Canon PIXMA G540 Driver Download– Last week I received a unit from the latest Canon PIXMA series, namely the Canon PIXMA Mega Tank G540 and G640.
The difference between the two models is that the Canon PIXMA G540 is just a printer, and the Canon PIXMA G640 is a multifunction device because it has an additional scanner and this makes it not only a printer but also a copier or scanner.
The printing parts of the two models are completely identical, so I decided to test the Canon PIXMA G540… hardly anyone cared how long it took to scan an A4 document.
Since we use Photo Cafe as an office printer, actually as a 5-year-old Canon PIXMA G3400 multifunction device, I decided to make a little comparison between these two Canon PIXMA G models.
If you want, you can read a review of the Canon PIXMA G3400, even though it is no longer produced (there is a successor model). What our office printers have in common with today’s, which we will talk about, is that they have genuine Canon systems for continuous ink supply, not the classic “cartridges”, or as they are called “cartridges” (straight from English) . That’s why when you take out the box with the printer, you will see the words “zero cartridges”
In short, the ink supply system is nothing new to me, but the way it is filled is something new. Another novelty is the presence of 6 colors, unlike 4 in other series. In addition, both new models have a display and Wi-Fi connectivity (Wi-Fi is only available on the G3400).
You can see how the Canon PIXMA G540 is filled with ink and how it connects to a Wi-Fi network in the video I prepared (about 13 minutes, drinking coffee), and then we’ll talk about print quality, speed, and more.
Welcome back. I hope you are convinced of how easy it is to plug in the heads and fill the ink cartridges. There is no possibility of mistakes, no blackmail, and endless coloring, as in the rest of the series. A little more care is needed when refilling, as as you can see the bottle overflows into the ink tank very quickly, and I’m not inclined to try to see if there is any protection against overfilling.
Not only can you easily refill with ink, but you can also easily replace the heads (hopefully not), as well as change the printer’s “diaper” yourself. In the older series, a diaper change that collects ink drops during “borderless printing” and when cleaning the head it is necessary to service. Now just unscrew the bolt on the back, remove it and replace it yourself. In short, you can operate the printer yourself.
If you have to move it from place to place, there is a system that blocks the flow of ink to the head, as well as a small lock that locks the fixed head. All this prevents ink from leaking through the head during transportation.
The heads are two, as I said, each responsible for 3 inks. The inks themselves: black, gray, red, magenta, cyan, and yellow are types of Dye, which from nearly 10 years of experience with printers means it is almost impossible to clog the heads if the printer is not used for a long time. I have a case of not turning on the printer for almost 6 months, it’s enough to do a “deep punch” and I’m in jazz.
Additional settings
Another interesting thing. If you want to set up a printer, network or many other things, then all this is done in a computer browser (opens as a link) without the need for the Internet.
Unlike the menu of the Canon PIXMA G540, which may be in Bulgarian, the settings in the browser are not in Bulgarian, but there are many others.
If you can’t fix it, there are instructions for use, mostly in Bulgarian, except for the section for Mac OS users… and I, since I’m just a user and somehow discriminatory I think it’s a grunt.
Of course, you can control all the settings from your smartphone or tablet, even if you read the user manual.
Ink
To return to ink – 6 in number. They are slightly smaller in milliliters compared to other models. I guess it’s done to keep the printer sizes identical – you remove the old one, insert the new one and it’s all right, the power supply and USB socket are in the same place, you won’t feel like having them changes anything in an appearance
We have two new inks compared to the existing printer in our studio. Instead of adding lighter versions of cyan and magenta, Canon has decided to add red and gray inks, closer to the palette of high-end multi-color printers for photorealistic printing.
Does this movement matter?
Yes seriously. With the Canon PIXMA G3400, I really miss black and white prints. Yes, there is one, but the photos come out with a rosy tinge, which, frankly, isn’t that great. I have to print with a coworker who has a high-end multi-color printer.
However, the Canon PIXMA G540 delivers excellent black and white prints on first reading. They are almost neutral and, if there is a slight nuance, it is paper type.
There is an additional condition to choose that you will print in black and white mode, because in color mode a “cold” shadow appears, which slightly interferes with the clear black and white image.
I tried several types of genuine Canon photo paper and you can see in the gallery below what the difference is.
Yes, this is a reproduction and although I used a benchmark when shooting, I illuminated the photo with an ice panel, which is about 96% CRI, so there is not the slightest difference to the image we would get with our eyes in daylight. However, the difference depends on the visible paper, and under the photo, you can read what type of paper.
Higher grade paper = better pictures, facts! You can see the difference between a plain matte and a premium matte, the Pro Platinium, although not supported by the printer, is definitely better than glossy. The glossy paper also looks very nice and saturated and very neutral.
In the gallery above you can see in the photo with a drop-down menu what paper is supported, or read the specifications. For me, Luster is my favorite, but I won’t resist Semi-Matte either.
