It's tempting, isn't it? The Canon Pro-100 13" photo printer released in 2012 for $499 is available now for just $119 after rebate. That's a pretty big savings for an output device with a 4.5 star user rating on B&H Photo's site.
As you may recall, I took the Canon Rebate Challenge, and they did indeed deliver my $250 Mastercard gift card. So, that leaves us with the investment itself.
In terms of actual prints, I think the Canon Pro-100 printer is worth every penny. When I send a job its way, the Pro-100 gets right to work and produces beautiful output.
I can connect with it via USB cable, WiFi, and AirPrint. It doesn't seem to care which method I use to send data. It just works.
When Canon releases their new 13" photo printer, which they are sure to do soon, I would expect certain upgrades. For example, there will be a nice LCD screen on the device to assist in setup and use. With my older Pro-100, communication requires a computer and the proper Canon software. An LCD would be a highly welcome feature.
They may be improvements in the dye technology. New ink formulas are possible, for sure. How will they impact what emerges from the printer, who knows? Chances are reasonable that it would be hard to tell the difference between actual output without knowing.
The latest Canon multifunction printers include goodies like Alexa commands. That, I couldn't care less about. Although, I would like more printing options via the existing AirPrint technology.
As much as I would enjoy some of these improvements, especially the LCD screen, I'm not sure they are worth the extra $300-$400 that they would cost me. So as long as I can get ink for the Pro-100, it's a better choice for my budget at the moment. (I say this now without seeing what Canon will actually release in the future :-)
But there is one thing that I know for sure. Thanks to the great Pro-100 deal, I'm making prints right now. And that's definitely worth a lot to me.
You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.
