong Paper Heavyweight Glossy Photo Paper Fine Art Watercolor

*After applying Media Conguration Tool v.2.01.
Ink Cartridge Information
Ink Cartridge PFI-101MBK - Matte Black Ink Tank PFI-101BK - Black Ink Tank PFI-101C - Cyan Ink Tank PFI-101M - Magenta Ink Tank PFI-101Y - Yellow Ink Tank PFI-101PC - Photo Cyan Ink Tank PFI-101PM - Photo Magenta Ink Tank PFI-101R - Red Ink Tank PFI-101G - Green Ink Tank PFI-101B - Blue Ink Tank PFI-101GY - Gray Ink Tank PFI-101PGY - Photo Gray Ink Tank Item No. 0882B001AA 0883B001AA 0884B001AA 0885B001AA 0886B001AA 0887B001AA 0888B001AA 0889B001AA 0890B001AA 0891B001AA 0892B001AA 0893B001AA MSRP $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 $75.00 Cost/ml $0.577 $0.577 $0.577 $0.577 $0.577 $0.577 $0.577 $0.577 $0.577 $0.577 $0.577 $0.577

Canon Media Information

Media Name Satin Photographic Paper (190gsm) 8x11, 100 Sheets Satin Photographic Paper (190gsm) 13x19, 100 Sheets Satin Photographic Paper (190gsm) 17x100ft Glossy Photographic Paper (190gsm) 8x11, 100 Sheets Glossy Photographic Paper (190gsm) 13x19, 100 Sheets Glossy Photographic Paper (190gsm) 17x100ft Satin Photographic Paper (240gsm) 16x100ft Glossy Photographic Paper (240gsm) 16x100ft Heavyweight Satin Photographic Paper 16x100ft Heavyweight Glossy Photographic Paper 16x100ft Premium Bright Photo Glossy Paper, 8x11, 100 Sheets Premium Bright Photo Glossy Paper, 13x19, 100 Sheets Premium Bright Photo Glossy Paper, 17x100ft Premium Bright Photo Satin Paper, 8x11, 100 Sheets Premium Bright Photo Satin Paper, 13x19, 100 Sheets Premium Bright Photo Satin Paper 17x100ft Premium RC Photo Luster Paper, 13x19, 100 Sheets Premium RC Photo Luster Paper 16x100ft Premium RC Photomatte Paper 16x100ft Premium RC Photogloss Paper 16x100ft Premium Matte Paper 17x100ft Heavyweight Matte Coated Paper 17x100ft

924112709016

Item No. 0848V602 0848V603 0848V604 0848V609 0848V610 0848V611 0849V357 0849V335 0849V330 0849V334 0846V951 0846V953 0846V955 0846V952 0846V954 0846V956 0870V874 0870V879 0870V875 0870V878 0849V341
MSRP $21.70 $56.80 $49.90 $21.70 $56.80 $49.90 $52.40 $52.40 $61.10 $61.10 $45.60 $123.00 $84.10 $45.60 $123.00 $84.10 $127.30 $89.20 $89.20 $89.20 $32.40

