Canon Pixma Pro-100 review

In common with the rest of the Pixma Pro range, the printer feeds paper from a rear tray. A rear support folds out to help feed even large A3+ paper sizes. While we had no trouble with large sheets of photo paper, paper feeding was a little less reliable when it came to printing 4x6in photos. If we had only a few sheets in the rear tray, the printer would at times pick up two sheets at once. It’d then stop printing while we removed the extra 4x6in sheet. This isn’t a problem if you’ve got a healthy stack of paper in the tray, but is worth bearing in mind if you plan to leave the Pro-100 carrying out a large print job while you go away and do something else.

For similar reasons, you won’t want to use this printer for plain A4 documents on lightweight copier paper. Not only is it a waste of expensive ink, but the printer constantly fed multiple pages at once when we used 75gsm photocopier paper. They didn’t get stuck in the printer’s workings, but the resulting prints were unusable. Thicker 100gsm inkjet paper fared better, but mono text print speeds are poor, with even a single page taking 40 seconds.

Photo print speeds, on the other hand, are rather good. Our reference A3 print completed in three minutes and 25 seconds, while two 10x8in photos printed in three minutes, 48 seconds and six 6x4in photos in seven minutes and 23 seconds.

As well as being one of the cheapest A3+ photo printers you can buy, at £374, the Pixma Pro-100 is also one of the cheapest to run. Even including the cost of Canon’s most expensive Platinum Pro glossy photo paper, a 6x4in print costs 32p. Only 3p of that is down to the cost of the ink and less expensive papers are available both from Canon and third-party manufacturers such as Illford. If you use a third-party paper, make sure it’s a good one with an ICC profile available for this particular printer, to make sure you get optimal quality. Even using Canon’s most expensive paper, the printer is massively good value for A4 and A3 posters, which come in at 82p and £1.96 respectively.

We love the Pixma Pro-100, despite its occasionally flaky paper handling. It’s the best choice for amateur photographers who want hassle-free printing, but its support for colour profiles and a wide range of professional papers makes it a great choice for a professional on a budget, too. It’s our Best Buy.