Canon PRO-1000 Driver Tour Mac

Get an in-depth view at the Mac driver and controls for the Canon PRO-1000.

Printing options we recommend you set before using the PRO-1000, and are important to a smooth and confusion free printing experience are marked with this icon:

Print Menu

When you click "Print Settings" from most applications, this is the first driver screen you see. It usually starts on the "Layout" tab, shown above.

Click on Layout to reveal the menu options that we explore below.

If you click on this drop down menu and DO NOT see all of the above options, STOP HERE.

If you do not see Quality & Media and Advanced Paper Settings in particular, it is likely that the AirPrint driver is installed.You can confirm this by reading our AirPrint article.

Presets

The print dialog and all of the potential settings can be complex. Because getting them right is important to good quality results, creating a Preset is a good idea. Once you have a certain group of settings complete, they can be saved as a preset for future use. It can be named and called upon during future print jobs to save time and prevent error.

Quality & Media

The Media Type is a top three most important setting. It tells the printer important information and acts as part color profile, part ink throttle, and controls which black (photo or matte) is used. Always double check this setting correct before beginning a print.

The Media Type options are Canon branded papers. You will find the recommended setting in every box of Red River Paper brand inkjet media.

If you are using an AM1X config file, the name of the paper embedded into the config will appear on this list. See our discussion on AM1X files and the Media Configuration Tool.

TOP TIP!

If you see generic media types, see below, AirPrint has taken over as primary driver. You need to replace it with the Canon driver to restore proper functionality. Read our guide to correcting the problem.

Paper Source controls the paper feed path. The Canon PRO-1000 has two. The Rear Tray is the top auto-load tray that can handle between 1-50 sheets depending on paper thickness. It is intended for papers between 4 mil and 14 mil thickness.

The Manual Feed is a single sheet path located on the back of the printer. This path can accept papers from 4 mil up to 24 mil thickness.

When printing photos and artwork, we recommend choosing the High print quality option. In the custom dialog, seen below, you can see all available quality choices. The choices are controlled by the media type you have selected.

Color Matching

Color Matching controls the printer's color management software. You have two options, Canon Color Matching and ColorSync.

NOTE - If you allow your application (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc) to manage colors, both radio buttons on the Color Matching tab will be grayed out.

If Canon Color Matching is active, you will find these controls in the Color Options submenu. They allow for basic changes to hue, brightness, and contrast. The controls show you which color you are adding or subtracting with each slider.

ColorSync is Apple's ancient color management system that allows for profile selection from the Print menu. It is not used unless there is an OSX created problem with color management and you are working around said problem.

With the Black & White Photo Print option checked, the Color Options menu changes to control the PRO-1000's black & white print system.

The Tone drop-down menu contains three presets. The default Black and White option is for neutal tone. Cool and Warm are available for selenium and sepia output, repectively. The X&Y cooridinate feature is complex and allows for fine control over tonality. Since there is no way to accurately preview the changes, trial and error are required to obtain specific results.

Advanced Paper Settings

Print Head Height is one of those key controls you need to understand. It is the printer's thick paper setting, referred to by Canon as Prevent Paper Abrasion. Activate this option for any paper 11mil or thicker. You might need it with thinner media that has a slight upward curl.

Cancel Margin Regulation is another key control you should set now. It allows you to use the Matte Photo Paper and Photo Paper Pro Premium Matte settings with all paper sizes and the borderless option. Without it being active, you could not use papers like Polar Matte, Premium Matte, River Linen, and Aurora Art in all of their available sizes.

Paper Vacuum is on by default and it is recommended you leave it as such.

Unidirectional printing is rarely needed on Canon printers. When activated it applies ink during one print head pass and not each time the head passes over the paper.

Drying time can be extended if you print on papers that are not "instant dry". They are rare and include plastics with little coating, sticker material, and others.

Clear Coating refers to the printer's Chroma Optimizer (CO)system. It is the clear ink sprayed onto papers with any reflective property. Examples are UltraPro Satin, Polar Gloss Metallic, and Palo Duro Softgloss Rag. The default setting of Auto sprays CO onto the printed areas of your paper. Setting it to Overall will apply CO to the entire sheet.

Paper Size

Paper Size is a key control that must be set before every print job.

The Paper Size menu contains two functions.

1. Paper size selection. All available sizes, including any custom sizes you have defined.

2. Controls to activate borderless printing. If the PRO-1000 can print a size without borders, it will be listed as shown above. If a size does not have a borderless option, you cannot print it as such.

Note - Margin 25 applies a 25mm margin to the leading and trailing edge of the paper. It is intended for use with thick media where one is concerned with head strikes. We avoid being forced to use this setting by clicking "Cancel Margin Regulation" above.

If you make a borderless print and ink does not extend fully to the border, increase the amount of extension, see below.

Once the borderless option is selected, the Page Processing menu updates and Borderless Extension control is active. Moving the slider to the right expands ink coverage farther past your paper's edge and ensures full coverage. The default setting is typically enough to successfully print without borders.

Utilities

The PRO-1000 utilities can be accessed from Photoshop's print dialog.

If you do not use Photoshop, access them via Apple Menu > System Preferences > Printers & Scanners > Your Printer > Options & Supplies

Nozzle Check

Under the Test Print menu, nozzle check allows you to test for print head clogs via a small printed test pattern.

Cleaning Options

Three levels of nozzle cleaning are available - Clean, Deep Clean, System Cleaning. For the most part you will not use any of the three on a PRO-1000. Part of its "magic" is a continuous head clean routine when the printer is turned on and off. Start with "Cleaning" if you encounter any blocked nozzles. They are the first suspect if you notice a drop in print quality - white lines or color shifts. They are confirmed by running a Nozzle Check.

A big plus is the Ink Group cleaning feature. Most printers force cleaning of all ink channels at once which uses a good deal of ink. The PRO-1000 allows you to choose a single channel of four inks for cleaning to save time and ink dollars.

Custom settings

Here we find the last two key controls for your PRO-1000 setup. Both shut down sensors and software that cause a good deal of trouble for users. Both systems, designed to prevent you from making paper size or media setting mistakes, often do no more than stop your workflow with warnings and alerts that are difficult to understand and correct. A caveat here is that with these systems disabled, you need to verify a) you know the size paper you have and set it on the driver and b) understand what media setting is recommended for the paper you are using. Both are standard knowledge you should possess if you are going to own and operate a printer like the PRO-1000.

About Red River Paper

Inkjet paper from inkjet paper experts. Red River was founded in 1997 and has over 40 years experience in fine papers. We hand pick fine paper from mills around the world and bring them to our plant in Dallas, Texas. From here, we convert the paper to various sheet sizes and rolls, as well as add special features available only from Red River. We offer wholesale direct pricing, and the convenience of over 30 different inkjet papers under one roof. Red River Paper invests the time and money to understand and test the latest inkjet technology from Epson, Canon, HP, Lexmark and others so you do not have too. Our client services representatives are well versed in our products and inkjet printing, and can give our clients helpful advice on which Red River papers will suit their needs.

Last updated: April 29, 2024