I'm fixin' on gettin' myself a printer to print photographs only and I have NO CLUE which would be the best one to get. I will be printing in black and white only. ( As you might expect the print quality is essential.) What would you suggest?
Also, I'm wanting a really good matte photo paper. If you've printed on a good matte paper, I'd love to know what you use.
Thanks a ton for your help and for your opinion(s).
I've started printing images recently for some competitions in the photography club that I'm a member of and I believe that it's cheaper to have them printed at a quality store.
Also, I discovered that it's quite difficult to get what you see on the screen to come out the same on paper. I've been studying colour spaces, softproofing for the last week or two.
@mgirard Thanks Michael. I've been doing what you're doing... paying to have them printed. I just would LOVE to not have to leave the house to go and get the images printed. Sure, I could send them to a cloud but I would much rather have the product in hand on the day that I need them, you know? I agree with you, it's a challenge to get what you see on the screen to the paper. Also, relying on the eye of the technician... that's been a problem. I might be trying a new store.
I use mpix.com. They are very quick and I've never gotten anything back that wasn't exactly as I expected. They also have a true b&w paper that is fantastic!
@eyesofbetsie I've been going to the local Costco, they've been quite good about redoing prints (at no charge) that have been way off what they should be.
I say get the damn printer. I don't know what one, maybe the Epson that takes five different kinds of black ink. Sure it will be a lot of trial and error, but that might be part of the fun. My aunt does all her own prints and they look amazing, and she just has a used Epson she bought for $200.00. She's not doing anyone's wedding photos or anything..more like very creative and colorful overlays and abstracts. Anyway, it probably just depends on your level of patience and how much accuracy you want right away.
Ilford makes a great matte paper.
For doing lab-quality prints, especially black and white, you'll want something like the Canon Pixma Pro 9500 MkII. This is a pigment-ink printer with special inks for black and white photography.
It's in the process of being replaced by a newer model at the moment, so it's an absolute bargain. Normally $850, it's been selling for around $550 in the last month or two, but from participating retailers you also get a $500 rebate if you buy it with certain Canon cameras -- so you can get the excellent compact G12 camera and the 9500 printer for about $350 all in! Truly a stunning deal.
Unfortunately it looks like the big stockists, B&H and Adorama, have sold out, so you'll have to act quickly and start hunting on the 'net to find someone who still has it in stock at a decent price, and is offering the rebate.
I'd tend to steer clear of anything under around $400 if you want really decent results comparable to a good online printing service. Cheaper printers are OK for printing stuff to hang around the house, but for serious printing work, you need a high end model from Canon or Epson.
I don't print at home myself, but I have a couple of friends who swear by Hahnemühle and Ilford papers. Hahnemühle's Matte Fineart Photo Rag is probably a good place to start -- B&H carry it, and it's about $100 for 25 sheets at 13x19", which is a good general-purpose size.
Bear in mind that choosing the perfect photo paper for you is probably even harder the choosing the perfect camera -- there's such a huge range, and it's almost all personal preference that decides between high-end papers. Also be prepared to learn an awful lot about colour spaces, monitor and printer calibration, and spend a lot of money on ink and paper getting the results to match what you see on the screen. You might consider converting the printer to a continuous ink system, as this can save money in the long run.
@abirkill Alexis, I'm with you! You get what you pay for... Buy it once, right? Especially if its helping represent your work, why cut corners? Don't get me wrong, money is DEFINITELY an issue but it gives me something to prepare for. Christmas is coming and I can plan wisely with my Christmas request.
The paper sounds like its EXACTLY what I'm looking for. I've requested my prints on a fiber based, matte paper and its just 'not right'. Hey, as photographers we are all control freaks when it comes to our work and the end result... I believe the printing is a very important part of the process. Thanks for the information. x betsie
@eyesofbetsie The good news: Printers are like tripods, if you buy a cheap one, you'll end up throwing it away and buying an expensive one!
The bad news: Printers are like printers. They will eventually break (a lot sooner than a good tripod!)
If you are serious about printing images at home and you want lab quality, that's the kind of money you need to spend, unfortunately. It's important to do a cost analysis and decide how many photos you're going to actually print, how long you expect the printer to last (do they ever last more than about 3 years?), and how much paper and ink cost, and compare that to a high-end printing company. You also need to decide whether the hassle of getting your entire workflow to be perfectly colour-matched is something you want to do, vs. just having to calibrate your monitor and let the lab do the rest. For me, I still choose the lab route, but I have friends with high-end equipment who can produce results that are indistinguishable, and they arrive in less than 5 minutes!
The Canon deal is remarkable, and if I had a US address that wasn't a PO box (needed for the rebate) then I'd have got one when I got my new camera, as it's basically free. Even if you don't need the G12, you can turn it round on eBay or Craigslist and you end up with a $850 printer for about $100!
No joking here... If you need an address for the damn thing, send it to me and I will ship to you! Don't know if you can still cash in on it. I'm in Seattle and would be more than happy to get that to you.
