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Printing photos on a home printer - Why?


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Over the years I've been asked to make "Signed Limited Edition" prints of a few of my better known images and

I've done them on 100% rag archival 320gsm paper using first an EPSON large format printer and now I

have a CANON Pro-100.  I don't crank up the printer very often, the CANON blows through ink like crazy.

 

One thing I have found is that the large prints I made on the 320gsm rag paper has held up well.  I have 

an 11 x 14 that I printed more than 10 years ago, framed and has been hanging on the wall for that time.

I have even intentionally hung it where the sun hits it often, just to see how it holds up and to my surprise

it is still exactly like it was the day I made it in the old EPSON.

 

I've also tried a lot of papers and don't even know if the archival paper that I used is still available.  There is

also a long process of finding the right paper profiles for the printer.

 

In other words, in my opinion it is not really worth the trouble and expense in most cases.

 

Chuck

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I have an Epson 1500W A3+ printer. I've been really pleased with it. It's mostly used these days for replacing pics around he house of our quickly growing grandchildren.

 

Stock wise I do use it for the odd A3 print as payment for a model or property release.

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4 hours ago, MDM said:

 

Yes it sounds like a great way of making money. I've thought about it but I think a lot of it is sewn up already with events companies and the like. I might consider it seriously in the future. 

Message me if you want details.

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21 hours ago, RCS said:

 

What's your experience with colour management with these professional services? I've used one of the well-known UK consumer companies for mugs and calendars for xmas gifts, and though I had low expectations, I was still disappointed.

 

Getting the colours "right" on a home printer can be a very difficult job - and I've spent many a miserable hour swearing profusely at my failures - but at least when it goes wrong, it's up to me to put it right, and my workflow is now rather more satisfactory. 

 

As for the all-in-one devices, I suspect they are OK for non-critical, non-professional use (e.g. A4 wall decoration for your own home, giving a few 6x4s to friends) though it's a long time since I've used one myself.

 

I'll defer to Harry and MDM, I'm just aware such printing services exist. I only have experience getting fine art prints of my paintings - tip, don't print on canvas, bad results (very muted colours).

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I have a Canon i9950 printer standing unused and unloved beside my computer, along with a Samsung ML-2250 laser. The B&W laser sees a lot of use for printing documents, but the cost and faff of printing on the Canon has led me to use a good local photo lab when I want to produce prints of photos. I can mail them the files and either have the prints delivered, or, more usually, cycle through to pick them up.

 

We have stacks of prints about the home, mainly family pics but also landscapes from our travels Apart from some B&Ws that I made on the enlarger years ago they are mainly commercially produced.

 

In order to make home printing economically viable I think that you need external ink reservoirs and you need to be printing on a sufficient scale to make that worthwhile.

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This seems like a good overview of the options and considerations, though UK-centric:

 

https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/print-photographs-home-118878

 

I used to use Photobox and found them good. The standard 210 gsm paper is quite thin to keep the postage costs down but you can opt for standard 250 gsm Fuji Crystal Archive if you pay a bit more. I used to use that paper myself when I used to do my own colour printing, boxes and boxes of it, very nice colour.

 

For the more expensive professional options then Loxley Colour and Whitewall. Certain website providers use Loxley Colour for online print orders from your website.

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It seems that most photographers start off looking at the quality they can get from different types of technology and media. But if you are planning to print pictures to sell I'd suggest that you start off by thinking about what the market price is and then see if you can create a product that is of sufficient quality and makes enough profit to make it worthwhile. 

 

Every time I have gone through this thought process I end up deciding not to bother! 🥴

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1 hour ago, Harry Harrison said:

 

 

For the more expensive professional options then Loxley Colour and Whitewall. Certain website providers use Loxley Colour for online print orders from your website.

 

 

Loxley are not expensive for prints. They are geared particularly towards professional photographers supplying the wedding and portrait markets. They are a good cut above the basic cheap labs as they do fully colour managed printing and offer a huge range of products but definitely not expensive for printing. I have never used Whitewall but a quick glance suggests they are a lot more expensive than Loxley for equivalent products. 

 

The term giclée gives me a little gigglé. It simply means inkjet but was coined at a time when inkjet printing was in its infancy by someone working for Graham Nash (the musician and fine art printing pioneer).

