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Archive 2014 · best photo dedicated printer?

  
 
Ccugolf
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · best photo dedicated printer?


What would you recommend for a photo dedicated printer?
or am I better off just outsourcing?

Max size would be 8x10 prints

Thank for the help

Jon



Jun 22, 2014 at 09:53 PM
hugowolf
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · best photo dedicated printer?


Whether you are better off out sourcing depends on your volume and what you want from printing. One of the main problems with small printers is the ink costs, which are far more expensive than sending to a lab, unless you are prepared to use third party inks and possible fading issues associated with them.

With a small printer, what you gain is total control over your output, providing you are willing to learn a little about color management. With a larger printer, something like the 17” Epson 3880, the larger cartridges mean lower ink costs per unit volume (in this case milliliters).

If you are only planning a few 8” x 10” per month and photo type papers, then it definitely isn’t worth it financially.

Brian A



Jun 22, 2014 at 11:57 PM
mogud
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · best photo dedicated printer?


hugowolf wrote:
Whether you are better off out sourcing depends on your volume and what you want from printing. One of the main problems with small printers is the ink costs, which are far more expensive than sending to a lab, unless you are prepared to use third party inks and possible fading issues associated with them.

With a small printer, what you gain is total control over your output, providing you are willing to learn a little about color management. With a larger printer, something like the 17” Epson 3880, the larger cartridges mean lower ink costs per unit volume (in this
...Show more

The Epson 3880 is a great printer but so is the Epson R3000 and R2880. Each of these Epson printers use the same ink and print technology. The cost of ink for the 3880 is around $525 for all the cartridges, $250 for the 3000 and $100 for the 2880. The cartridges have a use before date of about 6 months to 1 year before needing replacement. As a result, you need to print lots of 8x10's before the 3880 becomes economical.

The 3880 is designed for wedding photographers and the 2880/3000 are for the hobbyist that prints a small number of prints a month. All three will print on large paper. Which is cheaper....outsourcing if your print requirements are not that much per month. If you are a volume printer then the 3880.

I have the 2880 and print on pearl/luster paper only. I print maybe 10 - 20 8x10's a month and so the 2880 is perfect for me. Cost per 8x10 for the 2880 is high but, cash outlay for inks is the cheapest of the three Epson printers mentioned.

Printing your own keeps the control of colour with you and that's why I print my own.



Jun 23, 2014 at 06:27 AM
Ccugolf
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · best photo dedicated printer?


Do these Epsons come up on the used market often? Any issues buying used?

I am planning on tracking my printing costs over the next few months to see if outsourcing is the best for me.

Thanks for the ink comments I Han not thought about the larger cartridges maybe being less per page.

Thanks again

Jon



Jun 23, 2014 at 06:36 AM
chez
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · best photo dedicated printer?


mogud wrote:
The Epson 3880 is a great printer but so is the Epson R3000 and R2880. Each of these Epson printers use the same ink and print technology. The cost of ink for the 3880 is around $525 for all the cartridges, $250 for the 3000 and $100 for the 2880. The cartridges have a use before date of about 6 months to 1 year before needing replacement. As a result, you need to print lots of 8x10's before the 3880 becomes economical.

The 3880 is designed for wedding photographers and the 2880/3000 are for the hobbyist that prints a small number
...Show more

I've used outdated inks in a 3880 without a problem. I take the inks out about every 3 months and slowly agitate them. You can pick up a 3880 for under $1,000 with rebates including full ink cartridges which is a great value.



Jun 23, 2014 at 06:39 AM
howardm4
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · best photo dedicated printer?


+1 re: 'expired' ink. I'm using some inks dated 2011 in my Ep. 3880 w/ no issues at all.

RedRiver has a section dedicated to 'real' costs of printing. Like others have said, if your volume of printing is small, then there is no financial incentive to print at home unless it's a new sub-hobby you want to pick up for your own enjoyment or artistic satisfaction etc.

