Poll on printing images

[kenw]

Originally Posted by venchka

Another piece of the cost of printing puzzle...

Cost of Printing

good link, Wayne. And a realistic test to boot...finally.

[tdent1]

MPIX online. At home i use a Canon MP610 which is good for 4x6, 5x7, and general 8x10's. I somtimes use my local Wolf Camera to do 8x10's. The quality is good, though they tend to be expensive.

[acymc]

I have an HP all in one that I like to use for printing a few at home. I have used several online printers and I like what I got from mpix (.com). I think if you have quite a few to print use a service . . . do your cropping and such then upload.

I have a Sony A100 also and I am really getting to like it.

[Pascal]

I use a Canon i9900 for most of my 4x6 and a few 13"x19".

I used to use RGB in Dallas for 24x36" and larger prints. Now I am on the lookout for a local lab that can do that size for me.

Ritz Camera (the bigger stores) has recently started printing 24"x36" but they don't do the mounting/framing like RGB used to.

[beez]

whcc.com

[CobyPhoto]

Originally Posted by venchka

Another piece of the cost of printing puzzle...

Cost of Printing

Wayne,

The 1900 and 2400's both use the smaller cartridges. If one was using the 3880 or 4880, these would drop again as much as half, depending on the paper.

Cartridge size makes all the difference in the world on cost.

CJ

[CobyPhoto]

Originally Posted by Pascal

I use a Canon i9900 for most of my 4x6 and a few 13"x19".

Not bad mouthing the Canon i9900 as I have owned one and like it...but if you are doing prints for a client, you MUST stay away from Dye based inks! I can show you prints that have fadded in as little as 6 months and they were stored in proper conditions!

Dye based inks are very short lived and not archivable.

CJ

[CobyPhoto]

Originally Posted by AndrewCCM

I find that although the K3 inks are very nice, they are pigment based and do not always give you the deep saturation that I like with dye based...

Just a caveat to this. I have printed both ways and I find that I get just as good a print or better with K3 inks than dye. However, I use a RIP and custom profiles for each machine, each paper and each ink set to do this on a consistent basis.

I have sent proofs (printed on the Epson's) for a color reference, into Miller's lab and they have called me up and told me: "Mr. James, we can't achieve the color saturation and range as your Epsons..."

There are even Lab Grade Ink jets out there that are soon to be the way prints are done from your Color lab...

The Noritsu M300 Pro.

Not to mention the Epson 11880 which further cuts to the cost of inks.

And Epson has introduced a 9 Channel print head now...Matte or Photo black your choice. That will probably be showing up in the smaller printers in the future.

CJ

[SilverShooter]

It's certainly true that larger Epson cartridges are less expensive per ml. of ink, but be sure you can use the larger amount inside the expiration dates of the ink cartridge. I've been able to use cartridges longer than the expiration date, but have never tried to use one too long after that date. With the 3800 the cartridges are larger enough that you'd better be doing a lot of printing to stay inside the suggested cartridge life span.

My personal usage profile is much less than those of you who print for clients. I'm only doing work for my walls, a few friends and some charity donation prints. For me the 2400 cartridges are always fresh, but if I had to print say twice as many prints to change them, I'd be bumping into those expiration dates on the slower used cartridges.

Coby has made the point on archival printing that I was trying to articulate earlier in this thread. The pigment inks last, and even last while on display. The dye based inks can fade if exposed to very much light in quite a short time. I find the pigment inks very pleasing, but have read, and believe that the dye based inks do yield slightly better color immediately after printing. Of course you'd have to be using state of the art dye based inks to see this difference since the K3 inks are close to state of the art pigment inks.

[flx2000]

Originally Posted by JohnT

Epson R1800 for personal stuff unless it's really big. All client images get printed by Mpix or Miller's.

same here. exact setup. minus miller's.

[diannebunch]

I print everything with www.fullcolor.com. They are a great local lab with personal service. It's really easy doing business with them.

[Murph]

I use an Epson 2400 and print on Hahnemuehl Photo Rag, I like 13x19 prints, for 4x6 or 5x7 I use the local HEB since they do a pretty decent job. Anything serious gets printed on my Epson.

[iCe]

Every time I think I want to buy a printer one of these threads comes up