Cost/sq.ft. $0.22/sheet $0.57/sheet $0.35 $0.22/sheet $0.57/sheet $0.35 $0.39 $0.39 $0.46 $0.46 $0.46/sheet $1.23/sheet $0.59 $0.46/sheet $1.23/sheet $0.59 $1.27/sheet $0.67 $0.67 $0.67 $0.41 $0.23
Media Name Fine Art Bright White (230gsm) 8x11, 100 Sheets Fine Art Bright White (230gsm) 13x19, 100 Sheets Fine Art Bright White (230gsm) 17x50ft Fine Art Bright White (330gsm) 17x22, 50 Sheets Fine Art Bright White (330gsm) 17x50ft Fine Art Natural (230gsm) 8x11, 100 Sheets Fine Art Natural (230gsm) 13x19, 100 Sheets Fine Art Natural (230gsm) 17x50ft Fine Art Photo Rag 188gsm by Hahnemhle 17x39ft Fine Art German Etching by Hahnemhle 17x39ft Fine Art Enhanced Velvet by Somerset 255gsm, 17x50ft Fine Art Enhanced Velvet by Somerset 225gsm, 13xSheets Fine Art Enhanced Velvet by Somerset 225gsm, 17xSheets Graphic Matte Canvas 17x40ft Fine Art Water Resistant Canvas 17x40ft Fine Art Water Resistant Canvas 17x22, 100 Sheets Fine Art Watercolor, 8x11,100 Sheets Fine Art Watercolor, 13x19, 100 Sheets Fine Art Watercolor 17x50ft Commercial Proong Paper 13x19, 100 Sheets
Item No. 0850V065 0850V066 0850V067 0850V073 0850V059 0850V060 0850V061 0835V598 0850V750
MSRP $19.50 $51.50 $38.10 $63.90 $19.50 $51.50 $38.10 $83.30 $95.80
Cost/sq.ft. $0.20/sheet $0.52/sheet $0.54 $2.01/sheet $0.90 $0.20/sheet $0.52/sheet $0.54 $1.48 $1.73 $1.93 $1.69/sheet $2.95/sheet $1.85 $1.10 $1.26/sheet $0.84/sheet $2.08/sheet $1.48 $0.60/sheet

0850V072 $100.50

0826V675 $136.80 0834V773 0834V774 $42.20 $73.80
0826V690 $104.60 0849V395 0365V315 $62.20 $84.00 0849V399 $126.00 0365V316 $208.20 0826V685 $104.50 0848V599 $60.00

5920A010AA $57.40

Bold typeface denotes media items used in the cost analysis

Page 2

Competitive Brief
Canon imagePROGRAF iPF5000 VS. Epson Stylus Pro 4800
Photo credit: Ryszard Horowitz, 2006

DIFFERENCE

Why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary? The iPF5000 is the new benchmark for color, quality, speed, ease of use and software in a 17-inch printer. When compared to the Epson Stylus Pro 4800 or any other printer in its class, the iPF5000 is the clear winner!

Color & Quality

The Canon iPF5000 printer and the Epson 4800 both target the photography, proofing and fine art markets where the ability to accurately reproduce color is critical. The Stylus Pro 4800 is a good candidate for printing the average photo. But, for those who want to produce professional prints with a larger gamut of reds, greens, and blues the iPF5000 goes far beyond the average! The Stylus Pro only has eight colors (C, PC, M, PM, Y, LBk, LLBk, Bk, or MBk) while the iPF5000 has an all-new 12 color ink-set featuring red, green, and blue ink. Utilizing these three new colors, as well as its other nine, the iPF5000 demonstrates its ability to produce prints with noticeable differences that showcase this expanded gamut. The new LUCIA pigment inks that the iPF5000 utilize, exhibit excellent black ink densities on various media types, as well as superb short-term color shift properties, while minimizing the effect of bronzing and metamerism caused by average ink-jet devices.
Automatic Black Switching
The iPF5000 will seamlessly use the correct black ink for the job. It will use the appropriate black ink (matte or regular black) depending on what media type is selected by the user. This means NO MANUAL INK CHANGE and NO WASTE. It has both the Matte Black and regular Black online (actually in the printer) at the same time. Epson does not. The Epson black inks must be switched manually and this switch wastes time and ink.