In the end, it's really not the ink cost but the paper costs esp. once you move up to better papers but the small-ish ink carts are relatively way more expensive. BH also has 'kits' of ink for some printers which can bring down the cost a bit (I got their 8cart set for the 3880 brought the per-cart price down to approx $42 vs the normal $49-52)



Jun 23, 2014 at 06:56 AM
mogud
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · best photo dedicated printer?


chez wrote:
I've used outdated inks in a 3880 without a problem. I take the inks out about every 3 months and slowly agitate them. You can pick up a 3880 for under $1,000 with rebates including full ink cartridges which is a great value.


I've got some outdated ink in my 2880 now and probably 18 months old. Thx for the agitate tip which I will try. :-)



Jun 23, 2014 at 07:15 AM
OntheRez
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · best photo dedicated printer?


Unless you print a lot (like 100s+ annually) an 8x10 is cheaper printed at say Costco. OTOH if you want complete control, flexibility, potentially better output, and are willing to invest the time/thought into the learning curve you'll get better prints (quicker) with your own printer. The cost to print on anything other than "museum grade" paper is estimated to be $2-$3 @ sq. ft. This doesn't amortize the cost of the printer or your time.

With that in mind the smaller Epsons e.g. 2880 produce excellent output. Mogud has quoted the official statements on print cartridge lifetime, but I have to second Chez and other's observations that real world performance is often dramatically better. Working in perhaps one of the harshest environments (Sonoran Desert), carts in my 3880 have lasted 1 year +. In fact I've never had one dry up. I also use Jon Cone inks (inkjetmall.com) with excellent results. Don't know about premature aging, but 3-year old prints are still fine.

It costs more to print on your own. It is also very rewarding.

Robert



Jun 23, 2014 at 09:19 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · best photo dedicated printer?


I love my Epson 3800. It would be cheaper to buy prints, but I never got one I liked until I started printing at home where I could adjust brightness in processing to make up for the difference between monitors and prints.

I never do anything with the ink until its out. I am sure some of my inks are out of date. The only cartridge I have issues with is the black glossy cartridge which might got several years without being used.




Jun 23, 2014 at 12:58 PM
butchM
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · best photo dedicated printer?


There are several very good pro labs that will offer results and products that are equal to what you can achieve on your own. These labs make no adjustments to your images ... they just print them. Most also offer profiles for their various output devices so you can fine tune with soft proofing before you submit the images for printing.

I print using both means. Small orders that require 8x10 and smaller, I print in-house ... for large quantity and larger prints, I outsource that task. My time is more valuable than hovering over a printer and trimming prints. I receive orders from the labs in two business days or less and can invest the time it would take to print myself for capturing/preparing more images.

Honestly, it's the best of both worlds.



Jun 23, 2014 at 01:40 PM
chez
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · best photo dedicated printer?


butchM wrote:
There are several very good pro labs that will offer results and products that are equal to what you can achieve on your own. These labs make no adjustments to your images ... they just print them. Most also offer profiles for their various output devices so you can fine tune with soft proofing before you submit the images for printing.

I print using both means. Small orders that require 8x10 and smaller, I print in-house ... for large quantity and larger prints, I outsource that task. My time is more valuable than hovering over a printer and trimming prints. I
...Show more

I don't really see how much time savings you have since you have to post process the images in either case. With in-house printing, once the post processing is done, you can just queue up the printer and let it rip. With outsourcing, you still have to upload the images to the site and then pick them up once they are ready either from the lab or post or whatever.

I can understand that if you don't print very many large prints, you outsource those as large format printers cost a lot to own.

For me, the real beauty of home printing is I see the results right away and if a slight adjustment is required, it can be done immediately. Can't beat the turn around.



Jun 23, 2014 at 02:01 PM
butchM
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · best photo dedicated printer?


chez wrote:
I don't really see how much time savings you have since you have to post process the images in either case. With in-house printing, once the post processing is done, you can just queue up the printer and let it rip. With outsourcing, you still have to upload the images to the site and then pick them up once they are ready either from the lab or post or whatever.


chez ... what you don't see could be a very long thread of it's own ...

