Canon PRO-300 Printer: In-Depth Review and User Opinions

to Canon PRO-300 Printer

The Canon PRO-300 is a professional wide format printer designed for photographers, graphic designers, architects, engineers and others who need to print high-quality large formats up to 13" x 19".

This printer is aimed at professionals who need to print high-quality, gallery-worthy photos or detailed technical drawings and renderings. With its 13" wide carriage, the PRO-300 can handle a variety of media types and sizes up to 13" x 19" for impressive, oversized prints.

The PRO-300 sits below Canon's larger format PRO printers like the PRO-1000 and PRO-2000. While not aimed at industrial-scale production, the PRO-300 offers fast, high-detail printing in a more compact and affordable package for studios, offices and workgroups needing professional quality wide format printing.

With its pigment ink system, the PRO-300 produces prints meant to last, making it suitable for displaying photos, renderings and documents without fear of fading. An ethernet port allows multiple users to print to the device over a network. Overall, the PRO-300 hits a sweet spot for professionals who need pro-level wide format printing without paying for capabilities beyond their needs.

Print Quality

The Canon PRO-300 delivers professional quality photo printing with a maximum resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi. It utilizes Canon's FINE print head technology with 1.07 billion nozzles to lay down ink with precision and high color accuracy.

The printer has several print modes to optimize quality vs speed including:

• High Quality mode prints at 4800 x 1200 dpi for gallery-quality photos
• Standard mode prints at 2400 x 1200 dpi for everyday use
• Draft mode prints faster at 600 x 600 dpi for draft prints

Canon utilizes a 12-Color LUCIA PRO ink system with pigment- and dye-based inks for a wide color gamut. Blacks are especially deep thanks to the use of matte black ink. The printer can reproduce fine gradations and textures accurately.

The printer comes with a built-in color calibration sensor which allows for automatic color calibration to maintain consistent colors over time. The printer is PANTONE certified to accurately match PANTONE spot colors. Overall the print quality rivals that of professional photo labs.

Print Speed

The Canon PRO-300 printer offers impressive print speeds for a wide format printer. It can print up to 16.5 pages per minute in Fast mode, 10.4 pages per minute in Standard mode, and 1.2 pages per minute in High Quality mode.

Print speed is affected by several factors:

• Print mode - The printer has three modes: Fast, Standard, and High Quality. Fast mode prints the fastest but with lower quality, while High Quality mode prints the slowest with maximum quality. Standard offers a balance.

• Ink coverage - Pages with higher ink coverage will print slower than pages with minimal ink. Photos and graphics tend to print slower than text documents.

• Paper type - Certain paper types like glossy photo paper tend to print slower than plain paper. The printer adjusts for the ink absorption rates of different papers.

• Print resolution - Higher print resolutions require more ink placement precision, so the print heads move slower to have better control.

• Page size - Larger page sizes like A0 tend to print slower than smaller sizes like letter size. The print heads have to travel farther to cover larger areas.

• Connectivity - Printing over USB is generally faster than printing over wireless networks. Wireless speed depends on signal strength and interference.

The Canon PRO-300 hits a sweet spot of fast professional-quality output. Even at full 24" width, an A1 print at Standard quality takes about 2.5 minutes. For most purposes, the Canon prints fast enough for efficient work. But for extremely high volume printing, industrial printers may be required.

Connectivity

The Canon PRO-300 printer offers both wired and wireless connectivity options. For wired connections, it has a Gigabit Ethernet port that allows you to connect the printer directly to your network with a cable.

For wireless, the PRO-300 supports Wi-Fi 802.11n connectivity. You can connect the printer to your wireless network or directly to your computer wirelessly. The printer uses a USB 2.0 host port to accept direct wireless connections from mobile devices using the Canon Print Inkjet/SELPHY app.

The main connectivity protocols supported are TCP/IP for network connections and USB 2.0 for direct wired connections. The printer is also compatible with Apple AirPrint, Mopria Print Service, Windows 10 Mobile, and Wireless PictBridge for wireless printing from mobile devices.

Overall, the Canon PRO-300 offers versatile wired and wireless connectivity options through Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and USB. This allows you to set up the printer on a wired or wireless network for shared access or make direct connections to print from a single computer or mobile device.

Print Sizes

The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 can print at sizes ranging from 8" x 10" up to 13" x 19" for media loaded in the rear tray. With the optional roll feeder attachment, it can print banners up to 17" wide on rolls up to 39' long.

The printer offers borderless printing on all supported media types and sizes except for rolls. This allows you to produce full bleed prints without any white borders around the edges. Borderless printing is enabled by default from the printer driver but can be turned on and off as needed.

Overall, the PRO-300 provides a decent range of print sizes to choose from. While wider format printers exist, the 17" maximum roll width will be sufficient for most home office and photography applications needing banners or large prints. The rear tray also supports common photo paper sizes like 8" x 10" and 13" x 19". Just keep in mind there is no scanning or copying functionality with this printer if letter or legal document sizes are needed frequently.

