Let's talk all things photo printers

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DavidT

DavidT

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I am considering buying a printer to print my own photos in house. Currently I order prints online from one of the many print houses and I have been happy with the results as I do some on paper and some on metal. I have a couple of friends that have the Canon Pro1000 and are encouraging me to buy one.

So I figured let's start a thread and talk about pros and cons of printing yourself, the real cost, the different brands and their pros and cons etc.

If you have a printer I would love to hear your thoughts and what you have learned.

Thank You,
David
 
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After many years of different large size printers from HP like Z2100, Z3100 and Epson, I finally use Canon and I will stick to that so far. HP LFP were fine in terms of printing but caused lot of extra cost for failing harddrives, printheads etc.
For private users, Epson has the ongoing issues with drying printheads/nozzles. If you do not print everyday or at least on a weekly base, I would not recommened Epson. Although the results are great. But in fact all these dedicated photo printers deliver excellent quality nowadays.

For 6 years now, I am using an old Canon IPF5100 which still works perfectly fine. No clogging, no proprietary harddrive that can fail. Just printing fine.
If it will fail at a certain point, I would grab the Canon Pro Series too and stick to Canon.

Nevertheless I would recommened to use a piece of software which is called Qimage Ultimate. They have developed a print scheme which uses all inks at the same time in order to prevent clogging. You can schedule your unclogg jobs, to become a set and forget setting on your computer.
But it provides far more than only unclogg jobs for your printer.
 
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perhaps not useful, but i gave up on doing my own prints. perhaps it was due to the printer segment or perhaps because i didn't print frequently but all the high end consumer photo inkjets i tried would eventually start having problems, probably due to clogged nozzles
 
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John Navitsky said:
... perhaps because i didn't print frequently...
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In fact this is the most common issue with printing at home.
Therefore I really recommened two things:
- always keep your printer in stand-by/energy save mode (no switching off)
- use Qimage Ultimate for regular unclogg printing jobs (for Canon every 48h)

Anything else will lead to clogged nozzles, expensive cleaning cycles and high costs for head replacement etc..

On the opposite printing at home gives you full control, which rarely can be achieved with external print shops. But of course a lot depends on your expectations in terms of quality of the final print.
 
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I have had pro level inkjet printers but now only use a color lasterjet for proofs. With a lab my costs are far less and I get a much more durable print. I also can have them mounted to whatever material I want. Very larger prints I have mounted on Masonite for protection while in transit to my house, to the framing shop, and to the client.

The inkjet paper and ink and printer industry has done a great job of focusing on UV fading and ignoring chemical and mechanical abrasion problems with inkjet prints. My brother has worked for the past 30 years doing print restoration for the major art galleries and museums in the USA. An entire wing at the Met had all its inkjet prints damaged when the company that maintains the floors changed to a different type of wax that outgassed. No such problems with prints that are made on photo paper.

I used to make Cibachrome prints and each print took 1 hour and a dedicated darkroom and to get a final print could take all day. Not that much different with inkjet printers. With a lab I can upload 80 image files to their server on Sunday and have the prints made and mounted and at my door by Wednesday at the latest.

I also was devoting a great deal of space for the printer and for supplies and bulk ink tanks and when I looked into space for a large dry mount press it was not there unless I set it up on the dining room table.
 
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Calson said:
...With a lab I can upload 80 image files to their server on Sunday and have the prints made and mounted and at my door by Wednesday at the latest...
Click to expand...

You are fully right. For a pro with this kind of volume, it doesn't make sense to bother with printing and mounting at home. Way too much time and therefore cost.
 
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Actually, most of the fine art photographers I know do their own printing. The rationale is that they get a better final product through having complete control of each step of the process and the ability to easily do multiple generations of proofs to get exactly the rendering you wanted. I've used several high-end print labs, and they can do a great job, but once you send them the file the output is up to them. If you wanted the zone 3-4 grays a bit more transparent, or the light a little less blue or the highlights a little less hot, for example, you're stuck - you have to do the whole process again. Fine-scale control is hard with a commercial lab.

With the exception of printing on metal or some other un-traditional media, you can do as good a job on a mid-range 17" printer as any printshop. In fact, most of the high end printshops use commercial versions of the same Epson and Canon printers, just bigger and more robust.

