? about Printers.

trades2cash · Jan 2, 2009

First let me say hi to all. My question is this I would like to buy a printer and am willing to spend up to 1 thousand dollars. I dont want an all in one printer, and after reading reviews of the higher quality printers i find myself very confused. The different types of ink and everything else has me throwing my hands in the air. I really want to be able to print a 13X19 with lab quality results or as close as you can get. Right now i use walmart for my printing needs but am unable to get a 13X19. If i got a printer i would probably average about 30 8X10's a month and 5 13x19's a month. And a couple hundred 4x6's a month. I was hoping some of you could give me your input on what you useand how cost effective it is. Thanks..............signed Randall

usayit · Jan 2, 2009

I think the first thing you should decide is whether your intention is absolute control over the final prints OR meeting your bulk printing needs.

Since you were happy with your prints from Walmart with the exception that they cannot meet your 13x19 needs (12x18?), then my guess your real need is meeting your bulk printing requirements. For that, I would recommend finding an alternate print service to Walmart. Or perhaps, augment Walmart's current services with another service to print just those 13x19 prints. Your current workflow will most likely remain very similar. You will not have to worry ink, paper, maintenance, and cost of a printer. The service is generally flexible with your specific needs.

I highly recommend looking at "mpix.com". There are quite a few happy customers (including me)... many use them for professional services. There are a few around that provide similar services... just shop around, send some test prints, and examine the costs.

You focus on creating the photos... let someone else focus on creating the final print.

MikeBcos · Jan 3, 2009

To print 13x19 photographs you are going to need at least a 17" wide printer, especially if you want to print right to the edge of the sheet, in that case you will have to print on a larger sheet and cut them down to size. The minimum you need to be looking at is the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 which starts at $1300. Then you need the ink, last time I looked at Epson ink prices a full set of 8 cartridges was over $500. Then you have to add servicing, printers in this class must have regular servicing to keep producing the results you expect.

Pro quality photo printers are very expensive to buy and very expensive to run. Your cost per piece will be far higher than you currently pay.

Ritz/Wolf produce 13x19 and larger prints and their quality is generally pretty good.

table1349 · Jan 3, 2009

There is the Epson 2880.

Borderless Photo Sizes

4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", A4 (8.3" x 11.7"), letter (8.5" x 11"), 11" x 14", 12" x 12", B (11" x 17"), A3 (11.7" x 16.5") and Super B (13" x 19") sizes

Epson Stylus Photo R2880, Specifications - Product Information - Epson America, Inc.

I have that printer and am very satisfied with it. However I am not printing the amount of prints you listed. The down side to the 2880 is the small ink cartridge size compared to the 3600 and having to swap between photo black and matte black depending on the media you are using. Swapping only takes a moment, but it would be nice to not have to do it at all.

With what you estimated that you would be printing, it might be a toss up between the 2880 and the 3600. Cost per print would probably go to the 3600 in your case however the 2880 is in your price range.

sween · Jan 3, 2009

Sorry if this doesn't directly answer your question, but it gives me a chance to spout off about the worldwide printer conspiracy.

The conspiracy, of course, is in ink. No matter how much or how little you spend on the machine itself, you'll bleed money buying ink over the years.

After owning several printers, and having access to a 17" printer with which all I needed to do was pay for ink, I have given up on printing my own work.

Someone mentioned K-Mart. Let me toss Walgreen's into the mix for anything up to an 8X10. Usually on sale, I often pay under $2.00 per print and I have yet to get one that wasn't an excellent reproduction.

We're also fortunate to have two first-class photo labs within a half hour of home, one of which does work internationally. Both of them are far more reasonably priced than you might imagine. One of the labs has the capability of prints that are literally wall-size.

I was among the many who thought printing one's own work was a dream come true. That idea went into the toilet in a hurry once ink cartridges drained on a weekly basis.

And let's not overlook all the clunkers you'll run, the losers that you'll print over and maybe over again until you get what you want. If I don't like a Walgreen print(only once happened)they do it again at no charge, and I assume again, if you ask.

My two most recent printers do nothing but b&w document work these days. I don't see that changing.

benrock · Jan 3, 2009

i know you want full size but the epson r280 is insane , the pictures come out crystal clear , and you can print on dvd /cd , the best part was i got it in a sealed box for $39 on ebay $12 shipping with ink

Johnboy2978 · Jan 3, 2009

you can get professional prints for a long time at mpix.com for what you would pay for a nice quality printer, ink, quality paper, etc. It's a no-brainer to me. There is no way you can do it cheaper at home, not to mention the quality.

Holy Ghosted · Jan 4, 2009

Just a point no one else has mentioned for your best results you will need to calibrate your monitor as well as your printer and run those ICC profiles. So a good calibration system to profile a printer as well starts at around $500.00. You will need to take the time to recalibrate before every big job to keep the consistency from job to job as well. And we do not know if you know how to RIP your files to size them for a 13x19 are you planing on using byQubic or Qimage. Some times photographers take on to many professions and never give them selves a chance to perfect any of them.