Quality printers...???

[Shorty]

Hi everyone,

My old printer died recently and I'm in the process of trying to work out what to replace it with. I'm only very new to the world of photography and as the quality of my pics improve(hopefully!) I'm sure there will be a few that I'd like to print and keep in a form other then as a file on a drive somewhere.

This then started me thinking(yay - something has too!!) what do others do when they want to display an image?? Do you take it along to a printer or are there good quality personal printers out there that allow for suitable printing for framing and keeping of pics...?? I've seen the scrolling postcard type frames that I think run off a USB connection etc.. but I don't think that's really going to suit what I'm after... but that was a few years ago though...!!

Any suggestions or hints as to things I should look for...???

Cheers,

Shorty

[gstark]

What sizes are you thinking you may want to print to.

Many of us have found that the Epson R800/R1800 printers are perfectly suited for this task. Use the right paper and ink, you'll go a long way to find something better.

[Shorty]

What sizes are you thinking you may want to print to.

Many of us have found that the Epson R800/R1800 printers are perfectly suited for this task. Use the right paper and ink, you'll go a long way to find something better.

That's a really good question Gary, I have no idea and it wasn't even something that I'd considered!! I'm not even sure what size I'd want the results to be at this stage... maybe A4 as a maximum??

Thanks for the suggestion and tips, it's greatly appreciated and it gives me a starting point to go from!!

Cheers,

Shorty

[bwhinnen]

We just bought a little Canon IP 4300 when we needed a new printer, we were at the shop and that was about the best they had in our price bracket at the time.

Does the job fairly well for what we need up to A4. If I want something decent I go to a lab

[MCWB]

Shorty, the main advantage of having your own photo printer is that (as long as you have the required media) you don't have much delay between finishing processing the digital file and physically having the print in front of you, i.e. you don't have to go to a lab, or send the file off electronically and wait for the print to arrive.

The disadvantage is of course cost. The prints from something like a R800/R1800 are more expensive than a pro lab, and that's without factoring in the initial outlay for the printer. How much are you going to want to print? I did the sums a while ago and figured that whilst the convenience of having a R1800 at home would be nice, I couldn't justify that convenience in terms of cost and frequency of use. $800+ will buy you a lot of prints from a pro lab...

[Matt. K]

I'm with Gary on this. Go for an Epson R800 and fall in love with the art of making beautiful, archival, fine-art quality photographs. It takes your photography to the final step.

[MSF]

I have run a Canon S9000 for a number of years and recently upgraded it to the Pro9000 about 4 mths ago...

Always fantastic results - and the fact that I get the inks pretty cheap :p

I ONLY used them for photo prints, as I have a PIXMA IP4000 for all my 'normal' paper printing and CD/DVD covers...

Been VERY happy with the results, but as has been mentioned - QUALITY paper ( I use Ilford Galerie) and GENUINE ink will make a world of difference...

[Ant]

I have run a Canon S9000 for a number of years and recently upgraded it to the Pro9000 about 4 mths ago...

Always fantastic results - and the fact that I get the inks pretty cheap :p

I ONLY used them for photo prints, as I have a PIXMA IP4000 for all my 'normal' paper printing and CD/DVD covers...

Been VERY happy with the results, but as has been mentioned - QUALITY paper ( I use Ilford Galerie) and GENUINE ink will make a world of difference...

Glad to hear this as I plan on getting a 9000 when my current printer dies (maybe with a little help).

Also helps that my co. is a Canon reseller (except SLR's d'oh) so I can get this and the consumables for a good price.

[pippin88]

I have an R1800 and love the prints it produces.

That said I have not used it in a long time. Actually considering selling it.

[broadbean]

I have the Canon PIXMA MP810:
http://www.canon.com.au/products/all_in ... mp810.aspx

It's great (also applies to its size - literally!):
Separate ink tanks with ChromaLife;
prints direct on CD/DVD;
scans negs and slides;
prints direct from most digital cameras and integrated memory card reader
duplex printing, including Canon's double side photo paper.

The cheapest I've seen is from MSY for $307. If it only had built-in ethernet networking like the MP600R...

[methd]

I use the Canon Pixma IP6700D

http://www.canon.com.au/products/printe ... 6700d.aspx

couldn't be more happier with it.

[Eugene-K]

The disadvantage is of course cost. The prints from something like a R800/R1800 are more expensive than a pro lab

You may try to use CISS (continuous ink supply system) with your printer. It's not expensive at all and it's even cheaper than printing in pro photolab if you often print large size images. As long as you use good quality ink and photo paper you'll get high quality prints.

[DVEous]

... Obsolete ...

[Reschsmooth]

Get an R-1800, you won't be sorry.

Apart from initial cost, I believe the running costs of the 1800 is no different to the 800, but when you want to print A3+, having that option is amazing.

[SteveGriffin]

If you plan on doing any B&W printing go for an R2400. I bought one a couple of months ago and it is fantastic.

[gstark]

Hell!

Just go and buy yourself a bloody minilab!

[chrisk]

the r800 is hard to find. are they bringing a newer model out or something ? all 4 local shops don't have it in stock. btw: does the r800 print on that thicker canvas paper ?

[JeffGlue]

I believe that the new epson R1900 has been announced

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0710/07100 ... nr1900.asp

so maybe there is a R900 on the way too!

[chrisk]

that would eplain it.

[Shorty]

Wow thanks to everyone that replied, I very much appreciate it. Sadly my home PC has died, so that is now going to take priority over a new printer.... *sigh*

Stoopid PC!!

Shorty