When you invest in a professional photo and fine art printer, the running cost of ink is usually the first thing on your mind. So here is some welcome news: every Canon imagePROGRAF PRO printer arrives with a very generous set of starter inks in the box, enough to get you printing properly from day one.

The question we are often asked is a fair one: how far does that free ink actually go? The answer tends to surprise people.

A full set of inks, included

These are 12-colour printers, and Canon supplies all twelve tanks with the machine. The volumes are not small tokens to get you going either, they are substantial:

•      PRO-2600: 12 x 160ml inks, a total of 1,920ml

•      PRO-4600: 12 x 330ml inks, a total of 3,960ml

•      PRO-6600: 12 x 330ml inks, a total of 3,960ml

That is a lot of ink to find waiting for you when you open the box, before you have spent a penny more.

How many prints is that, really?

Volumes in millilitres are hard to picture, so Canon worked out a real example using the PRO-2600 and a standard industry test image.

On that basis, the starter inks supplied with the PRO-2600 hold enough to print almost 200 A1 glossy photos in Standard mode. For an A1 photographic printer, that is a remarkable amount of output from the ink that comes free in the box, and a good chunk of work done before your first reorder.

More than just ink in the box

The generous inks are only part of the value. Every Canon PRO printer also comes with:

•      A 2 year on-site warranty, so support comes to you

•      A trade-in allowance against your old printer, currently £450 on the PRO-2600, £850 on the PRO-4600 and £1,000 on the PRO-6600

•      A free roll of 190gsm Gloss Photo Paper, 610mm x 30m, supplied with every installation

Taken together, that is a printer, a full set of inks, a paper roll to start printing on, two years of cover, and money off your old machine.

The 12-colour PRO range at a glance

The three printers cover different widths for different studios. The PRO-2600 is a 24 inch A1 model, the PRO-4600 a 44 inch A0 model, and the PRO-6600 a 60 inch model, all built around Canon's 12-colour LUCIA PRO II pigment ink system for deep colour, smooth gradation and long print life. You can see the whole photo and fine art printer range in one place, and there is a fuller write-up of the new PRO models if you would like the detail.

Ready to upgrade?

If your current printer is due for replacement, this is a good moment to look at the numbers. Between the genuine Canon inks, the trade-in allowance and the free paper, the cost of stepping up to a new PRO printer is lower than it first appears. To talk it through or check the latest allowance on your old machine, call the Prizma Graphics team on 01296 393700 and we will help you find the right fit.