Seems you have a propensity to ignore portions of my comments to suit your means. Did you not notice I referenced "large quantity" print orders?

You can't pigeon hole everyone's workflow to match your own. Many small firm professionals photographers who do this as our primary vocation and/or sole source of income must be very diverse to keep up with a competitive market place.

I'm not talking a one-off or a handful of prints shot at my leisure ... I'm talking hundreds, even thousands of prints from a single event.

In May I had three junior proms and two senior balls ... in total from the three dances I sold over 1,800 prints ranging from wallets, 5x7 and 8x10.

In April, I did six spring soccer leagues (over 400 total players involved) ... I also had 4 Little League groups with a combined total of 1,400 players ... all those orders were added up to 2,600 individual prints ... again from wallets, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, posters, buttons, keychains, etc.

These are but a few brief examples of what I encounter ... Rather than being chained to a replenishing paper and changing ink cartridges, I'd rather be out shooting.

Uploading images to a lab is quick and easy ... today's internet service make it child's play. I never have to pick up my lab orders ... a nice fellow brings them right to the studio in one of those swell brown trucks.

While I do like to do my own printing (I owned and operated my own full-service color film lab for 24 years), I really appreciate the supporting partnership I have with my labs ... Instead of babysitting my printer with the last job ... while my pro lab works in the background, I can be shooting the next job that is going to sweeten my bottom line.



Jun 23, 2014 at 03:46 PM
mogud
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · best photo dedicated printer?


Back in the day.....when I shot weddings, it was a typical weekend when we did 5 to 10 weddings and shot 30 rolls of film each from the begining of April to the end of November. There is no way we could print proofs of each shot taken for each wedding and then at least 30 8x10's per wedding or more along with 5 11x14's per wedding. Without a competent lab giving us 3 day turn around, nothing would get sold and no money collected. This was when there was no internet, no digital, nothing. Labs for production work like the previous poster and volume wedding studios are a must.


Jun 23, 2014 at 06:09 PM
anthonygh
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · best photo dedicated printer?


Part of the joy of creating images is to experiment with the printing stage of the process...I doubt if you will find many top ranking photographers who don't see this as a vital part of the image making process.

So....get a decent pigment printer.....you won't regret it. I would suggest A3 size.....you may be thinking A4...now. But you WILL be tempted to go larger....



Jun 23, 2014 at 07:17 PM
chez
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · best photo dedicated printer?


anthonygh wrote:
Part of the joy of creating images is to experiment with the printing stage of the process...I doubt if you will find many top ranking photographers who don't see this as a vital part of the image making process.

So....get a decent pigment printer.....you won't regret it. I would suggest A3 size.....you may be thinking A4...now. But you WILL be tempted to go larger....


Yep...the Epson 3880 delivers amazing prints. I have one converted strictly for Piezography B&W prints and they are fantastic.



Jun 23, 2014 at 08:29 PM
phcorrigan
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · best photo dedicated printer?


Ccugolf wrote:
Do these Epsons come up on the used market often? Any issues buying used?

I am planning on tracking my printing costs over the next few months to see if outsourcing is the best for me.

Thanks for the ink comments I Han not thought about the larger cartridges maybe being less per page.

Thanks again

Jon


Keep an eye on Craigslist and you might see used 2880s occasionally. Be careful buying used inkjet printers, since clogged nozzles can be expensive.

I used to use Costco, and their service is great and they provide custom profiles for each individual printer at each store, so color matching is not an issue. Their small format printers are typically Fuji photographic process printers, and they claim an archival life of about 70 years for the prints.

I don't print a lot, but I love my Epson 2880. The print quality is excellent and archival life with the papers I use (Ilford Smooth Pearl and Gold Fibre Silk) is expected to be about 200 years. Yes, the cost per print is higher, but to me the extra cost is worth it.



Jun 23, 2014 at 11:58 PM





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