Canon GP vs PRO Series: Choosing the Right Printer for the Work You Actually Sell
When customers start comparing Canon’s GP and PRO series wide-format printers, the first instinct is usually to look at specifications. How many colors of ink, how fast it prints, how wide the carriage is, etc. Those details matter, but they are not what actually determines whether a printer will be profitable in a given business.
Canon did not design these two families to compete with each other. They designed them to serve two very different markets.
At a high level, the split is simple. The PRO series is built for photography and fine art. The GP series is built for posters, graphics, and signage. Once that distinction is clear, the rest of the decision becomes much easier.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-Series
The PRO series, consisting of the imagePROGRAF PRO-6600 (60-inch), PRO-4600 (44-inch), and the PRO-2600 (24-inch), exists for businesses where the print itself is the final product. These are photographers, fine art studios, galleries, and print providers selling finished images where the customer is paying for tonal smoothness, deep blacks, neutral grays, and surface quality. In this world, the print is examined up close, often framed, sometimes sold as a collectible, and expected to hold its appearance over time. That is why the PRO line is engineered around maximum image fidelity. The goal is not speed or volume. The goal is to reproduce photographs and artwork as faithfully as possible.
In that environment, media choice is part of the art. PRO users tend to build their workflows around premium photo papers, fine art papers, and canvas. Midwest Inkjet materials in these categories are chosen for coating consistency, surface finish, and long-term stability, because the media is as much a part of the finished product as the ink itself. When a customer buys a gallery wrap or a photographic print, they are buying the paper or canvas as much as they are buying the image.
Canon imagePROGRAF GP-Series
The GP series, which is comprised of the 7-color GP-6600S (60-inch) and GP-4600S (44-inch), the 10-color with Fluorescent Pink GP-4000 (44-inch) and GP-2000 (24-inch), and the 5-color with Florescent Pink GP-300 (36-inch), and GP-200 (24-inch), all come from a completely different set of priorities. Here, the print is rarely the final product on its own. It is part of a communication job. A poster is meant to be seen from across a room. A sign is meant to guide, promote, or inform. A graphic is often trimmed, mounted, installed, removed, and replaced on a schedule. In this market, the customer is not paying for a collectible object. They are paying for visibility, consistency, and speed.
That is why the GP line is positioned for poster and signage production. The ink set is optimized for bold color and repeatability. The mechanics are tuned for day-to-day production, not one perfect print at a time. The goal is to produce large volumes of consistent graphics that move smoothly through finishing and installation.
In this environment, media choice is about predictability. GP users typically build their standard lineup around production poster papers, polypropylene films, adhesive films and vinyl, and display materials like backlit film and banner. Midwest Inkjet media in these categories is selected to run flat, dry consistently, handle well, and behave the same way from roll to roll. The success of the job is judged less by how it looks under a loupe and more by how easily it trims, mounts, installs, and survives handling.
The most important difference between the two series is not technical. It is what happens after the print comes off the printer.
When the printer is matched to the right market, the workflow becomes simpler. Product offerings become clearer. Reprints go down. Quoting becomes easier. Media standardization becomes possible.
If your business sells photographs, fine art prints, and gallery work, the PRO series paired with Midwest Inkjet’s photo, fine art, and canvas media is the right foundation.
If your business sells posters, promotions, signage, and graphics, the GP series paired with Midwest Inkjet’s poster, film, adhesive, and display media is the right foundation.
In the end, the choice is less about which printer is “better” and more about which printer was designed for the kind of work your customers actually buy. If you have more questions about which printer is best for your workflow, call Midwest Inkjet today.
