Canon PIXMA Pro 10 vs 100 Printers Compared

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If you don’t have time to read the article, then out of the Canon PIXMA Pro 10 vs 100, the best printer is Canon Pro-100 for fast printing and value for money, or the Canon Pro-10 for archival quality prints and natural colors.

Comparing the Canon Pro 10 vs Pro 100 can be tricky as they at first seem to be such similar printers, but there are a couple of key differences between them.

This article quickly covers the similarities and differences between the Pro 100 vs Pro 10 in a short Canon Pixma Pro-100 review and Canon Pixma Pro-10 review, based on extensive research and practical knowledge of these printers.

Canon Pixma Pro 10 vs Pro 100

The key points of the Pixma Pro 10 vs 100 are listed below, along with the a fuller discussion of the main differences between them.

Canon Pixma Pro-100

Well-regarded by hobbyists

Dye based inks are better for glossy paper and for saturated colors
Very fast print speed – a couple of minutes for a high quality 8×10
Max print width of 13-inches
Good value for money when refurbished
Plenty of third-party ink available
Prints can fade over time – particularly in the reds

The Canon Pixma Pro-100 is an excellent dye-based printer for giving bold, saturated colors, particularly on glossy paper.

It’s very highly regarded by hobbyist users, and can produce prints that you can sell, although the lower fade resistance might be an issue.

If you want exceptional print quality and a low price, then the Pro-100 is a good choice, although the more recent Canon Pro-200 is a dye based printer offering even better value for money.

Canon Pixma Pro-10

Better for long lasting prints

Pigment based inks given excellent fade resistance and print longevity
Excellent black and white print quality thanks to the matte black and photo black
Natural color saturation on all media
Max print width of 13-inches
Discontinued, but can still be cheap second-hand
Expensive and less good value for money

The Canon Pixma Pro-10 has ten pigment-based inks (including a Chroma Optimizer) that makes it most suitable for archival quality prints that can outlast you.

This is the professionals choice due to the consistent print quality across all media, and the ability of the prints to stand up to sunlight without fading.

Although you can often find this for a good price second-hand, it has been superseded by the Canon Pro-1000, an excellent pigment ink printer at around the same cost.

Read More about the Upgraded Canon Printers, the Canon Pro-200 and Canon Pro-1000 in the article on the best photo printers.

Comparison Table of the Canon Pro 10 vs Pro 100

Differences between the Pro 10 vs Pro 100	Canon Pro-100	Canon Pro-10
Ink Type	Dye based inks – fade more quickly, but look more saturated on glossy paper	Pigment based inks – archival quality and look better on matte paper, but appear less colorful than dye inks
Number of Inks	8 inks	10 inks – including matte black and photo black & plus Chroma Optimizer
Max. Print Width	13-inches	13-inches
Print Speed	Very fast – 8×10-inch print from under one minute to two and a half minutes, depending on quality	Slow printing – 8×10-inch print from two and a half minutes to over seven minutes, depending on quality
Color Print Output	Print quality is exceptional, with surprisingly good fade resistance, although lack of matte black reduces matte paper printing performance	Natural color saturation with excellent print longevity on all media
Black and White Print Output	Gray and Light Gray inks allow for subtle B&W printing	Photo Black and Matte Black handle B&W printing across all media
Paper Type Handling	Can deal with thicker paper, cardstock and canvas in the manual feed	Can deal with thicker paper, cardstock and canvas in the manual feed
Ink Cost	13ml cartridge – ink is generally more widely available, and slightly cheaper	13ml cartridge – ink is slightly more expensive and harder to find
Printer Cost	Less expensive	More expensive

What are the Key Differences Between the Canon Pro 100 vs Pro 10?

You can see from the comparison table of the Canon Pro 100 vs Pro 10 above, that there are not a large number of differences between the two models of printer.

For me, the only two key differences are the type and number of inks that the printers use (and of course the overall cost of the printer), and the print speed.

The Canon Pro-100 has eight dye based inks in total: Black, Magenta, Photo Magenta, Cyan, Photo Cyan, Yellow, Gray & Light Gray.

The Canon Pro-10 has ten pigment based inks in total: Matte Black, Photo Black, Magenta, Photo Magenta, Cyan, Photo Cyan, Yellow, Gray, Red & Chroma Optimizer.

Dye vs Pigment Inks

Comparing the Pixma Pro 10 vs Pixma Pro 100 through printing test images is mainly about comparing dye vs pigment inks. In the past, it used to that pigment inks were far superior to dye inks, but this is less the case nowadays.

Pigment inks offer generally better longevity and fade resistance, with Canon claiming the inks in the Pro-10 can last up to 80 years behind glass, with the dye inks of the Pro-100 only lasting 40 years.

Therefore, if archival print quality is an issue, the Pro-10 should be your go-to printer.

But, dye inks, like those in the Pro-100, can actually offer better color saturation and quality, albeit at the expense of a slightly shorter life.

This means that unless you are concentrating on black and white work, the Pro-100 should offer prints with better colors than the Pro-10.

In terms of cost per print, both models are fairly similar, although ink is slightly cheaper in the Pro-100, due to two fewer inks being needed. There is a good article on the Pixma Pro 100 cost per print in real world use here.

Remember that both models should be left switched on permanently, as they regularly run a maintenance cycle to prevent clogging of the print head. This involves the print head moving off its seal to push some ink into the maintenance cart, usually once every few days. If you switch your printer off, the head may clog if left unused for too long.

Bear in mind though that this will drain your ink supply, meaning that the small difference in ink cost can make a larger difference long term.

Print Speed

The other major difference is the print speed variability. The Canon Pro-100 is remarkably fast, shooting out an 8×10 print in only around two and a half minutes for a print at the maximum quality level.

By contrast, the Pro-10 takes over seven minutes to print the same image.

This difference might not seem like much, but if you are making several prints in quick succession, the time saving of the Pro-100 can quickly add up. This is particularly useful if you are making several prints a day.

Final Thoughts: Is the Canon Pro 10 or Pro 100 Better?

It’s very difficult to say which of the Canon Pro 10 or Pro 100 is better, as they are obviously designed for different uses.

The Canon Pro-10 suits those looking for an archival quality printer, with prints that do not fade quickly in direct sunlight, or those who are specializing in black and white work.

The Canon Pro-100 suits those who want superior color saturation and a printer that produces prints quickly, even if the prints are slightly more liable to fade over time.

They both offer excellent print quality, and neither will be a bad choice, although it is also worth checking out the newer Canon Pro-200, for dye based printing, and the Canon Pro-1000 for pigment based printing, in my article on photo printers.

Read More:
What is the best ink for Canon Pixma Pro 100?
What is the best canvas printer?
What’s the best printer for art prints?
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