The current generation of inkjet printers is far less likely to clog than they used to be, as well. Don't turn the power off, print something every week, and you're good. My P800 hasn't ever clogged, where my 2880 did it weekly.

I don't have any experience with HP printers, and relatively little of Canon printers, but I've used a lot of Epson printers. The 17" P900 you'd have at home uses the same inks and prints the same quality as the 64" P20000 color lab printer.

As you can tell, I'm a big advocate of doing your own printing. It's satisfying to produce a tangible object that reflects the vision you have of the image.
 
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I had an Epson 3880 for 10+ years and it was a workhorse. I printed everything for my clients myself and it was great. It finally died and I've replaced it with another Epson, P900 and so far it's even better than the 3880. I don't print as much anymore but when I do I really enjoy printing myself. At the end of the day it's one of the cheapest photography items when compared to all the lenses and cameras so the cost isn't much of a factor for me.
 
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I am printing on Glossy photo paper with a Canon MX922. My print size is 4x6. I have been using OfficeWorld ink cartridges that I got from Amazon and was happy but now I am out and can't find this brand. Does anyone have an inexpensive brand of ink they like?
 
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I was in the same position (wanting a printer) back in November/December. I did my research and for me it came down to a choice between the Canon Pro-200, Pro-300 and Pro-1000. Up to this point I've always printed on matte paper and it seemed like the pigment inks of the Pro-300 and Pro-1000 would be a better fit. The general consensus when I was researching was that the Pro-1000 was the kind of printer that was best used daily. I wanted a printer that I could use once a week or every 2 weeks and that seemed to be the Pro-300.

I've owned a Pro-300 for 4 months now and I'm very happy with it. The quality of the prints is fantastic. I am able to purchase and use the same papers that I could get from the professional printers and I can't tell the difference between their prints (giant epsom inkjet) and mine. I have no doubt that there are some subtle differences but they're lost on me, especially once you get to any kind of sensible viewing distance. I have also found that I much prefer the results I can get when re-editing an image to my tastes.

After a flurry of initial printing to learn about editing for printing I haven't been on any trips or taken photos that I want to try printing. I think it'll come in bursts after photography holidays for me and that doesn't go well with keeping a printer well maintained. Thankfully I also decided back in December that if I had my own printer then I could also try selling a few prints. I'd long had some listed on my website but with no interest so I tried setting up a little shop on an online marketplace. I had extremely low expectations for this but I've shipped about 10 orders since getting the printer. The printer is getting a more regular workout as a result and feels like a great purchase. If I hadn't done the shop then I think I'd be thinking differently.

The Pro-1000 comes with much larger ink tanks and can print larger. I really would like to be able to print larger but I know I'd be burning through a lot of ink to just keep the printer running. I print around 46cm wide on A3+ with a small border ~1cm on each edge. I printed a few for my house now and I think the size works really well so I'm a little less bothered about not being able to do A2. The Pro-1000 is also probably next in line for a refresh in a couple of years. If my sales go up a bit and the Pro-1000 replacement reviews well and is perhaps a little less ink hungry when not printing daily then I'll definitely consider it.

In terms of real cost of printing then it can feel quite painful. It is ironic though considering how easy it is to drop thousands on a lens and then be annoyed at £140 on some ink. I buy Canson Infinity Rag Photographique 310gsm. It currently costs me about £3 per sheet for A3+ and a little over £1 for A4. I use cheaper A4 paper for proofs. Ink is more tricky. I think it's roughly £3 for every A3+ print so far. So every big print for me is £6 without any proofing. Out of about 50 prints so far I've had one with a dark dot which shouldn't have been there in a white area. No other errors or issues that I've noticed.

Overall I'm delighted that I bought a printer but I'm not sure I would be quite so enthusiastic without selling prints. I no longer really need to worry about ink/paper costs because I know my small profits are more than covering all that. The Canon Pro-300 has been very easy to use and in many ways an ideal starter printer for me but I also don't feel like I've compromised on quality. I've thoroughly enjoyed learning about printing and then selling and shipping prints too.