Ink System

The Canon PRO-300 uses 6 individual ink tanks with separate black, gray, cyan, magenta, yellow, and photo black ink cartridges. This allows you to replace only the color that runs out instead of having to replace a multi-color combined cartridge.

The ink cartridges have a high capacity of 160 ml for black and 130 ml for colors, so you'll get more prints per cartridge. Canon estimates a printing cost of $1.35 per color A3 print and $0.64 per black & white A3 print with this printer. That works out to ink costs of approximately 3.4 cents per square foot of color prints and 1.6 cents per square foot for black & white.

For high volume printing, this printer can help keep operational costs down compared to models that use smaller ink cartridges. The six inks also provide a wide color gamut for accurate and vibrant color reproduction.

Printing Software

The Canon PRO-300 comes with Canon's printer driver software for Windows and Mac. This allows you to easily set up the printer on your computer and take advantage of features like:

• Media Configuration Tool - Allows you to save custom media settings like paper type and size. This ensures optimal print quality when using specialty paper.

• Print Plug-In for Photoshop, Lightroom etc - This makes printing directly from Adobe programs simple. You can control color settings and page layout without leaving Photoshop.

• Print Studio Pro - Canon's advanced printing plug-in. It gives you fine control over color management and options like tiling and cropping.

• PosterArtist Lite - Allows you to create and print custom posters with overlays, templates and effects.

• Direct Print and Share - Print directly from cloud services and mobile devices.

The PRO-300 is compatible with Windows 7 and newer as well Mac OS X 10.10.5 and above. The printer driver ensures wide software support so you can print from almost any program or device.

Build and Design

The Canon PRO-300 has clean, professional-looking design and build quality. At 26.7 x 6.8 x 15.6 inches and 39.6 pounds, it has a sturdy footprint and significant heft that speaks to its durability. The printer features an enclosed design to help reduce dust and debris from getting inside. The top-loading paper feeder can hold 150 sheets.

The PRO-300 is built with a strong metal frame that allows it to handle thick media. It has rubber feet to minimize noise and vibration. The front panel provides easy access for replacing ink tanks and includes a responsive 2.7-inch LCD screen and buttons. Overall the build quality is very solid and designed to produce professional level prints over the long term.

While large and heavy, the Canon PRO-300 still has a relatively compact footprint for a 13 inch wide printer. The clean aesthetics allow it to blend into creative environments like photography studios. Easy to set-up and robust enough for constant use, the PRO-300 offers a well-designed package for serious creatives.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Produces gallery-quality prints with a max resolution of 2400 x 1200 dpi. Images have vivid colors and crisp details.

• Fast print speeds of up to 5 pages per minute in color and up to 12 pages per minute in black and white. Saves time when printing large or multiple files.

• Supports WiFi, Ethernet, USB, and wireless printing from mobile devices. Provides flexible connectivity options.

• Can print on cut sheets up to 17 inches wide and banners up to 59 inches long. Accommodates a wide variety of media sizes.

• Uses long-lasting LUCIA PRO pigment ink for water-resistant, fade-resistant prints. Ideal for displaying photos without damage.

Cons

• High upfront cost that may only suit professionals or enterprises. Quite an investment for regular home users.

• Large and heavy at 44 lbs. Takes up substantial space and not easily portable.

• Ink cartridges can be expensive to replace. Ongoing cost of ownership is high.

• Printer noise may be disruptive in quiet settings. Reaches sound levels of 48db or more when printing.

• Complex professional software requires a learning curve. Not the most user friendly model for novices.

Conclusion

The Canon PRO-300 is a capable wide-format printer that delivers excellent print quality at fast speeds. It's a solid choice for photography studios, design firms, architects, engineers, construction companies and any business that regularly prints large, high-quality images.

With its 12-Color LUCIA PRO ink system, the PRO-300 produces vibrant and detailed prints with smooth gradients and deep blacks. The prints have great durability and longevity as well. The printer can churn out an A1 print in 35 seconds, making it one of the fastest options in its class.

The built-in WiFi allows you to print from anywhere in the studio and supports AirPrint, Mopria Print Service and Canon Print app. The printer comes loaded with software like PosterArtist Lite for enlarging and tiling, Print Plug-in for Photoshop and Digital Photo Professional. The sturdy, compact design can fit most studio spaces.

Overall, the PRO-300 hits the sweet spot between price and performance. For photographers or creative professionals who need to print posters, banners, presentations or photo art on a regular basis, the PRO-300 is easy to recommend. It delivers fast, gallery-quality prints up to 13" wide without costing an arm and a leg on ink. While pricier printers do exist, the PRO-300 provides incredible value and quality for most users' needs.