Speed

The iPF5000 is significantly faster than the Epson 4800 at comparable print-quality modes. The Epson print-head technology, which has been around for several years, now has 1,440 nozzles (180 nozzles per color). Canon has a newly designed dual print head system that has over 30,000 nozzles which is unrivaled in the realm of 17-inch large format printing. This system, combined with Canons new L-COA high-speed processor, enables the iPF5000 to produce gorgeous, high-quality prints at speeds that are 3 or more times as fast as the Epson 4800.
Most printers are limited to 8-bit processing and output. This limits the number of color gradations to 256 from pixel to pixel. The imagePROGRAF iPF5000 printer comes with proprietary Canon software that is capable of 16-bit processing, which dramatically increases the gradations to several thousand thus allowing for more of the color captured to be printed. This capability was designed with the professional in mind and is yet another demonstration of how the iPF5000 is the superior device.
A common complaint by Epson users is print speed. Because of this, many of them tend not to employ some of the higher-resolution modes of which their printer is capable. They might print at 720 x 720dpi or 720 x 1440dpi, which still takes a very long time (9:46 for a 16 x 20 at 1440dpi or 18:57 for a 16 xat 2880dpi). The iPF5000 will produce breathtaking 1200x1200 prints in well under 3 minutes, (2:39 for 16.5 x 23.4 at 1200dpi). It will also produce breathtaking 2400x1200dpi prints at speeds that the Epson simply cannot match.
All Epson print speeds referenced was taken from www.epson.com on March 30, 2006.

Usability

The iPF5000 printer has many features that make it a much friendlier alternative to the Epson 4800. Canons new print heads are extremely durable and long-lasting. However, if they do need to be replaced, the user can complete the process themselves in minutes. The Epson print head is built-in and therefore requires a service call for a technician to come and take the printer apart. This can take several days, leaving the user with significant downtime.

Included Software

The iPF5000 printer comes standard with a variety of Canon proprietary software solutions, each focused on different 17inch workflows. For professional photographers, Canon includes Plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop and Digital Photo Professional that allow for processing of 16-bit images, (Windows and Macintosh). For the camera enthusiast, Canon includes Digital Photo Print Professional (Windows only) for easy layout, editing and calendar creation. Also, for corporate and print-for-use workflows, PosterArtist 2006 (Windows only) comes in the box with every imagePROGRAF printer. PosterArtist 2006 is a point-and-click, templatebased poster creation software with over 1,000 royalty-free images and clip-art included. Canon also includes a very robust Printer Driver that is both Windows and Macintosh compatible along with a Status Monitor and other functional utilities. Epson only includes a basic printer driver and a simple status utility with the 4800.

Dual Print-Head System

Cost of Ownership / Price
Both the iPF5000 printer and the Epson 4800 have Clogged Nozzle Detection where they will look for clogged nozzles and automatically perform a cleaning if one is found. The iPF5000 however, has Clogged Nozzle Detection and Compensation system. This takes things a step further. If a clogged nozzle is detected and a cleaning cannot rectify the problem, the iPF5000 will reroute the ink through other functioning nozzles to optimize printing. This saves the user both time and money on wasted output. During a black ink switch Epsons estimated total ink waste is between 88ml and 117ml per switch (all cartridges combined). The cost of an Epson 110ml ink tank is about $69.95, which equates to $0.64 per milliliter; therefore $56.32 to $74.88 worth of ink is wasted every time the black inks are switched on the 4800. The Canon requires no switch and therefore wastes no ink, saving the user time and money. The iPF5000 printer maintains a low cost-per-print even with 12 colors. Typical CMYK printers, like the Epson 4800 will use a mixture of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black ink to create the various shades of red, green, and blue (using several colors to make one color). But, because the iPF5000 has Red, Green and Blue ink, it requires less ink to make these colors. The Canon MSRP for the iPF5000 printer is $1,945; the Epson list price for the 4800 is $1,995. Unlike the 4800, the rollfeed unit for the iPF5000 does not come standard with the printer. However, Canon includes a built-in Ethernet card in every iPF5000, where Epson does not. The listed price of the Epson Ethernet card is $299.99. When compared to the $249.00 list price of the Canon roll-feed unit, the consumer is saving another $50.00 when comparably equipping the printer. The iPF5000 has more colors than the Epson 4800 and therefore comes with more ink, including a Matte Black, which Epson does not provide. The imagePROGRAF product also comes with all of the software mentioned above, which makes it a far better value than any other printer in its class, especially the 4800.

