Canon Announce Pigment Ink Set
Canon have just announced the new imagePROGRAF W8200, a large-format printer solution designed for graphic imaging professionals. With a price tag of $7995, most photographers are obviously not going to consider this when they are shopping for a home printer :-)
What is interesting about this announcement, however, is that the imagePROGRAF W8200 uses Canon’s first complete six-color (C/M/Y/K, Bk, PC/PM) pigment ink set. “Engineered for superior quality and with a color reproduction equivalent to that of dye ink, Canon has formulated a pigment ink solution of ultra fine particles that boasts both light fastness and high ozone resistance - elements vital to the digital imaging, fine art and proofing markets. The question is, will this new pigment ink make its way down the Canon printer line-up to the consumer models? And how soon will that happen?!
Here’s another quote from the press-release to whet your appetite:
“Canon’s pigment ink has a super-fine pigment diameter of approximately 0.1 micron, and generates ultra-sharp images at 600x1200 dpi in Standard Mode and up to 1200x1200 dpi*. Suited for Fine Art and indoor signage, lighter density Photo Cyan and Photo Magenta inks are coated with an extra high polymer compound to protect the colors from fading with exposure to light, ensuring the sharpness and subtlety of prints for years to come.”