Photo printer

[Schachteles]

I am looking for some help.

I want to be able to print pictures at home that are as close to professional quality as you can do at home. I have seen some people pictures that they have printed and it just isn't quality. I am not really concerned about price, I just want a great quality print. What printer would you buy? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[MICKEY88]

it is actually cheaper to have them printed elsewhere, is there a reason you want to print at home..

 

[Schachteles]

I know it is cheaper other places, I want the convenience of doing it at home on the spot.

 

[boBQuincy]

Canon's Pro9000 or one of the good Epsons can produce a print as good as any lab, *but* it takes a lot of work and generally a calibrated monitor.

 

[Schachteles]

Canon's Pro9000 or one of the good Epsons can produce a print as good as any lab, *but* it takes a lot of work and generally a calibrated monitor.

I was just looking at the Pro9000, do you know what the archival time is on those??

THANKS

 

[boBQuincy]

Here are Canon's claims:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/c...yAct&fcategoryid=125&keycode=chromalife_index

I would take these (and any other manufacturer's claims) with a grain of salt (or maybe a whole shaker full) since these claims are from accelerated tests and not real world. In truth no one knows how long any of today's prints will last.

 

[MICKEY88]

the issue I have with home printing is that I have yet to see prints that will not run when they get wet, is there such a thing..??

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

We use the Epson R1900 and a R800. The 800 is our older printer. The 1900 is wider format for larger printing. They both use the Ultra Chrome 2 pigment ink. IMHO it produces lab quality prints when used on the highest quality Epson photo paper.

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=63073901

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I think that the best printer for home use today is the Epson 3880. For the best results, I'd order it with a RIP.

I've been using good photo printers for years (Canon and Epson) and have never had a problem with inks running.

 

[MICKEY88]

I think that the best printer for home use today is the Epson 3880. For the best results, I'd order it with a RIP.

I've been using good photo printers for years (Canon and Epson) and have never had a problem with inks running.

have the prints been exposed to water

 

[Schachteles]

Thanks for the responses...I am going to check them out and hopefully make a decision.

 

[mom2rtk]

have the prints been exposed to water

My epson prints have been exposed to water and absolutely do not run.

I print most of mine at home because I scrapbook and never know until I start a page which size I will need. And sometimes I want a non-standard size.

It IS expensive, but I shop for deals on bulk paper and buy my ink on Ebay.

I have no idea how to calibrate my monitor, but I do know what I print tends to be a little darker than what I see on the monitor (this has been the case with every printer and monitor I have had through the years) so I just always lighten my shots a little extra before printing. Not exact, but I'm happy with it...

The most important thing is to use the right setting for the paper you are using.

 

[mabas9395]

have the prints been exposed to water

Sounds like you need one of them fancy underwater printers.

 

[mom2rtk]

Sounds like you need one of them fancy underwater printers.

Ohh... he must have one of those fancy underwater cameras too!

 

[mabas9395]

Ohh... he must have one of those fancy underwater cameras too!

I think you have to have both in order to get your underwater shots to turn out right.

 

[Schachteles]

ohh... He must have one of those fancy underwater cameras too!

i love my underwater camera!!

 

[mabas9395]

Ohh... he must have one of those fancy underwater cameras too!

I think you have to have both in order to get your underwater shots to turn out right.

 

[photo_chick]

I've got an Epson R1800 that I've had since they first came out in '05. I generally get better than my local lab quality prints. Not quite as good as when I send out to the professional print house. The ink is supposed to be archival. I've tried nearly every paper brand out there and found Inkpress Papers give the best results. Ilford run a close second.

I have in fact cleaned sticky finger prints off my photos with a damp sponge and not had problems with the ink running. You do however have to give the prints a good 24 hours to dry when you first print them before putting them into a frame.

Invest in a colorimeter to help calibrate your monitor to the printer. It will save you soem frustration and money.

 

[mom2rtk]

I've had several Epson printers and have been very happy with the job they do. But they don't seem to last more than a year. At some point I get an error message saying "parts inside the printer have outlived their life. Please contact service". At which point if it's less than a year and in warranty, they send me a new one. If not, I end up buying a new one.

Just know that going into buying an Epson. Anyone else have this happen?

 

[photo_chick]

I've not had that problem with my Epsons. My current one I've run hard for the last 5 years and it still works great.