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Would you still buy a printer nowadays?

Yes, I think when/if my current Canon large format inkjet dies I would buy another. I like the freedom of running off a print when I want and not having to find a local lab that prints or order online and wait for it to arrive, unless I'm doing a canvas or other special print.

Mark
 
Hi,

Well,.for fabric, I have a specialized inkjet. Spits out DuPont Artistri ink. Usually used for printing images on T shirts. It also makes for a fine Quilt Block as well.

Stan
 
When people were flipping Canon PRO-100's for $150, I got one of them. I have sometimes gone months without printing on them, and they don't clog. Yes they waste ink priming, although QImage's anti-clog printing routine keeps them from doing the deep priming (see Jose Rodriquez's YouTube channel about that--I don't know all the why's and therefores). I'll print only a few times a year, but hope to do more in the future. It's great fun, and I like the image quality control I have by printing my own. The prints are more archival than the Wal-marts or local stuff. I'm not not sure how archival Shutterfly (it's local where I am). I'm also not sure how cost effective the quality print houses are, since they also ought to be more archival.
 
I'm all for printing at home. I have two Ecotank printers - an ET-8550 and ET-16680, plus an SC-P5000 17" photo printer, and they all have roles which they fill very well. The Ecotanks are stupidly cheap to run, while P5000 carts can be picked up cheap on ebay if you keep an eye open. Seems to me it depends entirely on your individual needs as to whether buying/owning is suitable for "you".
 
I could not do without my printer. It is an Epson SC-P700 which is really a wonderful machine. Family and friends usually prefer prints rather than an email with a jpeg that often gets lost in maps in maps in maps ...
 
coldcoffee said:
Just outta curio since I'm UK based and I notice alot in this thread are the other side of the pond, what do you photographers in the USA (and/or Canada) pay for prints at sizes upwards from A4?

Shelton.
Click to expand...
Here is a link to a lab in the San Francisco area...the link is to their fine art inkjet pricing..

Fine Art Prints from Your Images or Artwork — Bay Photo Lab

Fine Art Prints are made with high-quality archival inks on fine art papers using a high-resolution large format inkjet printer.
bayphoto.com bayphoto.com

Regards,
Michael
 
Yes, definitely. I use my good old Canon Pixma only a few times per year, approximately 1-5 prints per year. In the past, I destroyed 3 printers by using third party ink. Since that I only use original ink and never had problem with dried ink again, even if the printer is not used for many months, the very first print looks perfectly fine.
 
I just had 130 4x6 prints made at my local drug store for 6 Euro. That's almost the cost of the blank photo paper alone from when I was printing at home. I had a couple that looked worthy of printing larger, so I might give that a try next.
 
Good JCDoss. Glad you' re happy. Did you also try larger prints yet? If so, how do you like them?
 
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