Printing

[paulsydaus]

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All,

I am thinking of buying a printer to do my own printing. I'm not sure if it makes sense from an economic perspective (vs using a commercial printer) because the number of prints I do is not that high. Nonetheless since I've owned a digital camera the idea of having the ability to go from shoot to wall completely in-house seems appealing to me and I think it will give me more appreciation of the fine art process.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this, have you been through this decision yourself?

It's not cheap but I would be looking to get the Epson 4900 17" printer which used the HDR inks...

[sanyasi]

I use the Epson 4900, with very good results. Recommended--although my continuing complaint is with loading the paper. I top load rather than use the tray because if you are using thicker or coated paper, the loading from the tray can result in damage to printer as time goes on. Top loading sometimes can be quirky in terms of getting the paper aligned. The good news is that the printer doesn't print the page unless it is properly aligned, but you need to reload the paper.

 

You may find yourself doing more printing once you own a printer. Each to their own, but every photo I post on line gets printed. To me, it is not a photograph until I print it. It makes the process complete and brings me great pleasure, particularly when I lay out the prints under nice lighting to review them or when I occasionally get them framed for hanging in my home.

 

On occasion, I remove a print from online once I print it--sometimes I post online immediately, but don't get around to printing for several days. Online I can't always see the noise or the camera movement. The acid test is a print.

[Jeff S]

The 4900 has been known to have clogging issues. A dealer confided that Epson stopped making them for a while. And it's a beast. You may want to research options like the 3880, which is also 17", albeit without roll feed and less cartridge capacity, but a much smaller footprint.

 

There are hundreds of threads already on this and related topics…try the search box.

 

Jeff

[Jeff S]

I needed to leave for a meeting after last short post….a bit more here.

 

If you're hung up on HDR versus K3 inks, keep in mind that print results are determined by myriad variables in the entire workflow, from camera to print to display. So, not just the printer, but software settings and edits, printer settings, use of print driver vs RIP, papers, profiles, display conditions (including cover glass/plexi, lighting, etc).

 

The process is not plug and play, and therefore the ink set differences will not be optimized without attention to numerous other variables, not the least of which are operator decisions and techniques.

 

Much like in the darkroom days, some folks get great results with minimal gear and supplies, while others buy top line everything yet get mediocre results.

 

The Epson 3800 series printers are fully capable of yielding top quality results. I doubt you'd notice the differences between superbly executed prints coming out of the 3880 versus 4900, especially once framed and displayed under glass. Folks deep into the understanding of color management, and whose work depends on absolutely color critical results, may feel otherwise, but for someone getting started (as it seems you are), I'd spend more time thinking about other practical machine differences in addition to the ink set.

 

BTW, there are third party ink sets (color and b/w) that can also be used in Epson printers, but that's another longer topic.

 

Jeff

[paulsydaus]

Jeff,

Thanks so much for the information.

If I went ahead, the supplier would offer me a couple of free profiles and I'm not ruling out the need for more training down the track also.

Do you think it is worthwhile getting the RIP option? Could you explain that more?

Cheers!

Paul

 

 

I needed to leave for a meeting after last short post….a bit more here.

 

If you're hung up on HDR versus K3 inks, keep in mind that print results are determined by myriad variables in the entire workflow, from camera to print to display. So, not just the printer, but software settings and edits, printer settings, use of print driver vs RIP, papers, profiles, display conditions (including cover glass/plexi, lighting, etc).

 

The process is not plug and play, and therefore the ink set differences will not be optimized without attention to numerous other variables, not the least of which are operator decisions and techniques.

 

Much like in the darkroom days, some folks get great results with minimal gear and supplies, while others buy top line everything yet get mediocre results.

 

The Epson 3800 series printers are fully capable of yielding top quality results. I doubt you'd notice the differences between superbly executed prints coming out of the 3880 versus 4900, especially once framed and displayed under glass. Folks deep into the understanding of color management, and whose work depends on absolutely color critical results, may feel otherwise, but for someone getting started (as it seems you are), I'd spend more time thinking about other practical machine differences in addition to the ink set.

 

BTW, there are third party ink sets (color and b/w) that can also be used in Epson printers, but that's another longer topic.

 

Jeff

[Jeff S]

Paul, don't be swayed by free profiles. First you should read and learn a lot about the total print workflow, for which profiling options, RIPs, etc. are among various elements to consider. There are many books and tutorials available and, as I said, much discussion is here already. The time to do that is before you decide on a printer, IMO.

 

You might consider getting two paperbacks by Jeff Schewe…The Digital Negative, and The Digital Print.

 

If you shop around, you'll find that Epson printers are frequently discounted, with both manufacturer rebates and dealer discounts. Epson and suppliers make money selling you inks, not printers….much like razors and razor blade companies. You should be able to find a great deal on any Epson model, without rushing.

 

Jeff

[JohannB]

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After lots of research I went for the 3880.

 

Pro's for me:

- smaller footprint (4900 is massive)

- no clogging (was standing for a month, switch it on, short auto cleaning cycle, perfect print)

 

Con's for me:

- no roller (in high humidity, I get some headstrike on curly paper)

 

I use the free paper vendor supplied profiles for the printer with a calibrated display. To my eyes no problems with the prints.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Johann

[paulsydaus]

Thanks Jeff, I'll check out those a texts...

Paul

[paulsydaus]

Thanks everyone. I'll do some more research.