Optional Roll Unit Back of Printer

Cassette

The iPF5000 printer will seamlessly print from both the roll and the cassette, without any manual intervention. Therefore, the user does not need to remove the roll in order to print from the cassette. The Epson 4800 user must manually switch out the paper if they want to print from the roll and then the cassette or vice versa. The iPF5000 printer has a remaining roll detection system. This allows the user to constantly monitor how much paper is remaining on the roll. The user can actually print out the paper type and length information on the roll in text and in barcode format. The next time the user loads that paper; the iPF5000 will automatically read the barcode and apply the length setting. The Epson has no such function.
All Epson hardware and ink pricing referenced was taken from www.epson.com on March 30, 2006.
CANON imagePROGRAF iPF5000
Printer Width Ink Type Number Of Colors Black To Matte Black Ink Switch Ink Tank Size Ink Cost Per Milliliter 17" Pigment-based archival inks (LUCIA) 12 Colors R, G, B, C, PC, M, PM, Y, BK, MBK, GY, PGY 0.0ml (No Ink Waste) No Switching Required - Both Blacks are Online 130ml $0.58 / ml - 130ml* 16.54" x 23.39" = 2.69ft2, (A2 Size) Plain Paper - 52 seconds Photo Glossy Paper - 2 minutes 39 seconds 60.9ft2/hr^ 2 Thermal Inkjet Heads User Replaceable 2,560 per color 30,720 total 4pl 1200x1200 2400x1200 Yes Yes Yes Built-in 10/100 Base T, USB 2.0 High-Speed IEEE1394 192MB Cassette, cut sheet - front, cut sheet - back, optional roll feed (2" & 3" Core), 0.08mm-1.5mm (depending on paper path) Yes Yes, On Specific Roll sizes (10", 13", 14", 16", 17", B4, A2) GARO (Canon Proprietary) PostScript (via additional RIP) Yes 8-Bit, 16-Bit (through Canon Plug-ins) Printer Driver 2006, Print Plug-in for Photoshop, Print Plug-in for DPP, Printer Driver Extra Kit (Free Layout, imageRUNNER Linking Function) PosterArtist 2006, Digital Photo Print Pro Yes One-year Next business-day On-site

EPSON Stylus Pro 4800

17 Pigment-based archival inks (K3) 8+1 Colors C, PC, M, PM, Y, LBK, LLBK, BK or MBK 88ml - 117ml of Ink is Wasted Ink Change Required - Takes about 15 minutes 110ml Standard 220ml Optional $0.64 / ml - 110ml* $0.51 / ml - 220ml* 16" x 20" = 2.22ft2 Fastest Listed Speed is 4 minutes 7 seconds Normal is 9 minutes 46 seconds 13.64ft2/hr^ 1 Piezoelectric Inkjet Head Service Call 180 per color 1,440 total 3.5pl 12pl (variable) 360x180 2880x1440 Yes No Yes USB 2.0 High Speed, IEEE1394 10/100 BaseT 32MB Cassette, cut sheet, roll feed (2" & 3" Core) 12lb Bond - 1.5mm No Yes, On Specific Roll sizes (8.3, 10", 12", 13", 14", 16", 17") ESC/P (EPSON Proprietary) PostScript (via additional RIP) Yes 8 Bit Printer Driver None Yes One-year Next business-day On-site

Print Speeds

Print Head System Number Of Nozzles Droplet Size Min Print Resolution (dpi) Max Print Resolution (dpi) Clogged Nozzle Detection Automatic Head Cleanings Clogged Nozzle Compensation Automatic Head Alignment Standard Interface Optional Interface Memory Media Handling Automatic Media Source Switching Borderless Capability Print Languages Optional print Languages Macintosh Compatible Bit Depth Processing Capabilities Included Printing Software Included Software Applications Optional Cabinet / Stand Warranty
*Based on MSRP for March 2006 ^Square feet per hour were calculated using the respective print speed numbers shown, only to illustrate print speeds in a common unit of measure. Canon makes no actual claim to the print speeds of the iPF5000 or the Epson Stylus Pro 4800 in terms of square feet per hour. All Epson ink waste data referenced was taken from www.epson.com on March 30, 2006.
Printed images are simulated

4/2006