You've probably found his videos already but if you haven't then look up Keith Cooper on youtube. He does comprehensive videos and articles on all aspects of printing and his content was very useful in helping me to make my decision and then get up to speed quickly once I had the printer.
 
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Nimi said:
Love the 1000. Just be aware that the Maintenance Cartridge MC-20 which needs to be replaced regularly isn't in stock anywhere and often goes out of stock when available because people hoard. A $14 part that you can't run without. No workaround. @dtibbals
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When I got my Pro1000 I also bought several of the maintenance cartridges. If you keep an eye open they come back into stock
 
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@lablover27

I can see you love the Pro-1000 and I'm curious how much of the research I did corresponds to what you've found. The main reason I avoided it was because it seemed like it was better as a daily printer and I knew I would be far more infrequent. Do you print very frequently and, if not, do you run into any issues as a result or feel like you're burning through ink just to keep it in good shape? Have you had any issues if you've left it for a few weeks or a month without touching it (if you went on a trip for example)?

Are there any other downsides of owning the Pro-1000 in your experience?

I hedged my bets with the Pro-300 due to available space, not knowing if I'd really use it and the above concerns. Once I move house later this year I'll have plenty of space and I know I'm printing every 7-14 days with my little print shop.. so I may well be tempted to take a step-up in future.
 
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pwaring said:
@lablover27

I can see you love the Pro-1000 and I'm curious how much of the research I did corresponds to what you've found. The main reason I avoided it was because it seemed like it was better as a daily printer and I knew I would be far more infrequent. Do you print very frequently and, if not, do you run into any issues as a result or feel like you're burning through ink just to keep it in good shape? Have you had any issues if you've left it for a few weeks or a month without touching it (if you went on a trip for example)?

Are there any other downsides of owning the Pro-1000 in your experience?

I hedged my bets with the Pro-300 due to available space, not knowing if I'd really use it and the above concerns. Once I move house later this year I'll have plenty of space and I know I'm printing every 7-14 days with my little print shop.. so I may well be tempted to take a step-up in future.
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My biggest concern was ink usage. The printer is pretty smart. If left on which is what everyone recommended it will do a small clean cycle every 60 hrs. I picked up Qimage that has a program that runs a nozzle check which barely uses any ink. This then avoids the 60 hr clean. I’ve gone weeks without using it and it’s still running fine. I will say when you buy the printer and set it up it will drain the ink cartridges to about half. Scared me to death until I realized the pro1000 has ink lines so they had to be primed. I’m still on the original cartridges and have printed over a dozen very large prints and my ink usage has not bugged the process to print is so simple with canons printer print plug in for Lightroom and photoshop. And using provided profiles from Red River makes the entire process so simple.
 
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I have an Epson XP-1500. Usually at home the largest I will print is 11X14. This printer can handle up to 13X19. Anything bigger I will have a photo lab print it for me. It is fun printing my photos at home and when I want to give one to a friend I can get it out the same day.
 
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dtibbals said:
I am considering buying a printer to print my own photos in house. Currently I order prints online from one of the many print houses and I have been happy with the results as I do some on paper and some on metal. I have a couple of friends that have the Canon Pro1000 and are encouraging me to buy one.

So I figured let's start a thread and talk about pros and cons of printing yourself, the real cost, the different brands and their pros and cons etc.

If you have a printer I would love to hear your thoughts and what you have learned.

Thank You,
David
Click to expand...
I have little interest or desire to print my own images. Quite honestly, I don't print all that many images anyway and, when I do, I find it much more convenient to outsource the work to a local printer. They do an excellent job, often have suggestions about the best way to print, and on what media, and assume all the risk if the image isn't to my liking (they've been very accommodating on doing reprints, if necessary). In my opinion, printing high quality images is a whole different skill set than creating the images in the first place, and to do it well you have to be really good at it. I prefer to concentrate on making the very best wildlife images that I'm able, and leave transferring them to physical media to a specialist printer.
 
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G-FOTO.de said:
...
For private users, Epson has the ongoing issues with drying printheads/nozzles. If you do not print everyday or at least on a weekly base, I would not recommened Epson. Although the results are great. But in fact all these dedicated photo printers deliver excellent quality nowadays.
...
Click to expand...
I have heard this said and repeated many times. I'm possibly possessed of extremely good luck, but I've not had this issue with my Epson Artisan 1430 Photo Printer. I've let it sit unused for well over a year, and when I turned it on, it went through a cleaning cycle and has been working fine for the last six months of irregular and infrequent printing.