The Canon PIXMA G540 has no profile, and no additional paper can be integrated apart from the Canon and some other alternative models. For those who wish to use a different paper, they will have to make a test print of one of the attached profiles and find out which one fits best.
Gray ink helps maintain neutrality in black and white printing, as well as in color. What happened to the red ink?
Visibly enhances photo reality. I allow myself to compare our “old” printers with printing the same photos. Obviously, with the Canon PIXMA G540 the prints look closer to what I see on the screen, the colors are more realistic, the blacks are more saturated, while the Canon PIXMA G3400 has more faded colors and the blacks are not that great.
Print time
I admit I have no idea how long it will take to print a standard A4 document. To me, this printer is more for photorealistic printing than for the office, although it delivers around 3700, black and white and about 8000 color prints (with various standards there), I can’t test if this is true.
I emphasize photo printing, where for a 10×15 white borderless photo they give it a burst of about 3800 sheets. I timed it for A4 with white margins and that, as well as for 10×15 without white margins (because that’s probably the only way to print this format). I also tried the standard and high-quality versions.
As usual, my print time differs from the manufacturer. When you think about cameras, it’s the same…
Here are some of the results: Print A4 photos without white margins – black and white – 4 minutes 52 seconds, and color – 4 minutes 42 seconds. Theoretically, it shouldn’t make any difference, but… in white field mode, the time is about 4 minutes 20 seconds, which is about 30 seconds faster, which is normal.
At 10 x 15, everything is about 2 minutes and 30 seconds, with no whitespace. I’ve always wondered why I can’t load the paper horizontally and save at least 30-40% of the time. Is it true that 10×15 is half A4?!? !!?
This time in “Best” mode, it takes time. If you are in a hurry, you can use the standard model, with half time (1 minute 10 seconds), but the print quality also decreases. They see the thin line in the photo.
I do not recommend standard mode! Spend more time, but enjoy maximum quality.
By default, the printer runs faster. I’m trying to detect only the printing time. Otherwise, the Canon PIXMA G540 prints slower than the Canon PIXMA G34000, maybe about 50 seconds slower on the A4 with no white borders.
This is not a drama considering the much higher quality it gave me.
How to work
I admit the installation of the Canon PIXMA G540 is a song. I took it out of the box, put my head down, refilled the ink, connected to the office network in no time. I don’t know how it would turn out for Windows users, but for me, as a Mac user, it was super easy. I purposely looked for the driver, it was not necessary. When I put it on the web, it also shows up in the printers section. Turning on USB, a second copy appears so I can choose to print via USB or Wi-FI.
When connected to a network, the printer goes to sleep when not in use and wakes up automatically when you search for it. It also has an option to update itself (requires permission). The good thing is that it can be used by any computer in the office with network access. The presence of the screen is not only for setting but also for printing.
When you load paper, the sensor sends information to the printer about this action. The question immediately appears on the screen, what are the paper size and what type. It’s best to answer honestly, as it protects you from typos.
For example, you tell him the paper is A4 gloss, and from the program, you choose 10×15 matte. The printer will not print, it will ask if you are sure you want to print. Something like a signal light. If they all match, it won’t bother you and will start printing right away.
I admit that at first I was wondering why my printer was grumbling, considering I’m used to asking everything from the program I use to print, but I appreciate this option, which protects against errors.
Finally
Canon PIXMA G540 and Canon PIXMA G640 are printers for photorealistic printing rather than office use. In terms of quality, they are suitable not only for home gift printers but also for photographers and design studios. It’s slower to print compared to older models, but much better quality. I don’t think it’s suitable for industrial printing given the speed, I repeat, don’t compromise on quality.
The lack of black ink pigment can be felt by more demanding users, who are used to printing a lot of text with the G3000 series. In the G500 series, we have DYE ink, which a highly trained eye will see is a brighter idea compared to saturated black pigment… Personally, I have no regrets that black pigment has been replaced with dye ink.
Traditionally, every year we print a small series of multi-page A5 format corporate calendars, the last few years in black and white and I thought this would be ideal value for money. According to the company’s specifications for photo printing, 10 x 15 cm gives an ink consumption of about 5 stotinki, which is 21-22 cents for A4 format, and you consider your paper separately.
The printer comes priced under BGN 500 (to date) and a bottle of ink is around BGN 32, but initial refills will take a long time (for us at least 120 calendars). Keep in mind that refilling with ink will print more photos than the original, as refilling fills the entire hose and head system with several milliliters.
For dessert, although the default is A4 format, you can load paper 21 cm wide and 120 cm long and print banner ads.
In short, this is my first impression of the Canon PIXMA G540. Since I have to scan documents from time to time, the Canon PIXMA G640 will be the model that will replace the previous Canon PIXMA G3400 in our studio which worked for 5 years without any problems.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Canon launched the A3+ version… time will tell.
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