Do you print your own fine art prints or send them out?

[Ilovemycam]

When you need fine art prints, do you print your own or send them out?

Inkjet or wet, if your a printer check in.

 

[gsgary]

Send out much cheaper, but will be doing wet prints soon

 

[KmH]

I let the printing experts do the job. Because of the volume they do, they can do it far cheaper than I can, particularly when the cost of my time is considered.

 

[snowbear113 45]

I bought my printer for $30, new; it's fine for stuff to put on the refrigerator (though I did use it to print my son's passport photo), but anything worthy of a frame gets sent out.

 

[KmH]

Professional grade, 10" max width, 7-color inkjet printer, only $14,000 - Noritsu M300 Printer | Digital Minilab M300 - FotoClub Inc

 

[Ysarex83 77]

I send out prints that aren't important, otherwise I do all my own printing.

Joe

 

[table1349]

Do you print your own fine art prints or send them out?

Yes.

 

[MLeeK]

I can't fathom having the equipment to print large fine art prints. It's way too cost prohibitive..

 

[timor]

but will be doing wet prints soon

It's about time. And we talking high end silver gelatine, fiber based prints, right ?

 

[Helen B]

I print my own snaps, unless they are too big for my printing equipment. I don't, however, call it fine art. What some people sell as fine art I call dreck. That's a whole different issue that is not relevant to this discussion.

My reasons are not primarily financial. I need to be completely happy with the prints I sell, and printing them myself is one way of achieving that. Most of my stuff is inkjet printed because of the appearance and predicted longevity - inkjet prints can have a greater range of colours, a greater density range, a greater choice of paper surfaces and greater predicted life than chromegenic paper. Aside from the aesthetic aspects, I think that the purchaser of the print deserves the best predicted life I can provide. (I also do fibre-based silver gelatin).

It would, in fact, be quite expensive to get prints done to the same standards. One of the side effects of doing my own printing is that people can see the standard I am capable of, and I can get printing work that way if I wish.

There's also an issue of authorship, how I feel about the prints. Beyond reason, nothing concrete, but these prints are some kind of an expression and doing things the way I do feels appropriate, for me.

 

[Blackjack]

Helen B., I'd love to see some of your work. Your replies suggest that you are very knowledgeable and I always respect your opinions. Do you have a website where I can take a look? Thank you.