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09/10/2005 07:43:32 PM · #1 |
I'm a beginning amatuer photographer. I want to print and frame some of my work, but all I have is the regular printer that my computer came with. Any ideas for a fairly inexpensive photo printer? Thanks. BTW, this is also my first post as I have just found this website.
Message edited by author 2005-09-10 23:44:14. |
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09/10/2005 07:49:00 PM · #2 |
What is inexpensive? I could prolly direct ya with a price range.
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09/10/2005 07:53:01 PM · #3 |
| The HP Photosmart 8150 Printer is really good. And it is around $200. |
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09/10/2005 07:59:05 PM · #4 |
Just a thought...if you have a Canon camera, to get the best 'off the shelf prints' a Canon printer would best match your camera. If you have a profiler then any printer able to print the resolution you want will do.
Any of the Canon i9xxx series printers are pretty good. |
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09/10/2005 07:59:36 PM · #5 |
There are two main technologies available to you: Dye Sublimation & Inkjet.
Dye sublimation gives you better quality images which won't fade as quickly but they are also considerably more expensive. For the price of a DS printer capable of only 4x6" images, you could get two inkjets capable of almost as good quality (magnifying glass aside) up to 8.5x11".
I use an inkjet (Canon Pixma IP4000) because it was affordable ($150cdn), quickly prints beautiful looking photos (under 30seconds for an 8x10), has the PictBridge connector should I decide to print directly from the camera, and is also usable for the rest of my work (high-speed duplex). If I am looking for ultra-high quality prints, I take them to one of the local photo shops. I've had no complaints by any of my friends or family who have received a photo I've printed out at home.
The only other consideration is price. It may have changed recently but I think dye-sublimation used to be more expensive thank inkjet (and both were more expensive than an actual print shop). The key was convenience.
Message edited by author 2005-09-11 00:04:10. |
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09/10/2005 08:25:48 PM · #6 |
I was ready to start this thread again also. So canon or Epson. Lot of good press on the Epson R800. So who has used that one or the older version and how does it compare. Also larger format like 11 inch wide? AND Last .. Average cost per 8x10 and 11x14 in photo for ink cost only. many thanks.
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09/10/2005 08:37:47 PM · #7 |
Check out the Epson printers too. I'm not really up to date on the "inexpensive" line though. I wouldn't be afraid to go with one of the Canons either. Epson's R1800 looks great though for around $550. I would like to sell my 2200 and buy a r1800. I have a cheap R200 also that I bought just to add speed to printing contact sheets during events. The prints look great but aren't archival.
I think the Ink jets have passed the dye sub printers.
Dont think for a minute that your going to do your own printing to save money if your printing 4x6's. I can do larger prints cheaper than I can have them printed but not the small ones.
Tim |
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09/10/2005 08:40:19 PM · #8 |
I personally have a canon i9900 and I LOVE it. Great quality, fast, relatively inexpensive. I also have a kodak 8500 dye sub printer in the box if anyone is intersted. I'll sell her cheap!
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09/10/2005 08:40:31 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by Niten:
Check out the Epson printers too. I'm not really up to date on the "inexpensive" line though. I wouldn't be afraid to go with one of the Canons either. Epson's R1800 looks great though for around $550. I would like to sell my 2200 and buy a r1800. I have a cheap R200 also that I bought just to add speed to printing contact sheets during events. The prints look great but aren't archival.
I think the Ink jets have passed the dye sub printers.
Dont think for a minute that your going to do your own printing to save money if your printing 4x6's. I can do larger prints cheaper than I can have them printed but not the small ones.
Tim |
Your are right on the 4x6, heck at anywhere from 11-14 cents at Sam's Club ain't worth trying to print them anywhewre else. So what do you figure ink costs for 8x10 full page photos, or about how many 8x10 photos do you get before having to replace each color?
Thanks
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09/10/2005 08:48:43 PM · #10 |
| When buying a printer always check what the availability of the cartridge's are. I purchase a printer (Epson) worked really well but I would wait up to three weeks for the store to get the right colour cartridges in, they would never have the right ones in stock. I eventually traded that in for a HP Photosmart 7960 and have never looked back. Purchased it for ZAR 3200 which is about 600 USD. The cartridges cost about ZAR 300 - about 28 USD. |
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09/10/2005 08:52:30 PM · #11 |
Epson Stylus Photo R200 is less than $100.00 USD. I really like this printer.
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09/10/2005 10:12:15 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by PhantomEWO:
Originally posted by Niten:
Check out the Epson printers too. I'm not really up to date on the "inexpensive" line though. I wouldn't be afraid to go with one of the Canons either. Epson's R1800 looks great though for around $550. I would like to sell my 2200 and buy a r1800. I have a cheap R200 also that I bought just to add speed to printing contact sheets during events. The prints look great but aren't archival.
I think the Ink jets have passed the dye sub printers.
Dont think for a minute that your going to do your own printing to save money if your printing 4x6's. I can do larger prints cheaper than I can have them printed but not the small ones.
Tim |
Your are right on the 4x6, heck at anywhere from 11-14 cents at Sam's Club ain't worth trying to print them anywhewre else. So what do you figure ink costs for 8x10 full page photos, or about how many 8x10 photos do you get before having to replace each color?
Thanks |
I would just be guessing. But I just printed 30 8x10s and I changed 2 colors and another one is close. Even if you figure double that, its only $2 each for ink problaly $3 total unless I'm missing something. Those were contact sheets though so might not be a good example. I wish I could print even bigger. Paying the lab $60 a piece eats into profits quickly. Only line printers are alot cheaper.
