Canon G550/650/620 printer unboxing/setup - installing inks, print heads and software 

Thanks - more on the way ;-)

Thanks

Thanks - all my Gxxx info and videos are linked from the main review at: www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-g550-printer-review/

@@KeithCooper Thank you very much again. Very helpfull!

Thanks - I'm having some issues with Mac colour management, but it is a very competent printer.

Glad it was of help I agree about the display [it's covered in the main written review] fine in the light where I was testing, but tricky in dimmer light

Thanks - really appreciated

I've not seen issues in that respect, up to 310gsm so far - if it persists it may be a fault. For photo printing it really needs profiles for optimal results, but is certainly a capable device

I’ve just tried with Canons SG201 paper and no issues with marking the paper, maybe they just want you to use their own… when you print on others it appears again. More noticeable in the darks so have another look at different angles in the light and see if you notice this mark lines. They are not noticeable looking at the print from direct on Thank you and look forward to your next video indeed.

Thanks...

Thanks I won't be doing direct comparisons, but print price is going to be much lower. BUT - the 550/640 have a potentially crippling problem, if like me you use a Mac. There is no driver, meaning that the AirPort print driver doesn't support colour management enough to make full profiles. I'm still investigating this but it means that my ICC profiles will likely only be usable to Mac users. Still, my prints on it with test profiles are fine and much better than without them - it is an interesting problem to investigate in a printer, which normally for my personal work, I'd likely not give a second glance to (too small!)

Yes, it's quite competent. However to be honest I don't ever include document printing in my detailed testing.

Two very different printers - I don't ever publicly do comparisons between brands though ;-) On a Mac, the lack of driver is from my POV a bad move, and would rule out me buying one. However... Now that doesn't mean I can't make good prints, just that non functioning colour management is a complete showstopper from a personal viewpoint, given all the work I do. Of course there is no doubt a sizeable market that doesn't care about colour management - but I don't really do the videos for them ;-) :-)

@@KeithCooper I'll have to watch videos on both back to back and get some test image prints done first. The Epson seems, based on features, to be a better all rounder - inbuilt duplexer, usable onboard screen etc, but the Canon is so much cheaper you could buy a high end office printer with the saving in price and get all of that anyway. For me, as a starter photo printer/printer for smaller prints it would perhaps be somewhat ideal. And actually in that sense, I appreciate it for what it is - basic, but in theory at least, delivering quality results with good colour gamut (when they sort the driver issue) for a hugely reduced price. The lack of Mac support and significant difference in features between this and it's Epson competitor seems to smell a bit of "rushed to market". I'm half tempted to wait a year or so to see what follows over the next year or so. Mac support is essential for a creative tool, and I can't help but think there'll be an A3/A3+ version to follow and perhaps a model with a more complete feature set.

I'd also suggest reading my reviews - they are where I put more detailed stuff - especially since written articles can be refined/expanded and updated/corrected. For me the videos are overviews, and always secondary to the written material

@@KeithCooper Will do thanks :)

Did u find an answer? 8500 vs g650@@jameswalker7874

Nope - single use

Well, I have profiles that work on a Mac - whether they are 'real' profiles is something I don't know as yet. AirPrint is unfortunately the only Mac print option... I'm not getting a win PC just to test a small printer ;-)

@@KeithCooper I await your next video with bated breath.

Sounds like a duff printer. I wouldn't keep one which did this... Return to seller/Canon is my only suggestion for a new printer, this is what warranties are for...

For initial use, I'd start with a Canon Lustre See the main [written] review www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-g550-printer-review/

If I had a PC I could make profiles, but the Mac setup means that whilst I've made some profiles (they work) they are not 'full' ones - more experimenting required

@@KeithCooper Would this be something Canon could cure by releasing proper drivers for Macs? I'd hope they bring proper Mac drivers out - it seems a bit crazy to make a creative oriented printer without full Mac support.

There are no plans for that - it is a deliberate choice AFAIK (and gets a big thumbs down from me)

@@KeithCooper Seems a very big negative to me. Wipes out a large section of the market. At first you could think it's preserving the market for the likes of the Pro-200, but if you're a more cost driven person you'd now be forced to buy the Epson.

A very reasonable observation ;-)

Thanks - have a read of the main [written] review for more detail. www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-g550-printer-review/

@@KeithCooper thank you.

Ah, the red/grey ink thing... much of which is marketing guff ;-) I believe that the win setup does include a proper driver (but no profiles) - I'm building profiles for the Mac and they are working very well, despite the airprint problem.

@@KeithCooper Really...would the addition of the red and grey inks make very little impact regards colour? I figure that at the very least the grey would help with B&W printing or am I completely wrong? Hoping this printer has a driver that allows colour management, I might just download the driver to my PC and check that out first before potentially buying this printer 😉

The grey is mainly for dilution/gradation of the colours rather than for B&W The red does give a bit of a nudge to the gamut and can offset weaknesses in the yellow (and magenta) That said there is no simple mapping between similarly named ink colours between ink sets. The G550 also uses the old Chromalife100 inks with a relatively weak black from a fading POV. I will have a lot of profiles for this printer, but they are created for printing on a Mac...

The one I tested, whilst not quiet, was not very noisy - if it's a new one, I'd contact Canon.

Not that I've heard of - BUT I often don't get update news for the lower end printers until they are formally announced.

Well, you could try, but Canon thermal printheads are very closely matched to the characteristic of the ink. If it worked, it might not work for long. I'm sure someone will sell you inks along with claims of compatibility - I wouldn't put them in any printer of mine... These really are lower end consumer products - with care, reasonably good results can come of them, and with careful choice of media they won't fade in a few years... If longevity genuinely matters though, there are no small, cheap pigment ink printers. I say genuinely, since it's all about marketing and positioning your products at a profitable point in the market

@@KeithCooper So much to learn about printers! But I think you've hit it on the head with your last sentence. It's all about marketing and placement. Should've thought of that myself as I have been in business. I don't see myself printing off low quality 8x10 prints and selling them for a few pounds on an 'artisian'market stall. Talked to one such photographer recently who actually lost £17 that day after his fees! To quote a photographer who knows about printers and tilt shift lenses, I've better things to do with my time. So the plan is to build and develop a website, try to place my photos a bit higher up the food chain in terms of quality and use a firm such as Loxely until I can justify a pigment ink printer. I know that I've paid more for my last couple of lenses than a good printer but am aware that unless I have a demand for my prints it'll be an expensive ornament. Still have a lot to learn in the meantime.

Thanks Wrong inks make for poor prints - false economy

@@KeithCooper but all that inks from canon.

Makes no difference - Canon make plenty of different inks, especially for cheaper/home-office printers like this. It might work, but it's not something I'd ever try...

@@KeithCooper Thanksfir answering! Good luck!

I've no accurate info on this I'm afraid

I'm going to say - you assume wrongly ;-) The replaceability of heads is entirely due to the design and technology used for the heads. Replaceability has zero effect on print quality

@@KeithCooper Sorry, maybe I need to rephrase my question. I was asking if a printer with an irreplaceable head is better in terms of cost and operation? I've checked few Brothers ink tank printers which seem to come with fixed printer heads. So I was confused about which one to purchase.

Ah, I only really look at photo printers, so essentially Canon and Epson. Brother are not in this market and HP walked away from high quality desktop photo printing years ago. I don't look at office type printers in my testing (I'm a working photographer) Replaceable heads have no real impact in cost as far as I know, but once again I purposely ignore costs in the sort of analysis I do ;-)