Canon PIXMA PRO-100: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Canon PIXMA PRO-100 right for you?

The PRO-100 is the printer that put serious photo printing in thousands of hobbyists' homes, largely because Canon's rebates in the mid-2010s made it almost free with a pack of paper. Its eight CLI-42 dye inks with three greys produce beautiful glossy and black-and-white prints. Units are now over ten years old, so B200 printhead failures and a full ink absorber are the two things most owners eventually face; replacement printheads are scarce.

Best for: Hobbyist photographers keeping a classic dye-ink 13 x 19 printer running

Setting up the Canon PIXMA PRO-100

Ethernet is the simplest connection since there is no screen; Wi-Fi requires WPS or the old IJ Network Tool on a 2.4 GHz network. Install the archived PRO-100 driver and Professional Print and Layout on Windows 11 or macOS. Keep all eight tanks installed and print a nozzle check at least every two weeks to keep the head alive.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the ink cartridges, and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Canon's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Canon PIXMA PRO-100 uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• CLI-42 BK / C / M / Y / PC / PM / GY / LGY

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications