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Considering printing

pliukait
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Considering printing

I have an Epson XP-15000 printer, relatively inexpensive, but ink is not. Each of the 6 inks in the larger size (XL) is $20 per. Adding the cost of the printer and two sets of ink come close to the same cost as an ET-8550.

The XP-15000 does 13in wide prints as does the ET-8500. If you do not do 13in wide, then the ET-8500 will do.

While I really like the XP-15000 if I had to do it all again, I would spend the extra to get the ET-8550, if only for the ink cost.

Aug 02, 2023 at 02:31 PM

Adam Schallau
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Considering printing

The advice given by DIS Ottawa and frdjohns to go with a printer that uses larger print cartridges, such as those in the Epson P900, is spot on. The cartridges cost more, but you're paying less for ink when viewed as cost per ml. The added advantage is that a printer such as the P900 can accept paper that is 17" wide.

I've been using an Epson P800 for several years, and I have printed nearly 11,000 8x10" prints during that time. I live in a very dry environment and have experienced very few issues with print heads clogging, head strikes, or paper feed problems, especially compared to some of the printers I've owned in the past. I wish Epson still had refurbished P800 printers on their website.

Aug 03, 2023 at 11:57 AM

mike650
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Considering printing

BillinTexas wrote:
Any opinions/good info on either the Canon Pixma Pro 200 or the Ipson Eco Tank Photo ET-8550?

If you're considering the Canon Pro 200, you maybe able to find a used Canon Pro 100 (dye based) on Craigslist or FB Marketplace in your area for $200 or less. You can even refill the ink cartridges with third party inks which is about one forth of the cost but you give up some long term fad resistance.
I have the Pro 100 and refill. I print maybe once a month or less and so far I've not gotten any head clogs over 2 years.

Aug 03, 2023 at 11:08 PM

BillinTexas
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Considering printing

I very much appreciate the added input for you guys. If I buy, I will definitely be buying a pigment ink printer. I have decided it is worth it for my purpose.

Aug 04, 2023 at 04:14 AM

mike650
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Considering printing

BillinTexas wrote:
I very much appreciate the added input for you guys. If I buy, I will definitely be buying a pigment ink printer. I have decided it is worth it for my purpose.

Since you may have long periods, weeks or months, where you don't run the printer, there is a greater chance of print head clogs. Check out a program called Qimage. It's mainly used to manage printer/paper profiles and layout. But it can do automatic periodic printing of a custom test print.
https://youtu.be/rlwAMgjUjb8
You do have to leave the computer and printer on all the time and have a stack of small cheap paper loaded. There are two different developers of Qimage depending on if you have a PC or Mac.
Enjoy your printing journey.

Aug 04, 2023 at 07:04 AM

BillinTexas
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Considering printing

After all the considerations and doing much research into the subject, I think I will pass on this experience in my photography journey. I appreciate the insight everyone has provided. It was very helpful to see why I shouldn't pursue this. Thanks, everyone.

Aug 04, 2023 at 03:30 PM

doady
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Considering printing

Good choice. Printer ink cartridges are a scam. Don't fall for it.

Aug 11, 2023 at 01:29 PM

dhlewis
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Considering printing

doady wrote:
Good choice. Printer ink cartridges are a scam. Don't fall for it.

Your opinion is noted. I find that printing using "scam" cartridges is as personally rewarding as photography.

Similar to a woman I ran into a few weeks ago when photographing Hummingbirds. Me "do you ever print your images", her, "no but sometimes I transfer them to my phone". Nuff said.

Aug 13, 2023 at 08:46 AM

chez
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Considering printing

dhlewis wrote:
Your opinion is noted. I find that printing using "scam" cartridges is as personally rewarding as photography.

Similar to a woman I ran into a few weeks ago when photographing Hummingbirds. Me "do you ever print your images", her, "no but sometimes I transfer them to my phone". Nuff said.

Totally agree with you. The feeling one gets from holding up a freshly created print is one of total satisfaction of making art from the image in your head when you pressed the shutter to the final print that you are holding.

