Printer

[Allan Bell]

6 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

That's good to know, they offer a huge range of services. I think they are used by quite a few companies as their favoured print fulfilment house, I believe Zenfolio listed them and both Shootproof and Ian's own Photoshelter use them as well.

 

I believe they offer the same service for your own website as well if you have one selling photos.

 

Allan

 

[geogphotos]

On 03/08/2023 at 08:58, Harry Harrison said:

We recently got one of those HP Envys for my wife so had to weigh up the pros and cons of going for a contract, in the end we didn't bother but in fact I think we would have signed up for far more pages than she actually uses it for. It's useful when she needs it but that is far less often than we had imagined. It does seem a bit temperamental though as you have found and as the comments online seem to confirm.

 

One advantage of this is that the page count that you pay for does not differentiate between photo printing and normal printing - you get the same ink supply automatically ent when the computer informs them that it is running low. 

[geogphotos]

9 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

That's good to know, they offer a huge range of services. I think they are used by quite a few companies as their favoured print fulfilment house, I believe Zenfolio listed them and both Shootproof and Ian's own Photoshelter use them as well.

 

 

Yes, all well and good except nobody has ever ordered. I tried to order a trial print myself from Loxley via my website but the Photoshelter system wouldn't let me because it was my email address!

[geogphotos]

I found this interesting about the printer ink rip-off

 

 

[Harry Harrison]

1 hour ago, geogphotos said:

I found this interesting about the printer ink rip-off

Yes, very interesting, how does the ink even come out of those foam-filled tanks? The comments on Youtube are interesting also, a lot of very positive reports regarding the Epson Eco-tank printers from long-time users, no clogs, very economical, that means a lot actually. However sadly these are not photo printers, only cyan, magenta, yellow & black, great for the office though by the looks of it.

 

There's quite a lot on the Epson Wide Format forum at the moment about the differences between the Epson & Canon printer offerings. There is very little love for Epson as a company but they do seem to all prefer the inks from Epson, but these are high-end professionals printing for galleries etc with very demanding standards. It seems that the Canon 'Vivera' inks have a lower life expectancy than Epson and that B&W isn't as neutral and can suffer from bronzing in certain light conditions. Epson pigment based photo printers with at least 8 inks have an 'Advanced Black & White' option (ABW) that is really good and offers a colour wheel of subtle tones.

Edited August 15, 2023 by Harry Harrison

[Phil Robinson]

8 hours ago, Harry Harrison said:

Yes, very interesting, how does the ink even come out of those foam-filled tanks? The comments on Youtube are interesting also, a lot of very positive reports regarding the Epson Eco-tank printers from long-time users, no clogs, very economical, that means a lot actually. However sadly these are not photo printers, only cyan, magenta, yellow & black, great for the office though by the looks of it.

 

There's quite a lot on the Epson Wide Format forum at the moment about the differences between the Epson & Canon printer offerings. There is very little love for Epson as a company but they do seem to all prefer the inks from Epson, but these are high-end professionals printing for galleries etc with very demanding standards. It seems that the Canon 'Vivera' inks have a lower life expectancy than Epson and that B&W isn't as neutral and can suffer from bronzing in certain light conditions. Epson pigment based photo printers with at least 8 inks have an 'Advanced Black & White' option (ABW) that is really good and offers a colour wheel of subtle tones.

I have an ET-2820 ecotank. I don't use it much and haven't tried getting exhibition quality prints from it but the ink is SOOOO much cheaper. Instead of having to buy a tiny computerised box which weighs almost as much empty as when it is full, for about £10 you get a whole bottle full, which you just pour in and it lasts for ages.

Edited August 15, 2023 by Phil Robinson

[Harry Harrison]

53 minutes ago, Phil Robinson said:

I have an ET-2820 ecotank. I don't use it much and haven't tried getting exhibition quality prints from it but the ink is SOOOO much cheaper.

All credit to Epson for producing them really, I've just got an old HP laser for the 'office' but I'd certainly look at those if I wanted something fancier.

Edited August 15, 2023 by Harry Harrison

[Martin Carlsson]

On 01/08/2023 at 09:45, geogphotos said:

I realise that this is a daft question because so much is dependent and subjective.

 

But at present all I use is a cheap HP Envy all in one A4 printer/scanner/copier and it can be a real pain just to get a bog-standard small print out of it. 

 

From time to time I do think about getting a dedicated photoprinter that could produce 'pro quality' prints that I could frame - perhaps to A3 - and maybe even sell. 

 

So, recommendations for something:

 

excellent quality

simple to use

economical to run

not overly expensive to buy 

 

Personal recommendations and experiences would be very welcome. I am aware that it is a whole new world of complexities and frustrating cock-ups that would be ahead of me but it is someting I think about from time to time. 