I have no trouble getting ink. I keep alot of spares and order it in from printsaveings.com . I can buy it local from several locations for slightly more but I save enough on paper to make shipping worth while.(I do buy 4x6 local)
Tim |
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09/10/2005 10:45:48 PM · #13 |
I use the Epson R800 and love it!
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09/11/2005 04:00:31 AM · #14 |
I highly sudjest the epson r800 or if you have the $$ the R1800. The inks are dye based which means they are archival as apposed to the canon inks. I just recently bought the R800 and am very impressed. The pics can come out at least as good as from chemical processing. check out this site for an in depth review of the R800 and i think you might be convinced too.
R800 review photo-i |
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09/11/2005 04:28:16 AM · #15 |
its impossible to judge how many photos you can produce before ink runs out, simply because each photograph uses different amounts of ink.
I have a canon i9900 and have no complains about it. The photo inks go faster than the regular colors, at about a 2:1 ratio. I always keep a spares in my inventory, and about every other week im ordering a set of ink cartridges. Keep in mind im printing 13x19s, 11x14s, and 8x10s. I dont bother with 4x6 because its cheaper to have them done by someone else.
I think the price now on the i9900 dropped down to $450USD, maybe even cheaper.
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09/11/2005 05:06:14 AM · #16 |
I have the i9900 too. It's a great printer but like all inkjets, dye or pigment, can get very expensive to operate; they just guzzle the ink. Recently I just found a bulk continuous ink feed system that I'm considering investing in. It's made by Lyson and uses their Fotonic line of inks. From what I've been told, the inks are slightly wider gamut than Canon and are considered archival. Lyson inks are the third party ink of choice for many highend Epson users; that remains to be seen for Canon users. In Canada, the system is available from //www.headshotsrentals.com for approx. $515 CAD and tax. You won't find a listing for the system on their website because it's brand new to them.
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09/11/2005 05:07:05 AM · #17 |
| another vote for the Epson R800. Great results on the right paper. |
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09/11/2005 07:21:54 AM · #18 |
I have owned Epson, Lexmark, Canon, and HP photo quality printers and they all produce acceptable quality prints, though at differing costs. The Lexmark was the most expensive to operate and the HP the least costly for consumables. The Canon seemed to get better 'mileage' from its cartridges, but they are also costly. Finally settled on the HP 1220C as a more cost effective printer (I refill the cartridges myself) but it is still not as good as I would like. The 1220C is a bit dated now and I may replace it soon. The newer 8 color printers produce a better image but the availability of the ink for refilling is poor at best.
I use Ilford Galerie Professional Smooth Gloss photo paper for all my glossy prints and Great White Matte finish for larger 11 X 14 prints. |
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09/11/2005 10:52:43 AM · #19 |
Originally posted by leaf:
I highly sudjest the epson r800 or if you have the $$ the R1800. The inks are dye based which means they are archival as apposed to the canon inks. I just recently bought the R800 and am very impressed. The pics can come out at least as good as from chemical processing. check out this site for an in depth review of the R800 and i think you might be convinced too.
R800 review photo-i |
Thanks for all the replies, now I have alot of thinking and research to do! I'll check out this link to the R800. Thanks again. |
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09/11/2005 10:59:51 AM · #20 |
| I highly recommend the Canon MP360. It's what I have, prints great pictures and is good for general use printing as well. Color ink goes pretty quick when printing full page letter size photos or 8x10's, but is only $25 cdn. |
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09/11/2005 11:07:22 AM · #21 |
| I have an Epson R1800 and like it very much. I have also seen results from the Canon i9900 and I thought they were excellent as well. I don't really think you can go wrong with either of those printers at their price point. |
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09/17/2005 07:47:14 AM · #22 |
Well I went and bought the new Epson R1800 wide carriage photo printer. So far very impressed with it's color and contrast ability. I've printed photos so far as large as 13"x19" on glossy and they are every bit as sharp, color saturation and sharpness as actual photo developing. So far I have printed in the highest quality and have printed out more than 15 8x10, 8 11x14, and 7 13x19 and the ink is down about 1/4 on two colors only and just very small on a couple of others. It seems that the bright red and blue ink this printer is setup with is used very littlw or not at all. That seems to be the biggest difference between it and the much higher priced Pro versions that have light magenta and light cyan. I do notice a difference in the brand of paper used. There is a difference even among high gloss of different brands. So far I'm very pleased with the Ilford Premium Photo Gloss paper and the Epson Matte Paper-Heavyweight for non-glossy. Looks like Epson and Canon are the big boys in this battle.
Anyone else using the R800 or R1800 have preferences on paper?
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09/17/2005 08:48:17 AM · #23 |
I'm using a 2200. My favorite paper is the epson premium luster.
Try this comparison, print 1 picture at the best photo setting and then print an identical picture at the photo setting. Time them as well. With the 2200 the photos look just as good, print faster and with less ink in the photo setting.
My photo lab uses Ilfords version of premium luster for my over 13x19 prints and they look great. I hate losing the archival quality though. At least I feel like I'm losing something by not using epson paper.
Tim |
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09/17/2005 09:22:43 AM · #24 |
| Yes....I love my Epson 2100 (2200 for some countries). The output I am getting is fantastic and I have running exactly how I want it with tried and true settings! I love it! |
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09/18/2005 06:53:02 AM · #25 |
An update on ink useage on new Epson R1800. So far I have printed in the best quality 40 photos all 8x10 or larger, ass color of many different day and night scenes (12 were 13x19" size) The ink use is:
yellow = 1/2 Magenta= 1/2 Cyan= 1/2 Black=Full Black=1/2 Red=full Blue=7/8 full gloss=3/4 full.
It does seem that the inks last a good amount of time and the pics look every bit as good as Sam's Club.
Any other R800 or R1800 users? What is your favorite paper for best quality?
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