Aug 13, 2023 at 09:10 AM

BillinTexas
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Considering printing

When I started exploring this, I had some prints made through Bay Photo. The cost was so minimal, my decision was made with that in mind as well.

Aug 13, 2023 at 09:13 AM

chez
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Considering printing

BillinTexas wrote:
When I started exploring this, I had some prints made through Bay Photo. The cost was so minimal, my decision was made with that in mind as well.

If you are making small prints ( 8x10 ) then I agree, but the larger the print, the more economical it is to home print.

Aug 13, 2023 at 10:43 AM

dhlewis
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · Considering printing

Agree however I don’t like waiting only to find out that I want a different size or crop.

Aug 13, 2023 at 11:56 AM

BillinTexas
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · Considering printing

Question, What type of ink does your printer use?

Aug 13, 2023 at 01:04 PM

chez
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · Considering printing

BillinTexas wrote:
Question, What type of ink does your printer use?

pigment.

Aug 13, 2023 at 01:37 PM

dhlewis
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · Considering printing

BillinTexas wrote:
Question, What type of ink does your printer use?

All Epson printers pigment ink

Aug 13, 2023 at 02:11 PM

doady
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · Considering printing

dhlewis wrote:
Your opinion is noted. I find that printing using "scam" cartridges is as personally rewarding as photography.

Similar to a woman I ran into a few weeks ago when photographing Hummingbirds. Me "do you ever print your images", her, "no but sometimes I transfer them to my phone". Nuff said.

A photo is not finished until it is printed. Prints are essential to photography. But doesn't justify printer manufacturers taking advantage of consumers or even outright misleading consumers with bogus ink capacity claims. If Canon or Epson ever come out with an A3/13-inch wide pigment printer with refillable tanks, I'd pay for that. I won't pay $53.19 CAD for a single-use cartridge with an electronic chip and a mere (claimed) 25mL of ink.

Aug 13, 2023 at 07:29 PM

chez
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · Considering printing

Aug 13, 2023 at 08:22 PM

ilkka_nissila
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · Considering printing

doady wrote:
A photo is not finished until it is printed. Prints are essential to photography. But doesn't justify printer manufacturers taking advantage of consumers or even outright misleading consumers with bogus ink capacity claims. If Canon or Epson ever come out with an A3/13-inch wide pigment printer with refillable tanks, I'd pay for that. I won't pay $53.19 CAD for a single-use cartridge with an electronic chip and a mere (claimed) 25mL of ink.

I also find that photos are at their best when in the form of prints. Large prints enable one to see the details and the whole image on one viewing and there is no screen saver or messages popping up to distract from the experience. I used to make a lot of small to medium size prints and now I'm more into A3+ size put into portfolio boxes or binders. It's big enough to appreciate the image but not so big as to be impossible to handle. I think this modern consumption of large numbers of images viewed momentarily misses the potential of photographs to be timeless objects which can be appreciated on multiple viewings.

With regards to the printer manufacturers charging a lot for very very small ink cartridges, it is indeed unfortunate that they do that, as the ink of some color is always running out. I use an Epson 3880 which has 80 ml cartridges that have a lower price per ml and not as common cartridge changes as the smaller ones. Unfortunately Epson has moved to slightly smaller cartridges in their A2 desktop photo inkjets but it's still much bigger than the small ones that the consumer inkjets have. I have used the 3880 for 10 years with many thousands of prints and it just keeps going. However, before that I had a series of the smaller dye-based inkjets that were very short-lived and also the print permanence was poor, essentially defeating the whole purpose of making prints. So - printing can be wonderful if choosing the right printer and using it regularly and getting properly set up for a calibrated workflow. It can also be a pain if not printing often enough or choosing the wrong printer (with those small cartridges).

Aug 14, 2023 at 01:56 AM

BillinTexas
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · Considering printing

All points considered, I will refrain from buying a printer at this point. I am a person who would not want to settle and I believe I would be doing so if I purchased a dye-based ink printer. Reading some of the later posts on this thread had me exploring again yesterday. I also believe I would not print enough to make financial sense for me as I would want to purchase either a P700 or 900. Thanks for the continued discussion.

Aug 14, 2023 at 04:53 AM

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