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2 minutes ago, MDM said:

The term giclée gives me a little gigglé. It simply means inkjet but was coined at a time when inkjet printing was in its infancy by someone working for Graham Nash (the musician and fine art printing pioneer).

 

Graham Nash?! Really?!

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Just now, losdemas said:

 

Graham Nash?! Really?!

 

Yes the same guy. He is a very accomplished photographer and obviously has or had access to a lot of interesting people. I don't know of he is still active but a search will reveal all. 

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13 minutes ago, MDM said:

It simply means inkjet but was coined at a time when inkjet printing was in its infancy by someone working for Graham Nash (the musician and fine art printing pioneer).

I remember Graham Nash's involvement right at the start. I read recently that Jackson Browne was with the same record company and they were looking at releasing his first single. The M.D. played the rough to Graham Nash and asked him if it would be a hit, "it will be if I sing the harmonies". He did, it was.

 

Edit - actually that may have been David Crosby, or even Stephen Stills, better scrub that!

Edited by Harry Harrison
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1 hour ago, MDM said:

Yes the same guy. He is a very accomplished photographer and obviously has or had access to a lot of interesting people. I don't know of he is still active but a search will reveal all. 

 

Wow! Thanks for that. I'll have a hunt and take a look.

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1 hour ago, Harry Harrison said:

I remember Graham Nash's involvement right at the start. I read recently that Jackson Browne was with the same record company and they were looking at releasing his first single. The M.D. played the rough to Graham Nash and asked him if it would be a hit, "it will be if I sing the harmonies". He did, it was.

 

Edit - actually that may have been David Crosby, or even Stephen Stills, better scrub that!

 

You could always ask David Crosby! He's very active on Twitter and will often reply to questions.

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36 minutes ago, losdemas said:

You could always ask David Crosby! He's very active on Twitter and will often reply to questions.

This is 'Nash Editions', website doesn't look like it's been updated in a while though. He was doing it long before it became easy for everyone to do.

 

https://www.nasheditions.com/services/fine-art-digital-printing.html

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13 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

This is 'Nash Editions', website doesn't look like it's been updated in a while though. He was doing it long before it became easy for everyone to do.

 

https://www.nasheditions.com/services/fine-art-digital-printing.html

 

Fascinating stuff, thanks. Still learning something every day!

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On 26/02/2021 at 11:14, MDM said:

The term giclée gives me a little gigglé. It simply means inkjet but was coined at a time when inkjet printing was in its infancy by someone working for Graham Nash (the musician and fine art printing pioneer).

 

That may be so - presumably whoever that was knew their French slang, as it's also the word for 'to ejaculate'

 

Alex

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  • 2 weeks later...

It seems as if the online digital services mentioned here are all based in the UK. There is a printer near me that I used to make business cards once, so I can try them, but I think they only do bulk runs. But isn't going through a lab a hassle, when you can just print at home? I'm not looking for professional quality, per se, I just want to print and play with photos for my own enjoyment. I'm currently looking at a Canon TS9520 all-in-one that allows for occasional 11x17 prints that I can use as a home office printer too. But reviews are mixed.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I love printing and have both the Canon Pro-2000 and Canon Pro-1000. My studio and office space walls are full of my large prints. I think this gives clients, and potential clients, more confidence in my work. I often enlist people to model for me when creating stock photos.  Providing them with an assortment of prints from the shoot is a great way to say thank you and I know for a fact many of those prints are held onto for years. I just bumped into a gal on Facebook who I had photographed at a ranch - cow branding event 16 years ago. At that time I provided complimentary prints to all those who I photographed that day. She told me her mother still has those prints, 16 years later! Most of my studio clients don’t request prints but I often provide complimentary prints which often end up in their offices.  I sell both commercial grade prints, and fine art Gicleé prints, up to 24x36”. I print over 100 Christmas cards annually, on a fine art stock. People save them. Yes, there is a learning curve to creating quality prints but the technology and printers have improved tremendously in the past decade.

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Giclée is a neologism coined in 1991 by printmaker Jack Duganne for fine art digital prints made on inkjet printers. The name was originally applied to fine art prints created on a modified Iris printer in a process invented in the late 1980s. Gicleé is a French term meaning “to spray”, referring to how an inkjet printer works and how Gicleé prints are produced.

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  • 1 month later...

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