Calling those who print

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Anjin San said:
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.
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I forgot to add these 2 links from B&H newsletter


 
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EricBowles said:
As with complaints about cameras, there are plenty of complaints about printers. Invariably the complaints are related to people who print infrequently, first time printers, or people who expect the current product to work like some other product. That's not to discount issues that people have experienced - just have some perspective when you read reviews or comments on the internet without all the facts.

I've had my share of minor issues with my Epson 4900 - but I fired it up today after not using it for a month. I went through a 15 minute routine I have for cleaning/reactivating heads (using the controls for manual cleaning with the Powerful setting for each pair of colors that shows less than perfect test). My first nozzle check showed every color was clogged. My second nozzle check 15 minutes later showed every nozzle was completely clear. Now I'm making some really nice prints that will replace a display on my wall - a laughing gull backlit flying and backlit with early morning light, tall sea oats before sunrise, and a huge oak tree with fern covered branches.

I'm sure the Canon or Epson printers will be fine. Both are well regarded.
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I don't complain about inkjets but after killing 3-4 of them through infrequent use I've basically given up on them until I live a life that doesn't involve 50% travel every year. If there's a decent laser photo printer though that may work for me as those are powder and can sit for ages with no problems if the humidity is low.

I'd love to own one as I love printing but it'll have to wait until things are stable for me. Those inkjets like to be used often. For now I just order prints but it's a terrible trial and error process sometimes with long waits between. I try to test them out on a 4x6 dye sublimation printer to at least get in the ballpark before sending for a larger print. There's for sure room to improve.
 
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Activert said:
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.
Here how I print now: I use Lightroom for almost all my printing. In the printing Module section Color Management,;Profile I choose Managed by the printer if I am using Epson papers since their profiles are installed in the printer Software. If I am printing with different compagnie paper like now I am doing cards for the Holidays and I am using Moab Artistic Cards and their templates, so I choose the profiles of Moab cards in the Color Management and ignore the Printer Software.
To tell you the truth I am still learning from this Forum and by myself trying things. Maybe it is not the way to do things, but we all learn from trying and making mistakes. Before I print on good paper, I always print a draft on regular cheap photo papers ( Kodak or others ) to make sure that my print looks ok. Like for the Cards I working on, I am using cheap card papers that I bought from a chop in Montreal and I am trying using them. When I know that like the result, then I will print on the Moab Artistic Cards. These card are so expensive and I don’t want to mess them.
Hope you will enjoy this experience. I do enjoy looking at my photos printed, so different from looking at them on the monitor.
Good luck
Lina
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Epson doesn't make any paper, they buy from the major manufacturers, many mentioned here, and resell it.

For Premium Luster which is a Resin Coated Paper I like finestra Art available on Amazon. The ink holdout is excellent, I think better than Epson's, German paper stock and costs less than Epson.

For fine Art I like Canson Bryta which has a finish like B&W Glossy paper dried mat.
 
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The popular Epson Hot press natural, Is a rebranded Canson paper. Its is a very high quality paper.

Its the go to fine art paper used my WHCC. It supports a very wide color space. Almost full Adobe 1998. And it’s the reason why I chose it for fine art wall hangers.
 
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I have my prints printed at whitewall.com. They produce in Germany and offer a very large selection of products. Above all, they explain to you how to prepare your file so that your image looks the way you see it on your monitor. But that also means that your monitor is calibrated and not set too bright. In addition, the .icc profile should not be embedded. Color management is a demanding task.
But I also think that there are professional providers like this in many other countries.
 
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Mal Paso said:
Epson doesn't make any paper, they buy from the major manufacturers, many mentioned here, and resell it.

For Premium Luster which is a Resin Coated Paper I like finestra Art available on Amazon. The ink holdout is excellent, I think better than Epson's, German paper stock and costs less than Epson.