The only thing I'd want that it doesn't have is the capability to print wider than thirteen inches, more ink colors, and to use bulk ink like the Epson Ecotank printers. I'd supplant it with the Epson Stylus P900 immediately if that printer was available as an Ecotank model from Epson. What I won't do is buy one to modify it with a third party bulk ink adapter. I'm also using the Epson Print Layout software, downloaded from Epson at no charge, which allows me greater flexibility to modify printer settings. This is especially useful when I want to print oversized prints, especially larger panoramas.

As far as paper goes, I use and recommend Red River Paper (RRP) products. I've used Epson, H-P and Moab photo papers in the past, but really like the RRP products when using their matching print profiles.

As far as costs go, paper costs vary greatly by sheet size. Ink has tended to cost me on the order of about $1.250-$2.00 per square foot of printed surface.
 
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I use a range of papers on my P800. My default is Ilford Gallerie Pearl, roll fed. I will sometimes use glossy or high-gloss film papers like Pictorico or Epson Glossy. Moab Slickrock Metallic in gloss or Pearl is interesting, with some of the look of Cibachrome (which I miss). There is a bewildering array of baryta papers designed to simulate the look of old barium sulfide coated chemical papers. These can have a delicacy of shade that's really nice, but I haven't really figured them out well yet. For monochrome they can have a really classic look. Some come out stunning, some less so, and I'm not sure why yet. I also print some images on matte or watercolor papers when I'm looking for a more retro 'painterly' look.

People generally seem to associate photographic prints with large images, but for a while I've also been running small prints - 4x6 or 5x7 in an 11x14 mat. I think people like them because they're less obtrusive in their homes. At least they get positive reactions :)

Yes, it's a different skill than capturing the image, though you can take the final print into account when shooting as well. I'm always reminded of Ansel's quote - the negative is the score, the print is the performance.

As an aside, I was intrigued by some Canon printer features and considered adding one to experiment with, but the feedback was that they use a fair amount of ink and that the ink is quite costly...

There's a lot of information on printing on luminous-landscape.com
 
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dtibbals said:
I am considering buying a printer to print my own photos in house. Currently I order prints online from one of the many print houses and I have been happy with the results as I do some on paper and some on metal. I have a couple of friends that have the Canon Pro1000 and are encouraging me to buy one.

So I figured let's start a thread and talk about pros and cons of printing yourself, the real cost, the different brands and their pros and cons etc.

If you have a printer I would love to hear your thoughts and what you have learned.

Thank You,
David
Click to expand...

This one is hard the quantify but it's the main reason I print. The joy of seeing a nice image rolling off the printer, especially bigger one, is unmatched by seeing it on screen, however big, bright and sharp. I am contemplating something bigger than my P1000, maybe with roll option.

It's not cheaper and there a small learning curve, but in my experience modern printers don't have the issues most non-printing photographers repeat here and the learning curve isn't that steep.
 
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Nimi said:
This one is hard the quantify but it's the main reason I print. The joy of seeing a nice image rolling off the printer, especially bigger one, is unmatched by seeing it on screen, however big, bright and sharp. I am contemplating something bigger than my P1000, maybe with roll option.

It's not cheaper and there a small learning curve, but in my experience modern printers don't have the issues most non-printing photographers repeat here and the learning curve isn't that steep.
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Hey Dave. Any of this sound familiar! Absolutely perfectly said. So before you even bought a printer you’re ready for an upgrade. I had my pro 300 for about a day before I returned it and got the pro1000
 
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IMO the only solid reason for printing at home is flexibility. One can do it anytime and make experiments with colors and papers which are not easy when using commercial printing.
Space available for the printer and the output quality are probably the most important factors to consider, as the price will be always higher for home printing. Very valid concern is durability of print heads as was mentioned in the previous posts.

I have opted two years ago for a used Canon Pro 10. The quality is more than good enough for me and I can scale the prints to A3 size. But it is quite a big printer.
 
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