Printing photos at home

monicarrt · Nov 20, 2013

Hey guy! I have a semi-weird question....Does anyone print your own pics at home? I just bought a new printer and when I try to print my photo, there are faint black lines across them all the way down. These lines are about an inch apart. However, when I scan a photo and print it there are no lines. Im guessing its the connection from my computer to my printer? Any ideas on what to check to improve this?

otherprof · Nov 20, 2013

I had the same problem, with an Epson all-in-one, and Epson couldn't solve it. They actually gave me a new printer and payed postage both ways. But the new one still had the problem. I spoke with a friend about this, and he solved the problem. He said the printer thinks you want quick drafts, even though you haven't set it for draft quality. I simply changed the setting for the paper from "premium glossy" to "glossy" and the problem went away. I tried to tell Epson about this, and they simply were not interested. Their response was , "So the problem is fixed, right?" So ... change the paper selection to something similar, like glossy from premium glossy, and I bet it works.

Kolia · Nov 20, 2013

Yeah make sure to max out the quality.

Or get a dedicated photo printer. I got a good deal on a Canon Pixma Pro. There is something to be said about printing your own 13x19 pictures !

Big Mike · Nov 21, 2013

I have a Canon photo printer, but honestly, I don't print at home very often. It costs something like $125 to replace all four or five ink cartridges...and they don't last all that long. Also, I've found that 'cheap' photo paper makes for 'cheap' looking prints...but good quality photo paper can cost around $1 for a letter sized sheet.

Photo labs are very competitive these days. A popular one down in the US is Mpix. An 8x10 print is just over $2 and it's less than $2 if you order more than 10 at a time.

So what I'm saying, is that it's not really all that (or any) cheaper to print at home...and printing at a lab has many benefits, the most important of which, is that it's their job to make good prints so you likely get good quality prints. Not that you can't get good quality prints at home, but you have to factor in trouble shooting and maintenance of your printer etc.

Sure, there are the odd times when I need a print...right now. And in those cases I'm glad I have my printer (although, it always seems to be out of ink when I really need it).
But for everything else, I use a local lab.

JDFlood · Nov 21, 2013

While I don't print often, I have a canon 9000. You can get refilled cartridges for 3 or 4 bucks apiece. So the cost isn't bad. I try to print something each month, so the ink cartridges don't dry out. I have had. Great luck with refilled cartridges. JD

vintagesnaps · Nov 21, 2013

I haven't had anything like what you described, but I set my Canon printer to the highest quality setting which I think causes it to print more slowly so the ink gives better coverage. I also print at the highest dpi setting. And use good quality paper.

With mine I set it so the computer controls settings, not the printer.

Kolia · Nov 21, 2013

Big Mike said:
I have a Canon photo printer, but honestly, I don't print at home very often. It costs something like $125 to replace all four or five ink cartridges...and they don't last all that long. Also, I've found that 'cheap' photo paper makes for 'cheap' looking prints...but good quality photo paper can cost around $1 for a letter sized sheet.

Photo labs are very competitive these days. A popular one down in the US is Mpix. An 8x10 print is just over $2 and it's less than $2 if you order more than 10 at a time.

So what I'm saying, is that it's not really all that (or any) cheaper to print at home...and printing at a lab has many benefits, the most important of which, is that it's their job to make good prints so you likely get good quality prints. Not that you can't get good quality prints at home, but you have to factor in trouble shooting and maintenance of your printer etc.

Sure, there are the odd times when I need a print...right now. And in those cases I'm glad I have my printer (although, it always seems to be out of ink when I really need it).
But for everything else, I use a local lab.