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I read through some of the reviews of the Epson P-900 printer on the BH Photo & Video website, and a few 1-star reviews are due to the rebate program, also some have issues with the front paper loading, while I could understand the frustration, but these were not comments on the print quality. A little patience and practice would go a long way; also I try to keep the printer on even surface and covered when it's not used.
Great point on keeping a cover on your printer. I have a cloth cover draped over my printer - and have done so since it was new. Keeping your printer covered reduces problems from dust and slows the amount of clogs related to drying out. Another note is to maintain a balanced level of humidity for your printer. Printers sometimes do poorly in places where the air has very low humidity.
Joel, I understand your deliemma about papers. It's an important part of the print process to get right. But even a great paper can't do everything, and IMO I'd decline to print that shot. I've tried printing shots similar to this and have not been pleased with the performance of any paper. I believe that you'll find the print results to be less than satisfactory, as the final product is likely to be a "muddy" print.
I am of another train of thought in that printing on sample pack papers is a great way to experiment and experience first-hand what kind of papers are better/best for prints of different types of photos.
1) Do not embed the profile and save it in the color space and file type they indicate - usually .jpg/.tiff & sRGB/aRGB. Usually, you will also need to indicate a preference as to whether they should apply corrections to your file or have them print without any. If you have made adjustments to the file and are 100% certain that you want no corrections performed, then indicate so.
This is really interesting information.
I do not know the answer to the first question, and the second question's answer is more a matter of personal preference.
Have you had the pump replaced via service? There was a bad part preventing a proper seal on the head. You still need to use the printer regularly - it's a high volume printer - but works quite well for me. If I make a print every week or 10 days, it's maintenance free. Clearing minor clogs after 2-3 weeks idle only takes a single cycle.
Then you need to print more!
Print at home. Recently upgraded to a Pro 300 from a Pro 100. Printed some older files that I had copies of from the Pro 100. The colors, vibrancy and overall look is much better than the Pro 100 output. I print many images on 4X6 paper for quality control purposes. I found that my 4X6 prints are saleable. Booth cost and the tedium of waiting for customers and fielding the “ My shot of that —— is better than yours” comments for small return borders on insanity! I use Canon paper with good result.
So…Santa (i.e., me) bought an Epson 8550. Wife wanted a color printer for letter size but I went with a larger one for the ability to print photos. I was going to order a bunch of sample packs as suggested here and will do that…I was figuring to print from LR. Is that optimum or should I use the Epson layout software instead. I've not done any real printing of my photos in the past so anything that will shoot me up the learning curve faster is a good thing.
Thanks…that sounds like a good idea before spending more money for the larger size paper.
For the same concern you have of falling into the rabbit hole, is why i stopped printing and just use a couple of pro labs and one budget Office works LOL, when needed, just send the files in Drop Box and the print is delivered when done, don't have to even start the car. LOL Simple. PS they can often do a far better job as they strive to stay ahead with the latest Tech.
Hi Anjin, I am still learning and all @EricBowles recommendations are great and that is what I have been following since this tread was posted. I used different sample of paper of different compagnies. But I realiszed that Epson has an excellent choice. I like their Epson premium luster as well as their Epson Exhibition Fiber, Signature, etc… They do have a lot of choice. I tried different types of Moab and Hahnemuhle and I realized I was complicating my life and my work for not much difference. I decide to stick with Epson paper and I prefer the cotton type. Plus when you have to choose different compagny you have to install all their paper profiles in Lightroom or Photoshop and you end up with too much.stuff.
I’m going to buy a couple types of paper in letter size and experiment…gotta learn the whole printing process before going big…and hopefully I will have figured out what paper I want before that. I’m going to start with Epson paper and work from there.
