Jason Dunn
10-04-2007, 03:00 PM
As someone who enjoys printing photos at home using inkjet printers, I've long been curious about some of the things I've seen with photo paper sold at retail. Is one brand of paper superior to another? Why can't I find the size and type of paper I need? Since I'm curious about some of these questions, I thought Digital Media Thoughts readers might be as well. I contacted HP, Epson, and Canon, asking them essentially the same questions. Each company was kind enough to answer my questions, so today I present to you the second of a three-part series of responses (part one was <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,12630">the HP Q&A</a>). Here's what Justin Joseph, from Canon USA's Consumer Imaging Group, had to say in response to my questions.<br /><br /><b>Digital Media Thoughts:</b> Canon obviously feels paper is an important part of their printer business – I counted over 25 different paper sizes and types. How many types of printer paper does Canon currently offer, and have you hit the ceiling in terms of paper development, or are there new sizes and finishes yet to be introduced? <br /> <br /><b>Justin Joseph [Canon]:</b> Currently Canon offers about 35 different paper SKUs. The truth is that Canon is always looking to expand its lineup in all areas (paper, printer products, and ink). As an innovator in this industry, it's very safe to say that Canon will continue to explore the best options based on consumer needs and feedback. <br /> <br /><b>DMT:</b> What would you say to those people who were buying generic photo paper for their Canon printers – does Canon-branded paper offer an advantage over generic photo paper? <br /> <br /><b>Canon</b>: While Canon printers are designed to print beautifully on a variety of paper brands and types, there are certainly advantages to printing directly on Canon papers. Canon photo paper has been specially engineered to be a part of the breakthrough ChromaLife100 system...which guarantees that prints made from a PIXMA printer, with genuine Canon paper and genuine Canon ink can last 100 years in an archival quality photo album and well over 30 years behind glass in a frame. Currently, many third-party papers and inks have been independently tested to last just a few months. True image longevity is something that can only be assured by using genuine Canon products. The paper, ink, and printer all work in tandem to not only produce vibrant prints, but also to make sure they last for generations. <br /><!><br /><b>DMT:</b> One thing that has always baffled me is why so many photo paper sizes differ from the sizes of common photo frames available in North America. 4 x 6” paper is a given because it matches up with photo albums. Canon offers 5 x 7” photo paper in only one finish, and the same for 8 x 10”. Canon offers a variety of paper in 8.5 x 11” size (I counted 11 paper finishes), yet if you go into any retail store and look for frames in that size you won’t find anything other than document holders. 8 x 10” is the standard photo frame size, so why does Canon only make one finish in that size? It’s equally problematic with the bigger sizes of paper as well: try finding a frame for a 13 x 19” print. As someone who enjoys making photo prints at home, this disparity between paper sizes and frames is a source of constant frustration – why aren’t there more choices for 5 x 7” and 8 x 10” paper? <br /> <br /><b>Canon</b>: Actually Canon currently offers 2 types of 8x10 paper (Photo Paper Pro and Photo Paper Plus Semi Gloss) and 2 types of 5x7 paper (Photo Paper Plus Glossy and Photo Paper Plus Double Sided). The truth is these decisions are usually based on market trends and sales numbers...believe it or not, most 8x10 and 5x7 papers don't sell nearly as well as 4x6 and 8.5x11 sizes. It seems that most home photo printers are placing their photos in albums and scrapbooks, and those who produce 13x19 prints are probably using custom frames. However, your point doesn't go unnoticed..this is why Canon introduced another 8x10 paper size last year.<br /> <br /><b>DMT:</b> Digital scrapbooking seems to be all the rage now, with all sorts of online communities and software offering creative ways for people to create digital scrapbook pages and then print them. The two Canon PIXMA Pro printers seem technically capable of printing on 12 x 12” paper, which is the de facto standard for scrapbooking, yet the product pages don’t list 12 x 12” as a supported paper type, nor does Canon offer any 12 x 12” paper for sale. Does Canon plan to offer scrapbook enthusiasts any options in the future? <br /> <br /><b>Canon</b>: You are correct - 12x12 can be printed on the PIXMA Pro printers, And this is an excellent place where you may see Canon introducing products in the future. <br /> <br /><b>DMT:</b> What’s the long-term outlook for photo printing – does Canon believe there will continue to be a strong drive for people to print photos are home, or have online photo printing services already significantly weakened the home printing market? <br /> <br /><b>Canon</b>: Research shows that home photo printing is still a very strong market. Though the growth may not be as tremendous, there is still a very viable market to reach. It will be up to manufacturers to give the user more options at competitive prices and even greater convenience features, while make the products easier to use to encourage more home photo printing. It will be up to the industry to remind end users of the benefits of a print. <br /> <br /><b>DMT:</b> Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! Is there any way consumers can direct feedback to Canon about paper finishes and sizes they’d like to see? <br /> <br /><b>Canon</b>: If you'd like to take the feedback/questions and direct them to me, I'd be happy to help when I can. Thanks.<br /><br /><i>Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He has a bit of a paper fetish.</i>