Canon UK has announced a new flagship pigment printer, but there's been no official word from Canon US yet. Following is Canon UK's press release.

United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, 24th October 2011 -- Canon today announced the launch of its new flagship PIXMA Pro series model, the PIXMA PRO-1, which is the world's first A3+ printer to feature 12 separate inks. Featuring an EOS-inspired design, the stylish model produces the highest possible print quality in colour and monochrome, and is ideal for professional and serious amateur photographers. Exceptional levels of productivity make it suitable for studio use and commercial exhibitions.

Groundbreaking 12-ink system for superb results

The unique 12-ink system significantly expands colour gamut in most areas and features new Chroma Optimizer for increased black density and uniform glossiness. Five monochrome inks produce professional quality black and white prints with excellent detail in shadow and highlight areas, as well as smooth tonal gradation and suppressed graininess. Next generation LUCIA pigment inks are used for outstanding image permanence, allowing prints to be sold or exhibited with confidence.

Exceptional quality colour and monochrome prints

The PIXMA PRO-1 supports 1200ppi input resolution (double compared to previous generations of PIXMA Pros) to reflect the increasing number of pixels available on professional cameras and produce smoother prints with high resolutions of up to 4800x2400dpi. The new Optimum Image Generating (OIG) system analyses the photo colour and precisely calculates the optimum ink combination and volume of ink droplets, which are then accurately placed on the paper by Canon's FINE print head with 12,288 nozzles.

The OIG system enhances colour reproduction, natural tonal gradations and uniform glossiness in each print mode and media type, to produce print quality so realistic it almost jumps off the page. Smooth tonal gradations in colour and monochrome prints are achieved through 16-bits per channel printing capability. The new PIXMA PRO-1 also features three colour modes, including the new Photo Colour print mode which reproduces fresh blues and greens to match people's memory of colours. Linear Tone mode reproduces colours with linear tone curve, while the ICC Profiles mode means users can utilise paper-specific colour profiles or create their own.

Productivity on a commercial scale

The PIXMA PRO-1 can produce a gallery-quality print in approximately 2 minutes 55 seconds¹, down from 7 minutes 55 seconds² for the PIXMA Pro9500 Mk II. A 2.5x larger ink tank capacity compared with the nearest model ensures longer running periods can be maintained between ink changes. Front-opening panels enable easy access to the tanks either side of the main printer body, and for efficiency the rear tray takes up to 20 sheets of photo paper, while the manual feed slot accepts photo paper up to 356mm (14") wide and heavier fine art papers.

For saleable prints, real-time droplet volume control stabilises colour and ink density ensuring consistency of colour output from print to print. Reliability in a commercial environment is assured through the use of features commonly found on wide format professional printers, including a mist fan with an air circulation system and a tubular ink supply system separate to the print head. An Ethernet connection ensures the PIXMA PRO-1 can be shared easily over a network.

Simplified workflow and professional colour control

The PIXMA PRO-1 comes with Easy-PhotoPrint Pro plug-in software which simplifies printer settings and allows batch printing. Support has now also been expanded to the full Adobe Photoshop family as well as to the Canon Digital Photo Professional software package. The printer can also automatically select the correct ICC profile for each Canon paper, and an expanded range of ICC profiles is available for Fine Art papers from well known manufacturers.

The Colour Management Tool Pro software, which can be downloaded from (http://software.canon-europe.com) supports X-Rite colour management tools, including Colour Munki Photo and Colour Munki Design, and enables users to create custom ICC profiles to ensure the optimum output quality. The PIXMA PRO-1 also includes the Ambient Light Correction feature so that users can select the type of lighting under which a print will be displayed. The print colours are then automatically adjusted to ensure the very best colour reproduction under different viewing conditions.

Key Features:

• The benchmark A3+ printer for photo professionals

• Groundbreaking 12-ink system with exceptional colour gamut

• Chroma Optimizer for uniform glossiness and crisp, sharp blacks

• Optimum Image Generating system enhances colour reproduction

• Stunning black and white prints with 5 monochrome inks

• New LUCIA pigment inks ensure outstanding photo permanence

• Create a gallery-quality A3+ photo in approx. 2 minutes 55 sec

• High capacity ink tanks ensure long periods between replacements

• Wide range of media support including 356mm (14") wide and thick media

• Easy-PhotoPrint Pro plug-in for efficient printing workflow

Pricing and Availability

The PIXMA PRO-1 is available from November 2011, priced at £799/€899 RRP Inc VAT.

Footnotes

¹See specifications for details
²See specifications for details