High end printers help please.

[ahcigar1]

I've been saving up some money on the side to get a high quality proffessional level printer. I'm almost there and think that by Christmas I will be able to afford one but want to start doing my research now. But I am completely lost in the matter. I have no idea what is good, what is bad, difference in laser and inkjet, and which is preffered. When I do prints I typically tend to print rather large. Typically not smaller than 16x20 so would have to be a larger printer. I'm wanting to get one because I want to have the ability to have full control of my printing as well as print custom sizes. My budget will be about $800. I'm hoping can get a high quality one at that price, if not then I don't mind having to save for a bit longer to get what I want. I do want this to be a good purchase for my money though meaning I don't want to have to replace it in a few years because it wasn't to my liking and had to settle.

Could some of you help lead me in a good direction? And explain just a bit of what all the technical stuff means?

Thank you in advance.

 

[unpopular]

I'm kind of in your same boat, and I feel for you!

It's really overwhelming, especially having been pretty well versed in the technologies from 12 years ago, but now having resolution figures that I just can't quite wrap my head around: 5760x1440 dpi with 1.5pL droplets??? I can't even begin to comprehend this.

While I can't really recommend a exact printer, I'd advise you to focus on two to four printers that meet your basic requirements such as print size or archival inks, and ask questions specific to those models. You'll want as many color primaries as you can afford, more primaries means more accurate color. As far as resolution goes, I wouldn't be overly concerned, any modern, high end photo printer will be suitable in this regard. Worrying about resolution and droplet size will just confuse matters, IMO.

 

[KmH]

When I about high end printers, I think about budgets that start at $50,000 and go up from there.

 

[Ysarex83 77]

Given your budget and what you want to do you're going to buy a Canon or Epson inkjet printer. UP made some important points one of the most important in my view is the fade resistance of the inks. To UP's credit for pointing this out so I don't want to blame him here: It's common terminology to attach the term archival to some brands and/or types of inks. That fact is testimony to the awesome power of lying marketers. Keep repeating the lie ($$$$) no matter how outrageous it may be and it eventually becomes truth (just watch the campaigns!). Color inks are not archival and so you really want to pay attention to their fade resistance. Go here: Wilhelm Imaging Research If you believe the figures from the manufacturers then please send me a PM right away as I have this friend who's a Nigerian prince and.....

If you're planning on selling prints then do you want to still be alive when they fade off the wall? In the end it won't matter how they displayed them -- it's always the photographer's fault.

I started producing digital prints in the mid 1990s -- all the early stuff is gone including some in dark storage. The tech has improved but at the same time more junk is available than ever before. There are dye-sub printers right now that use dyes that are so volatile that I'm only exaggerating a little to say that their fade resistance is two beers; put it on the wall, pull up a chair, pop a beer and watch it go. Again: Wilhelm Imaging Research

Here's a really good way to shop for a printer. Assuming you want high quality prints then you're going to want to use high quality paper. Check the websites of the real premium paper makers Like Canson and Legion and see what printers they support with downloadable ICC profiles -- pick one.

Joe

 

[czach2012]

I feel you should just find a good photo lab like Millers or h&h color lab, you get better quality (they have million dollar printers) and they will offer lot more products then what you'll be able to produce

 

[Helen B]

If you want high quality 16x20 prints I suggest that you consider the Epson 3880. It's a very good printer that can produce prints with a wider colour gamut and better life expectancy than photo paper like Fuji Crystal Archive.

 

[Big Mike]

I'm no expert on this topic, but yes, you'll definitely want to stick with Canon or Epson. Large format printers can be a huge investment. I imagine that when a photographer is thinking of purchasing one, they would first be calculating how many sales (of prints or printing service) they have to make to pay for it. Although, you could probably find someone who's going out of business and selling it at a good price.

I can certainly understand the desire to control the entire process of creating your prints, but there is something to be said about developing a good relationship with a quality printer.

I'd suggest that you watch 'From Camera to Print & Screen', it's a video tutorial (13 hours, I think) from Luminous Landscape. It's certainly not free, but there is a lot of great information, including a lot of information on high end printing.

 

[unpopular]

When I about high end printers, I think about budgets that start at $50,000 and go up from there.

That's a press, not a printer!

Any $800 printer could out perform any digital press quality-wise. You're paying for speed and scalability.

 

[unpopular]

Color inks are not archival and so you really want to pay attention to their fade resistance. Go here: Wilhelm Imaging Research If you believe the figures from the manufacturers then please send me a PM right away as I have this friend who's a Nigerian prince and.....

You must have one hell of an expectation of what "archival" means. With proper handling even the cheapest printers and inksets last well over 100 years, and some paper/ink combinations last over 200 years with proper handling.

Sure compared to a fresco this is nothing, but compared to most other photo processes this is pretty much as good as it has ever been.

 

[Ysarex83 77]

Color inks are not archival and so you really want to pay attention to their fade resistance. Go here: Wilhelm Imaging Research If you believe the figures from the manufacturers then please send me a PM right away as I have this friend who's a Nigerian prince and.....

You must have one hell of an expectation of what "archival" means. With proper handling even the cheapest printers and inksets last well over 100 years, and some paper/ink combinations last over 200 years with proper handling.

Sure compared to a fresco this is nothing, but compared to most other photo processes this is pretty much as good as it has ever been.

Yes, color inkjet technology (the good stuff) has come a long way and really advanced the fade resistance of color photographs in recent years. But there are still plenty of those "cheapest printers" out there with rapidly fading inks: http://wilhelm-research.com/ist/WIR_IST_2007_03_HW.pdf Note that the bottom item on the chart is listed as 4 months to fade.

Relative to color photos, I do object strenuously to the use of the term archival and its implications given how color photos rank in comparison with other media. Moving from the lowest rung on the ladder up to the next rung (neck and neck now with water color) isn't in my mind a leap up to archival. Archival is a word with superlative implication. I think it should be used sparingly and restrictively. Fuji calls their RA4 paper "Crystal Archive" and Henry Wilhelm gives it 60 years if well processed and stored -- bleep I'm older than that. So the meaning of the term gets diluted with sloppy use and in this case I believe deliberate misleading use by unscrupulous marketers who don't what the term archival to retain any potency. When they can get archival to mean 50 years they'll go straight to work getting it to mean 40 years.

Joe

 

[unpopular]

I hear what you're saying, Crystal Archive isn't exactly stellar. But what can we reasonably expect? With a good ink and good paper and proper handling, inkjet prints last as long as b/w prints - they are certainly the most archival color reproduction we've ever seen. The only thing that might last longer is a monochrome carbon print made with graphite pigment printed on museum-grade linen (or better yet, sandstone).