ken53
Well-Known Member
Canon printers have treated me well also.
Last edited:
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Would you still buy a printer nowadays?
- Thread starter dirk
- Start date
ken53
Well-Known Member
"watch the ink levels diving!" Truer words were never spoken. (-:
nzmacro
Well-Known Member
A4 at home only. I use an Epson eco tank printer and really cheap to use. Bottles of ink are so cheap to run on it and they last a long time. My wife does family research, so it gets used everyday basically. For larger prints I'm lucky that two friends here that I shoot with own printing companies and that comes in handy. Chris also does framing as well.
Since November at home I've done 83 A4 prints
So I wouldn't be without a printer.
Danny.
Since November at home I've done 83 A4 prints
So I wouldn't be without a printer.
Danny.
I am printing probably less than or around 30 images a year and using Epson XP15000 now and Epson Photo Stylus 1400 before. Always keep printer ON, unless leaving on vacation. Knock on the wood never had any clogging and cleaned heads only once on the old printer. I prefer to do my own printing for several reasons: 1. I can do it whenever I need it, 2. I am printing from Lightroom and all my images in Adobe RGB. Labs require sRGB. 3. I have full control.
This is a very timely thread because I am just trying to decide whether or not to replace my Canon Pixma MG8220. I have always had a dedicated photo printer but really I have not printed any photos for a couple of years since I decided to just invest in more digital photo viewers so we could have my photos scrolling all the time. I have some just for family photos, some for trip photos, cottage photos, etc. I used to have magnetic frames on my fridge but once the newer non-magnetic fridge doors appeared, that was the end of those annually-refreshed frames. Then came the big clean out for a home reno which meant all static picture frames got packed away and after that, I decided I liked fewer things to dust so the digital frames allowed us to enjoy more photos all the time and still enjoy a more minimalistic look around the place.
I guess that is my decision already made....now I just have to mentally accept that I am no longer a photo printer person!
Cathy
I guess that is my decision already made....now I just have to mentally accept that I am no longer a photo printer person!
Cathy
100% worth it! And the risk of ink drying inbetween is very, very small; I print a nozzle check every week (plain paper and barely any ink), and I can do weeks without any serious printing. On Canon pro1000 here).Yes, both paper and ink can be costly....but...all worth it when you see the results. Especially on Fine Art papers!
And then...ink costs will always be higher with smaller cartridges (comparing by ml. content).
Keep printer "on" always (standby and never completely off)
Blufftonian
Well-Known Member
I have an HP tank colour printer, and a (B&W) HP LaserJet, at home but I think it would cost me a lot of money to buy a photo printer that could compete with the professional printing service (Printique in NYC) I use for making 11x14 (A3+) and larger prints for friends.
nzmacro
Well-Known Member
Totally agree. At home it's nothing serious and the photos just go into simple A4 clear folders. Nothing special for sure. Would I buy an expensive printer for A1 and larger for proper prints, ahhhh no way. Very hard to justify and I leave that to others for sure. I mean, even having photo books done online is cheap and they are pretty darn good.
Manzur Fahim
Well-Known Member
I normally don't print, so it is a no from me. I'd have to worry about where to keep it and whether my cats would leave it alone, and not jam up the rollers with their fur
Stan Disbrow
Member
Hi,
Yes, I would. I recently bought an Epson SC-P5000. A fast C-size machine with a sheet feeder. The intention was to produce 16x20" prints of the North Carolina lighthouses for sale.
Not a big money maker, but a decent sideline. That came about in 2020 during Covid to keep a different printer operating. That one is a Direct To Garment textile inkjet machine. With our screenprinting business shut down as far as the machine's main use - T shirt printing - I hit upon the idea of producing quilt blocks. Folks being always at home had time to do quilting.
So I picked up a used Pentax 645D and several lenses for cheap and hit the road. Several trips to the coast later, I had all seven lighthouses. And got to printing.
BTW, the machine cost for that DTG was $16k and the DuPont Artistri inks it spits out costs several times more per print than the Epson ink for the paper printer. Even the fine quilting fabric costs such that it makes a sheet of paper the same size appear to be free.
Anyway, that done, folks were asking for paper prints in frames as well. So, I bought a relatively low cost ($1.5k) Epson paper printer and got to work on that as well.
I also have access to a 44" machine at the photo store in Raleigh should anyone ask for a larger print than I can produce myself. So far, though, no requests. My most popular size is actually 11x14" and it's common for someone to buy 3 or 4 of the houses at one time and then come back to get the rest. I presume as they think of wall space for them all.
Stan
Yes, I would. I recently bought an Epson SC-P5000. A fast C-size machine with a sheet feeder. The intention was to produce 16x20" prints of the North Carolina lighthouses for sale.
Not a big money maker, but a decent sideline. That came about in 2020 during Covid to keep a different printer operating. That one is a Direct To Garment textile inkjet machine. With our screenprinting business shut down as far as the machine's main use - T shirt printing - I hit upon the idea of producing quilt blocks. Folks being always at home had time to do quilting.
So I picked up a used Pentax 645D and several lenses for cheap and hit the road. Several trips to the coast later, I had all seven lighthouses. And got to printing.
BTW, the machine cost for that DTG was $16k and the DuPont Artistri inks it spits out costs several times more per print than the Epson ink for the paper printer. Even the fine quilting fabric costs such that it makes a sheet of paper the same size appear to be free.
Anyway, that done, folks were asking for paper prints in frames as well. So, I bought a relatively low cost ($1.5k) Epson paper printer and got to work on that as well.
I also have access to a 44" machine at the photo store in Raleigh should anyone ask for a larger print than I can produce myself. So far, though, no requests. My most popular size is actually 11x14" and it's common for someone to buy 3 or 4 of the houses at one time and then come back to get the rest. I presume as they think of wall space for them all.
Stan