 

Also, related - simple, economic framing options for standard pictures sizes that look great, don't cost too much, included mounts etc

 

As I said probably a daft question ( what's new!) but hopefully some of our forum members can help shine a light into the gloom for me. 

 

 

Hi Ian - hope you're well!

Printing is never cheap! Usually, the more expensive the printer the lower the running costs (due to having bigger ink tanks).

In short - if you're looking for high quality and best longevity you should go for a pigment printer. Been using Canon for the last 10-12 years - first a 9500 and now a PRO-10 (which has been superseded by the Pro-300). 

My Pro-10 is still running fine, never caused any problems despite being unused for extended periods of time which can be a problem for many printers. I'm looking to upgrade probably in the next 1-2 years, partly to lower the running costs, thus looking at the Canon imagePrograf PRO-1000 or if I can manage, the PRO-2100.

So - Canon and pigment ink/printers, perhaps the Pro-300 could be something for you? It does A3+. In regards to paper I strongly recommend Canson Infinity "Platine Fibre Rag". Don't forget to look into mounting, matting (a few tools and practise and you'll do it beautifully yourself) and framing etc.

Best!
/M

[Michael Ventura]

My basic office printer is an HP.  Bought it a couple of years ago and hate.  It is super glitchy.  I have to often unplug it and plug it back in to reset itself, in order print something.  They used to be a good brand, kinda wish I got a good Epson.

[geogphotos]

40 minutes ago, Martin Carlsson said:

Hi Ian - hope you're well!

Printing is never cheap! Usually, the more expensive the printer the lower the running costs (due to having bigger ink tanks).

In short - if you're looking for high quality and best longevity you should go for a pigment printer. Been using Canon for the last 10-12 years - first a 9500 and now a PRO-10 (which has been superseded by the Pro-300). 

My Pro-10 is still running fine, never caused any problems despite being unused for extended periods of time which can be a problem for many printers. I'm looking to upgrade probably in the next 1-2 years, partly to lower the running costs, thus looking at the Canon imagePrograf PRO-1000 or if I can manage, the PRO-2100.

So - Canon and pigment ink/printers, perhaps the Pro-300 could be something for you? It does A3+. In regards to paper I strongly recommend Canson Infinity "Platine Fibre Rag". Don't forget to look into mounting, matting (a few tools and practise and you'll do it beautifully yourself) and framing etc.

Best!
/M

 

 

Hi Martin,

 

Many thanks for the kind words and helpful tips. That paper looks amazing. 

 

There is so much to think about. Quite a big jump from wanting something to easily print off a few small prints for birthday cards and the level that you are at! 

 

It is hard to know whether to work up in stages or jump in. I'm in no rush and am finding this thread a useful resource to return to. 

 

I'm grateful to everybody for taking the time to share experienced through their comments.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[MB Photography]

On 02/08/2023 at 09:15, Harry Harrison said:

the current equivalent would be the Canon PIXMA Pro-300, the 'Pro-200' is an 8 ink dye based printer. 

The superseded Canon Pro 9000 Mk II uses dye based inks, so the equivalent is the Pro-200, not the 300.

[Harry Harrison]

1 hour ago, MB Photography said:

The superseded Canon Pro 9000 Mk II uses dye based inks, so the equivalent is the Pro-200, not the 300.

Sorry, my mistake, I was confusing it with the 9500. This is a useful timeline for Canon printers from Keith Cooper's Northlight Images site, with links to his reviews where he has done one (he didn't test the 9000):

 

https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/canon-printer-news-updates-and-rumours/

 

The choice between dye and pigment inks isn't clearcut I suppose but generally when selling prints photographers seem to go for pigment inks because of their deserved reputation for better longevity, on the other hand dye based inks are less likely to clog. The dye-based Pro-200 has two greys whereas the pigment ink Pro-300 has only one, there are just so many parameters to consider.

 

This thread from DPReview seems quite pertinent as well, Mark McCormick runs Aardenburg Imaging who test inks and papers for longevity:

 

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4299106

 

 

[MB Photography]

22 hours ago, Harry Harrison said:

The choice between dye and pigment inks isn't clearcut

Yes, I agree. The ChromaLife100 dye prints that I produced 10 years ago are still vibrant and have not faded.

[Allan Bell]

3 hours ago, MB Photography said:

Yes, I agree. The ChromaLife100 dye prints that I produced 10 years ago are still vibrant and have not faded.

 

I think we have to agree that all prints both dye and pigment should be kept out of direct sunlight.

 

Allan