help with photo printer selection

[trent77]

Hello: Having just ventured into photography, I am looking for a photo printer that will give me better quality photos than those typically found in places like CVS, Duanne Reade, etc. Since I will have to make do without a pc for a while, I need a printer that has pictbridge, maybe a memory card slot and is not difficult to set up. I saw the epsonpicturemate charm in B@H Photo but I was told that the photos will not be better than if I were to take my photos to be developed at a "Drugstore".

A co worker mentioned that the better quality printers do not use pictbridge or memory cards since the photo software in their pc's will enable superior prints than relying on a connection via memory card or pictbridge. However, for the present time, I need to have a a direct connection to a printer and would like a to be able to print very good quality photos.The size of the printer and the cost is not a major factor.

Presently I was given a Nikon d90 to begin my photography experience.

If our photography experts would kindly recommend a few printer models, I would be appreciate all the help.

 

[KmH]

If you're going to do your own printing you'll also need to learn about color management and some other technical subjects if you aren't already familair with the ins-and-outs of printing:
Tutorials on Color Management & Printing

 

[trent77]

KmH: thank you for the color management tutorials. I also see someone posted a photo printing website. That would be something to consider if I wanted someone else to do the printing but I am looking for a physical printer of my own that has a pictbridge and can produce better quality photos than those offered at the local drugstores.

 

[Ysarex]

KmH: thank you for the color management tutorials. I also see someone posted a photo printing website. That would be something to consider if I wanted someone else to do the printing but I am looking for a physical printer of my own that has a pictbridge and can produce better quality photos than those offered at the local drugstores.

Sorry to be the deliverer or bad news, but the answer to your question is; Pictbridge enabled printers suck just about the same as CVS, etc. etc. etc. What you want you can't have because it doesn't exist.

So, live with CVS, buy the pictbridge printer and find out you got nowhere, learn to make your own or use a quality service lab like MPixPro.

Take Care,
Joe

 

[trent77]

KmH: thank you for the color management tutorials. I also see someone posted a photo printing website. That would be something to consider if I wanted someone else to do the printing but I am looking for a physical printer of my own that has a pictbridge and can produce better quality photos than those offered at the local drugstores.

Sorry to be the deliverer or bad news, but the answer to your question is; Pictbridge enabled printers suck just about the same as CVS, etc. etc. etc. What you want you can't have because it doesn't exist.

So, live with CVS, buy the pictbridge printer and find out you got nowhere, learn to make your own or use a quality service lab like MPixPro.

Take Care,
Joe

Thank you for the information. Question: I just read on line reviews of the canon pixma 9500 and the epson 3880. They both received great photo quality reviews and I noticed both printers have pictbridge. Did you mean that using the pictbridge connection results in average prints or that the photo printers that include them are not considered "high quality" ? Thank you again for your information.

 

[Ysarex]

That's it. I just used an Epson 3880 yesterday to make some excellent prints. It's a great printer. I control the printer through Photoshop with proper ICC profiles that I can also use to soft-proof my photos. So yes, the problem is pictbridge, not necessarily the printer.

Joe

 

[trent77]

That's it. I just used an Epson 3880 yesterday to make some excellent prints. It's a great printer. I control the printer through Photoshop with proper ICC profiles that I can also use to soft-proof my photos. So yes, the problem is pictbridge, not necessarily the printer.

Joe

Thank you for your helpful input. In your opinion, are the prints you get from the epson 3880 as good as one would get from an on line photo lab such as Shutterfly or mpix? Or would I need to invest in a "higher end" printer? Any thoughts on a noticable difference between the canon 9500 and the epson 3880? Thanks.

 

[Ysarex]

I use both Epson and Canon printers. I teach photo at various colleges in my area and have access to a wide range of Epson printers as well as the Canon Pro 9000 and 9500 printers. Used with high quality papers like Legion, Canson, Hahnemuhle, etc. these inkjet printers produce superior prints to what you'll get from Shutterfly or Mpix. However given the costs of the paper and ink they won't make cheaper prints. And again you need to be able to control the printer and the entire process. You lose that control with pictbridge. Even Mpix provides better control than pictbridge. I use Mpix quite a lot and am satisfied with the results for inexpensive printing. Mpix supplies accurate ICC profiles and has excellent customer service. To get better results than they provide I have to spend more money doing it myself which is not always worth it.

Joe

 

[hyperdash]

i have just tried pictbridge.. it really is not that outstanding but it delivers too and does its job to make printing convenient in a faster pace.. at least eliminating time consuming task to come up with a hard copy print.. but it does not work with this inkjet printer ink