Poll on printing images

[molshovsky]

I am just starting to really work on my photo passion. I have a Sony A100.
My questions are:

1. Do you print at home if yes what printer do you use?
2. Do you use an outside service for your your prints if yes who do you use?
3. What is the best way to print at home or outside service?

Greatly appreciate all of your advice.

Michelle

[rfortson]

I print at home and use an Epson Photo Stylus RX500 (it's a multifunction printer). I love the prints from it, but the largest I can do is 8.5x11. I've considered getting a larger format printer.

I've always had good luck with Epson, but Canon and HP are probably just as nice. If you buy a printer, get one that's specifically for photos as they are usually set up to use the nicer (and more expensive) ink and papers.

I've never had any printed outside, but lots of places do it.

[JohnT]

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

[tjones0214]

Depends on what you're planning on printing and to what degree you want to manage your color settings. If you're doing 4x6/5x7 prints, then you're mostly good with a solid Epson printer. If you're looking to go larger format than that and your camera supports at least 6MP of resolution, then you need to jump to a larger format Epson or go online. Depending on your volume, you may want to check out mpix.com. They have a good reputation and their prices are right on the money. If you're just starting out, you may want to consider doing some online printing and letting them manage your color settings at print time until you get to the point your comfortable with or want to do your own color management/monitor calibration/etc. Hope this helps.

[CobyPhoto]

Something to consider in this equation (and this has been discussed in depth many ways and times on this forum ... do a search and read a little to gain alot of info on printers!) is how much you are going to print and how familiar you are with the whole color management senario, from capture to print.

In general, a smaller format photo printer will not beat the cost of the on-line labs. Why? Ink cartridges are expensive, especially the smaller ones! The larger the ink cartridge, the less the cost of the print. We use Epson Large format printers in our studio and run at least 220ml. cartridges in everyone of them. Next year we are looking at adding an 11880 60" printer that will run 700ml. cartridges and drastically reduce our costs even more. But I average about 12 rolls of 24" paper a month through these machines! ALOT of printing.

The smaller Epsons print just as nice as the larger format printers, there is just a cost factor that you have to consider. My suggestion would be to do some more research and use Mpix a while before making the jump into printing your own.

CJ

[newtune3]

I use an older HP 8450 9 color. It is slow but I get great prints. Expensive to use as it costs about $100 to replace all three cartridges at once.

[Rick]

I had really good luck with Epson printers. I use an RX580 right now. I haven't sent anything out for large format printing, but if I did, I think I would choose Mpix due to the fact I've heard really good things about them.

I have also done birthday invitations (which don't have to be super quality) at Snapfish. At 9 cents a print - you can't beat it.

Rick

[Digigeek]

I use a Canon i6600 and print my own up to 8.5 X 11. It's expensive when I think about it on a per print cost, but I'm pretty selective about what I print. This is a hobby and not a job so I don't really think too much about the cost. Still, a set of cartridges is $100, plus paper, etc.

For larger, I go to MPIX.

I've thought about a large format printer, but don't want to devote the space to it.

[kenw]

OK, i'll take the opposite: I never print at home anymore. I used to but the economics killed it.

I will print quickie family grabshots at a single particular Walgreens where I know and trust the kid behind the counter (and he knows me...). Don't like it? no charge to reprint until you DO like it. Try to get that deal at home.

Hanging stuff or to be sold stuff goes to MPix.com, a lot of my train and "edited" stuff gets metallic paper. Suffice it to say this paper is simply incredible....

large posters go to perfectposters.com for inkjet prints on very heavy paper. 20x30 incl/S+H is around $20, delivered in less than a week. I've done 20x20, 20x30, 24x36, etc.

[johnastovall]

Epson R1800 about to be replaced with a 3800 but first learn about color management otherwise you'll never get it really right.

Enter Real World Color Management

For photoshop also get:

Color Management for Photographers: Hands on Techniques for Photoshop Users (Paperback)
by Andrew Rodney

[AndrewCCM]

I am much like Ken.

I do print one off's and such at home on a Epson R2400, but it costs me much more than to just send em off to WHCC. If I was printing more and making more $ from print sales, I'd probably invest in a 7800 or something like Coby mentions... But I don't, so I go with what works best for me these days. I can't justify $600 in ink replacement costs for what I do.

[SilverShooter]

I use the Epson R2400 for my printing. The cost is not cheap, but the results are archival and look very nice. By doing my own printing, I can adjust color (as Stovall discusses above) and get the color balance I really want. For me, doing my own printing is like doing my own darkroom work. I have much more control of the final image, and that's why I don't get too involved in cost comparisons to online printing. I'm sure the other posters are right that the (relatively) smaller Epson printers are more expensive than the labs. They also can do the newer things, like print on metallic paper.

It's a matter of what you want, more control, or slightly lower cost. Just like in the darkroom days, some photographers do it themselves, some use labs. There are a good many photographers that differ on this choice. If you do a small amount of printing, and don't want to go much larger than 13x19, then I highly recommend the R2400 (and a good colorimeter for your top drawer photo monitor).

[TxManx]

I use a Epson R280 - does an excellent job at 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10...and I can completely control what my (few) customers see...

I need to try MPIX - but haven't really had the reason to do so yet...

Walmart, Walgreens, SAMs and Wolf all seem to want to 'color correct' - which, after I've already color corrected (and done a test print on the Epson with color correction turned off in the print driver) makes the prints look 'off' to me...

[kenw]

Originally Posted by TxManx

Walmart, Walgreens, SAMs and Wolf all seem to want to 'color correct' - which, after I've already color corrected (and done a test print on the Epson with color correction turned off in the print driver) makes the prints look 'off' to me...

tell them not to twiddle with it at all, and to turn off the auto-correct, it's what i do and it works for me.

[JohnT]

For me the little bit of extra cost is worth having more control over the results. I can tweak to my heart's content and the print is exactly the way I want it. However, I don't do a lot of personal printing--maybe 3 or 4 per month--so the expense is low anyway.