I have also recently joined a camera club and started getting large prints from a local store - excellent quality and they work out at £1 each. The ink for printers is just too expensive. It's the 'trial and error' bit that costs the ink.
At work we used to have to print proofs for print ads, and the Dell printer was really bad---- always too dark. Epson is the best for true color. HP was the worse, in my experience. At home I have an Epson, but I still go out to get prints if I need a lot of them.
@eyesofbetsie Interesting thread. Are you going to sell your prints along side your potholders and such? You have some amazing and unique photos. And I have no real input...just being nosy. ;)
I have been told that a lot of it has to do with calibrating your printer to your computer, or vice versa, and to download the right software for the specific paper you are using and this will make your photos turn out closest to what you see on your monitor....I haven't tried...so don't know any more than that!
@cmc1200 Caryn, photography (as a catagory) at Pike Place Market has been a closed catagory for many years. As it was in the days of darkrooms, there was an art to creating a print. In our age of digital photography the 'hands on' aspect to the art has become somewhat obsolete. I have juried a new product in and will beginning to transition my business. I will be selling my makeup bags (and such) on etsy.com but will no longer be selling them at market. I will be using my images and putting it onto fabric and constructing them into potholders and such. I will be staying away from the 'standard': Space Needle, Public Market sign, Mount Rainier, etc... I'm going to put some of my photos onto fabric and make them into my potholders. I'm steering my ship in a new direction and I'm excited about breaking the monotony of my business.
As Alexis mentioned the canon pro9000 mkII is an excellent printer...have two. One old and one new in the box. As described, canon runs an annual promo where if you buy a particular camera model you get this printer for free ( or next to nothing). What I've seen is that many then sell the unit new on Craigslist at a very reasonable price < $150. This is how I both both of mine.. The old one cost $65. Only complaint is ink costs. A full set costs about $87 when bought online. Individual inks cost $15 each- there are 8 tanks. When printing large 13x19 the 'photo cyan ' , 'photo magenta' and 'yellow' seem to go quickly. I'm switching to refilling which will bring the cost down considerably. The print is lab quality. FYI...Costco sells 13x19 paper at a reasonable price too. If printing just b&w, I would search out a printer that excels in this area - google search. Not sure this is the one for b&w.
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Also, I discovered that it's quite difficult to get what you see on the screen to come out the same on paper. I've been studying colour spaces, softproofing for the last week or two.
Ilford makes a great matte paper.
It's in the process of being replaced by a newer model at the moment, so it's an absolute bargain. Normally $850, it's been selling for around $550 in the last month or two, but from participating retailers you also get a $500 rebate if you buy it with certain Canon cameras -- so you can get the excellent compact G12 camera and the 9500 printer for about $350 all in! Truly a stunning deal.
Unfortunately it looks like the big stockists, B&H and Adorama, have sold out, so you'll have to act quickly and start hunting on the 'net to find someone who still has it in stock at a decent price, and is offering the rebate.
I'd tend to steer clear of anything under around $400 if you want really decent results comparable to a good online printing service. Cheaper printers are OK for printing stuff to hang around the house, but for serious printing work, you need a high end model from Canon or Epson.
I don't print at home myself, but I have a couple of friends who swear by Hahnemühle and Ilford papers. Hahnemühle's Matte Fineart Photo Rag is probably a good place to start -- B&H carry it, and it's about $100 for 25 sheets at 13x19", which is a good general-purpose size.
Bear in mind that choosing the perfect photo paper for you is probably even harder the choosing the perfect camera -- there's such a huge range, and it's almost all personal preference that decides between high-end papers. Also be prepared to learn an awful lot about colour spaces, monitor and printer calibration, and spend a lot of money on ink and paper getting the results to match what you see on the screen. You might consider converting the printer to a continuous ink system, as this can save money in the long run.
The paper sounds like its EXACTLY what I'm looking for. I've requested my prints on a fiber based, matte paper and its just 'not right'. Hey, as photographers we are all control freaks when it comes to our work and the end result... I believe the printing is a very important part of the process. Thanks for the information. x betsie
The bad news: Printers are like printers. They will eventually break (a lot sooner than a good tripod!)
If you are serious about printing images at home and you want lab quality, that's the kind of money you need to spend, unfortunately. It's important to do a cost analysis and decide how many photos you're going to actually print, how long you expect the printer to last (do they ever last more than about 3 years?), and how much paper and ink cost, and compare that to a high-end printing company. You also need to decide whether the hassle of getting your entire workflow to be perfectly colour-matched is something you want to do, vs. just having to calibrate your monitor and let the lab do the rest. For me, I still choose the lab route, but I have friends with high-end equipment who can produce results that are indistinguishable, and they arrive in less than 5 minutes!
The Canon deal is remarkable, and if I had a US address that wasn't a PO box (needed for the rebate) then I'd have got one when I got my new camera, as it's basically free. Even if you don't need the G12, you can turn it round on eBay or Craigslist and you end up with a $850 printer for about $100!
http://store.canon.com.au/our-products/printers/pixma-inkjet-printers/pixma-pro-1