For fine Art I like Canson Bryta which has a finish like B&W Glossy paper dried mat.
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Thank you Mal for clarifying that! I did not know that Epson does not make their paper. I could not find anything on their web that explain why?
Lina
 
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Activert said:
Thank you Mal for clarifying that! I did not know that Epson does not make their paper. I could not find anything on their web that explain why?
Lina
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There are a handful of inkjet paper manufacturers who have the expertise of producing the paper along with the high quality receptive coatings. They manufacture papers under a variety of labels including their own along with those crafted to specification for Epson, Canon, etc.
 
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ajrmd said:
There are a handful of inkjet paper manufacturers who have the expertise of producing the paper along with the high quality receptive coatings. They manufacture papers under a variety of labels including their own along with those crafted to specification for Epson, Canon, etc.
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Thank you! Good to know!
 
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Lee R said:
Are there any inkjets that can survive being used intermittently, or a way to prevent everything from drying up while your gone?
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Printers are much better, my P800 goes months sometimes without printing and after a few cleaning cycles I get All my nozzles back.

Epson mostly rebrands existing papers. You can sometimes save money by pricing both versions.
 
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Lee R said:
Are there any inkjets that can survive being used intermittently, or a way to prevent everything from drying up while your gone?
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I print with Qimage Ultimate, and it has a Print Scheduler/unclog job sheet that can be set to print whenever you want to keep the printer clean. It prints a pattern using all of your printers colors. You can schedule it to print at a given date and time, or do it manually.
 
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Mal Paso said:
Printers are much better, my P800 goes months sometimes without printing and after a few cleaning cycles I get All my nozzles back.

Epson mostly rebrands existing papers. You can sometimes save money by pricing both versions.
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jdinny said:
I print with Qimage Ultimate, and it has a Print Scheduler/unclog job sheet that can be set to print whenever you want to keep the printer clean. It prints a pattern using all of your printers colors. You can schedule it to print at a given date and time, or do it manually.
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Thanks both of you. I've been wanting to buy a good photo printer but really apprehensive due to being burned so many times in the past by inkjets. I think the scheduled printing would be the way to go to keep things working correctly. It really is satisfying printing at home and seeing the results immediately.
 
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Mal Paso said:
Epson doesn't make any paper, they buy from the major manufacturers, many mentioned here, and resell it.

For Premium Luster which is a Resin Coated Paper I like finestra Art available on Amazon. The ink holdout is excellent, I think better than Epson's, German paper stock and costs less than Epson.

For fine Art I like Canson Bryta which has a finish like B&W Glossy paper dried mat.
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Thanks…added to my note on papers.
 
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Lee R said:
Are there any inkjets that can survive being used intermittently, or a way to prevent everything from drying up while your gone?
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The Epson 4900, 7900, and 9900 were argeuably the most clog prone printers ever made. Many owners used humidfiers in their print room or put containers of water inside the printer in an effort to prevent clogs.
 
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xxx said:
The Epson 4900, 7900, and 9900 were argeuably the most clog prone printers ever made. Many owners used humidfiers in their print room or put containers of water inside the printer in an effort to prevent clogs.
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I don't know. I had an HP that two weeks out of warranty refused to print and went into a cleaning cycle that required 2 new ink cartridges before I gave up, it just kept wasting ink. HP was No Help At All and that was the last HP, Never Again!
 
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Mal Paso said:
I don't know. I had an HP that two weeks out of warranty refused to print and went into a cleaning cycle that required 2 new ink cartridges before I gave up, it just kept wasting ink. HP was No Help At All and that was the last HP, Never Again!
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The Hp Z3200 are great printers for low volume use. They can be finicky at times.
 
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I have Epson 3880 which is still going strong. touchwood !!. The biggest issue with home printing is usage. If you don't use the printer regularly (probable once every two or three weeks) the print head will clog and could be a pain to unclog them. The inks also have a expiry date, although I have used them past expiry date with no issues.
 
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