Brand new CANON TM-255 OEM inks - ink scratches really easy from glossy media

One of the reasons I switched to Canon large format (pigment) inks to refill my PRO-10 was the scratch resistance.
In particular 3th party PBK did not adhere on glossy papers. I've even seen GY from a German supplier you could blow away from the paper.
With the Canon ink I print on every kind of paper without issues.

Are the plotter inks a subset (less colors) of the photo printers, or is the ink only made for drawings and poster media ?
Anyway, the cartridge numbers are different.

palombian said:

One of the reasons I switched to Canon large format (pigment) inks to refill my PRO-10 was the scratch resistance.
In particular 3th party PBK did not adhere on glossy papers. I've even seen GY from a German supplier you could blow away from the paper.
With the Canon ink I print on every kind of paper without issues.

Are the plotter inks a subset (less colors) of the photo printers, or is the ink only made for drawings and poster media ?
Anyway, the cartridge numbers are different.

Click to expand...

Well I am using the original inks that came with the printer, not refills but consider changing to inktec pigment ink if there will be no problem with them (however I am not sure how easy I will switch to them - I found cartridges and chips but I am not familiar how I will swap the inks since there are ink tubes from the cartridges to the head).

It is 5 color (MBK,BK,C,Y,M) printer, CAD and posters mainly.

EDIT : I found Canon PVP-201 Pro Photo Variety Pack A4 from a local dealer which says it has

• 5 sheets PT-101 Pro Platinum
• 5 sheetss LU-101 Pro Luster
• 5 sheets PM-101 Pro Premium Matte

I wonder if they are the same like the roll papers - 1107C Photo Paper Pro Platinum 300 g/m² for example

AmaDeuSbg said:

Well I am using the original inks that came with the printer, not refills but consider changing to inktec pigment ink if there will be no problem with them (however I am not sure how easy I will switch to them - I found cartridges and chips but I am not familiar how I will swap the inks since there are ink tubes from the cartridges to the head).

It is 5 color (MBK,BK,C,Y,M) printer, CAD and posters mainly.

EDIT : I found Canon PVP-201 Pro Photo Variety Pack A4 from a local dealer which says it has

• 5 sheets PT-101 Pro Platinum
• 5 sheetss LU-101 Pro Luster
• 5 sheets PM-101 Pro Premium Matte

I wonder if they are the same as the roll papers - 1107C Photo Paper Pro Platinum 300 g/m² for example

Click to expand...

The papers (cut sheet and roll) are the same as far as surface finish, yet there may be some other differences, such as thickness.

Once you have the Canon test papers and set the media settings for those papers, you are well on your way to understanding the capabilities of your printer and ink.

I am writing with an update.

I found the product code of the A2 platinum paper in the pack and it appears they are exactly the same as the roll papers, so I bought yesterday the sample pack and started testing. The papers instant dry (platinum and the RC Pro Luster) and their durability is comparable or maybe a little better to the 2nd type of paper (Suntak?) I bought after the Katana. However, even on the original canon media some color patches from the colormunki test were weaker and more prone to scratching (black was almost unscratchable but for example the #5555ff (medium light shade of blue-magenta) scratched also on the canon paper - not as easy like on the Katana papers but still scratches. Compared to the 2nd type of paper I bought it is a little more durable I think but again the canon is like 3 times more expensive.

Overall canon papers have superb feeling to them, but their price is like triple so I will probably stick to the 2nd type of paper I found after the Katana.

I am waiting for a friend of mine to give me some hair spray to test and coat it. However I am a little bit more optimistic compared to when I started because I was desperate when I saw how easy the ink scratched on the Katana - now I realize that just maybe the ink should be carefully handled even on more premium papers (at least with my type of ink/printer, not sure if the same with higher grade printers but I doubt their prints are also undestructable if uncoated?)

Have a lovely day

Update 2: Tested hair spray today both on the glossy paper and silk paper. Also did a coat test on canvas.

I found an already semi glossy coated canvas from a local dealer and print on it is just amazing. It is claimed to be scratch resistant and no need to varnish, but I will varnish it just in case, because it still scratches when I tested.

It appears that the hair spray is great and print is nearly indestructible when coated (probably same effect like on the more expensive printers with optimizer, hopefully some day I will get one so to skip the spray ). My only concern is if the hair spray will yellow or change print properties over time - this might be the reason to avoid it and laminate more important prints or frame them right after the print if printed on photo paper. For canvas I will most likely cover them with varnish just to be safe. And on matte papers I will most likely do nothing since they are pretty durable after print (well, scratchable also but not so visible because they smudge and cover the scratches haha and will be for more budget posters).

Overall I am pretty happy with the machine, after I profiled the papers it produces pretty nice and reasonably accurate colors for a CMYK machine.

Thank you all again, I will update with my TM-255 journey since it is my first wide format printer and I am excited I am heading down on an interesting journey.

Best Wishes

Hairsprays differ quite a lot how the nozzles create a fine or very fine and homogenious fog, and spraying may need a little bit of exercise to control the density, but it's an overall easy exercise.

Hairsparys differ by the overall acryl substance density - bottles in Europe are marked with numbers - in the range from 1 - 6 with 6 for the strongest stuff - almost glueing the hairs to the head. You may not find that number easily.

Such spraycoated prints need to be profiled after application of the spray, spraying or lamination should be done 12 - 24 hours after print to let the solvent of the inks evaporate.

Sprays may fade over time - years - but be aware that the coating itself carries a yellowing effect and the paper, and a substance frequently overlooked - the optical brighteners fade as well - faster than some inks. And they don't just disappear but carry a yellowing effect as well.

There are several effects visible on spraycoated prints - a better, darker blacklevel, a wider gamut , less bronzing and less gloss differences , this with pigment inks.