Prints

[Alacrity59]

If you are like me relatively few of your photos are of a quality you accept for printing and hanging our your own wall. But for those few that do, how are you printing them?

Currently I'm using a Lexmark 9500 (that moans and protests and nags when I refill the cartridges) but does pretty nice output. Previously I used a Canon s600. I've been playing with the idea of going with a dedicated photo printer but recall that the big problem with the Canon was that I didn't print enough and had problems with the ink drying up. Also . . . with the Epson Stylus that I'm dreaming of (R3000). . . I think it has 9 separate cartridges. Daunting no?

Alternatively I could send my photos out for printing but loose control and speed.

Again, what are you guys doing?

 

[TheVez2]

Walmart is what my wife uses when she wants prints made.

 

[rickboone1]

I have several pro labs I go to, depending on what needs to be done. I've often looked at doing my own printing and could never justify the cost. I can't compete with a 500,000 $ printer. Of course, paper quality makes all the difference in the world.

 

[AllenG]

I have the Epson R2880 at the moment. Before that was a 13 inch carriage Canon something or other.
I much prefer the Epson. The inks are just that much better. Canon's B&W prints come out blue and white. Epson has multiple shades of black. I like the pigment ink better than the dye based inks as well. Better longevity, better color IMO.

 

[Edcculus]

Unless I'm getting a really big enlargement, I prefer prints on photographic paper. Inkjet has some pretty amazing quality these days, but unless you are a professional who regularly makes prints and big enlargements, I don't see the need to go through the trouble of expense, profiling, calibration and upkeep of a high end machine. I color manage 4 Epson Stylus Pro 9800s (the 42" versions) for colour proofing at work. We print a LOT of proofs so the machine is never really idle. I don't think I'd print enough at home to keep the heads from drying out. Thats going to be a problem on any high end inkjet, no matter what brand. On top of that, the proofers we have take C, M, Y, K, Light C, Light M, K, light K, and light light K. Thats 9 cartridges at about $70 a pop.

My aunt who IS a professional photographer has the 24" version of the Epson Stylus Pro 9800. She however sells prints and has a dedicated colour management RIP that costs a pretty penny. The proofing RIP I have at work, which is higher end than even professional photographers would use costs in the neighborhood of $10,000. I think you can get calibration programs that come with a spectrophotometer for the home in the range of $1000 though.

Printing B&W on inkjets is definitely a problem. Some have options to only use the black inks. One problem there is you may not get as rich of a black compared to a black with CMYK undercolor built in. If your do not have a way to calibrate, then you are in trouble. I can get perfectly balanced greys at work because of the programs I have to calculate neutral print density. I'd have a much harder time at home.

 

[legrandfromage]

I use an Epson 3800 and get, what I think, are pretty good prints. It took me a while, and a fair amount of paper and ink (and an earlier Epson 2200) to get there. I can't cost justify using the printer (or the cameras, or the old darkroom for that matter); I print because I enjoy doing it, can control the process and can print when I want. To get decent B&W prints from the 2200 I had to use a RIP (Quadtone); the 3800 produces good B&W prints with it's ABW driver and profiles.The end product of my photographic process was and is, a print. It may not say much about my darkroom skills, but for the most part, I get better B&W prints off the inkjet.

 

[imfallen_angel]

With over 25 years in photography, I've giving up on my darkroom a long time ago.

For years I tried many printers and was always disappointed until:

Epson Artisan 810.... I've yet to see anything beat it. It outdoes the store labs easily.

The newer model is the 837.

With the Artisan series, you get an all-in-one that's just amazing.. the scanner rivals most, with ADF and duplex printing built-in, and while I barely use the fax, it's very handy to have when I do need it. The machine is quite fast and has built-in WIFI if you aren't close enough to your router to plug in directly in the ethernet. (aka, it's network ready). The auto colour correction, even the red-eye removal has been flawless for me.

Dang I sound like a commercial....


For the ink, get a CISS system, and you'll never fear cartridge prices ever again as the price of ink means that it's pennies per print. (just make sure that you get good ink)

I've had mine for over 2 years and I've printed a lot, refilled it once and a half(topped it off to be sure at some point).

I will admit that I'm on my second printer... as thanks to either a power surge, outage, or something else, the heads became completely clogged. But I already had a spare printer as after I had bought mine, I came across a sale and bought a spare for under 100$.

I've seen the Artisan models go on serious sale (50% off) on a regular basis. So for about 100-150$ you get an amazing printer, and for less than a set of cartridges (it takes 5), you can get a CISS that is the equivalent of 5-7 sets.

When I got my CISS, they were just beginning, so they were much more expensive. I calculated then that for my CISS with an extra set of ink bottle refills, for about 200$, I had the equivalent of over 1,200$ of ink cartridges.

And considering that you have a Lexmark which are the crappiest junk out there and are worse than HP for price gouging, the difference would be huge.

And final note: paper: I've tested several brands and it's pretty sad what the conclusion is... Costco paper is the best value I've come across. It's made by either AFGA or by the same manufacturing plants and branded as the Costco brand. The colours are amazing, the white is brighter than most. I've stopped testing as I just don't see it being worth it as it outdid everything aside the best Epson stock, and even that was on par.

 

[Edcculus]

good point legrandfromage. It really is all about control. If you do a CISS system, you can really keep the cost down too.

Also, I'm the opposite from most of you and am in the process of building a B&W darkroom.

 

[legrandfromage]

Sometimes I miss having the darkroom, but I'll never go back. I loved doing the work, but a combination of a bad back and simply getting tired of being in a smelly, dark room for long periods of time killed it for me. Digital isn't perfect (and I still shoot some film), but sitting in a comfortable room while printing is much better for me, at this point in my life.

 

[jumper]

Mpix does a nice job and the customer service is great.

 

[Snargle]

Mpix does a nice job and the customer service is great.

+1 on Mpix. Fine quality, reasonable prices, and excellent service. I'd be hard pressed to produce something better without investing thousands in equipment, inks, etc.

 

[D.Gray]

When I want to print myself I have an Epson Stylus 1400 photo which lets me run up to 13 x 19 inch sheets. However, most of my printing I outsource to White House Custom Color (whcc.com), but I have also used MPIX Pro for one job. I have also had good results with Costco doing printing and converting slides and negatives to digital.

It is less expensive to have WHCC print and mount a photo and by using them I am able to print on Metalic paper which really make the photos pop as well as being able to have press printed orders fullfilled (greeting cards, business cards) as well as Canvas stretch prints.

For Large prints I use The Big Print Shop in Benton City, Washington and by big I mean big I have a print that is three feet tall by five feet wide and it was done in a single run and they can go bigger.

Dave

 

[Blooze]

I've been using Bayphoto for the last several years without any issue. They have a 100% satisfaction policy on their prints so if you don't like it, no problem. I had them send me some test prints to begin with and after that what I see on my monitor is what I've been getting back. They ship 2nd day as well for $1.50 with a $12 order and they've always come packed well in a sturdy box.

 

[Alacrity59]

Thanks for the responses guys. I think Edcculus has validated my fears of 9 cartridges requiring much calibration and possible drying out of ink on print heads with my low volume. Imfallen_angel points out a pretty darned low price combo that I may try. I've never had digital prints done by a service provider . . . I need to try this to see how larger than 8.5 x 11 turn out. Being Canadian I was thinking of trying Poster Jack. Edcculus I envy your darkroom to be. I loved the art of dodging and burning in of enlargements when I had my own darkroom in my parents laundry room in the basement.