How do you print your photos for those who still do?
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I have an epson 3800 I use at home for prints to 17". I do most of my printing on this machine, but I also have access to a print lab that has epson models up to the 7900 series, and I also use those printers depending on the image and print size . I much prefer to do my own printing; to me it is no different than folks developing and printing their own film so that they maintain control over the finished image. My fashion photog buddy sends all his print work to costco, or simply gives the models a thumb drive of their images to print where- and however they want. To each their own...
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sunnyVan said:
Depends on the size. If A3+ or smaller I print home on my Pixma Pro 1 and LOVE the result. If bigger, I print on the main camerastore in Oslo, and am happy with the results, also because they have great quality control.
Remember that if you buy the Pixma Pro series you should preferably print (size does not matter, so it can be very small) once a week to prevent it from drying out, thus having to waste a lot of ink when enabling the program to get it rinsed. Ink is always an issue, but it takes many type of 3 party papers, thus giving you the chance to print on excellent paper like Canson and Hanhemuhle and other great paper sources.
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When I want a print, I go to one place- Bay Photo. I get my pics printed on the aircraft grade aluminum, high gloss, rounded corners, with the optional back spacer with holes to hang the pic.
They look great, don't need glass, or mat, or a wire to hang up or anything. Large prints usually around $100 or so compared to many hundreds to get fancy framing etc.
Bay photos gives great color, sharpness, service, turnaround, etc. Always happy with them. True, they only do jpeg, but as long as monitor is calibrated, and original is sharp, I get great pics (at least 24 X 24 inches, maybe more).
They look great, don't need glass, or mat, or a wire to hang up or anything. Large prints usually around $100 or so compared to many hundreds to get fancy framing etc.
Bay photos gives great color, sharpness, service, turnaround, etc. Always happy with them. True, they only do jpeg, but as long as monitor is calibrated, and original is sharp, I get great pics (at least 24 X 24 inches, maybe more).
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Online print stores. I´m Swedish so there seem to be little point in pointing you to the companies here, but I use Fujidirekt and Crimson. It´s too expensive to own a printer that prints big enough, I have a look at them every year, calculate and reject.
I still strongly feel that there is no substitute to slide film when it comes to experiencing a photo. But slides are too limiting to work with, so instead I, like almost everyone else, shoot digital and then I print my photos. There is no way you can compare a big print of 1m x 70 cm to a photo viewed on a monitor or any kind of screen. The print blows it away. So to me it´s slides > big prints > small prints > 30" monitor > any monitor > smartphone.
Print my friends, print. If you don´t print then maybe you don´t like the photos but the cameras. (There is nothing wrong with that, it´s just not photography that is your hobby but playing with cameras). Just sayin´.
And if you have not printed something big, you should give it a try. A2 (100 x 70 cm) is adictive. It helps me to think, every time I shoot, that THIS photo should be printed big. That makes me try harder and really make good photos. Then in the end I only get 2% really good shots, but hey...
I still strongly feel that there is no substitute to slide film when it comes to experiencing a photo. But slides are too limiting to work with, so instead I, like almost everyone else, shoot digital and then I print my photos. There is no way you can compare a big print of 1m x 70 cm to a photo viewed on a monitor or any kind of screen. The print blows it away. So to me it´s slides > big prints > small prints > 30" monitor > any monitor > smartphone.
Print my friends, print. If you don´t print then maybe you don´t like the photos but the cameras. (There is nothing wrong with that, it´s just not photography that is your hobby but playing with cameras). Just sayin´.
And if you have not printed something big, you should give it a try. A2 (100 x 70 cm) is adictive. It helps me to think, every time I shoot, that THIS photo should be printed big. That makes me try harder and really make good photos. Then in the end I only get 2% really good shots, but hey...
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Quasimodo said:
I print on my Pixma Pro9000 Mark II maybe a few 13x19" every 3 months or so. I havent had any drying up issues and the ones still in there seem to work and print fine. I though the "drying" up issue was with pigment based inks over the dyes in the Pixma series?
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Drugstore printing has been hit or miss for me. The deciding factor, seems to be if it's on photo paper. It's usually better if it's not done on photo paper. The price is great, though, compared to the specialized online print stores and labs. I have yet to try these stores' metal prints, but will do so soon.
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I've had a few photo albums done by Adorama and have been very happy with them.
I have my own darkroom set up at home. Typically using an LPL 6700 medium format enlarger, using a variety of Schneider and Fuji lenses. In recent years, I've been using Foma FB paper almost exclusively, which I feel is good value. 11x14 is my favourite size. But, as with some others above, I seem to do less printing as time goes by. I haven't printed anything since Christmas.
With digital prints, I've often thought of purchasing a quality printer so that I can do more experimenting. But the costs of buying a good printer, ongoing ink costs and the infrequency with which I'd use it have always discouraged me. Instead, I get digital prints (and C41 film developed) at a local department store - Big W, Capalaba. They do good work there.
I have my own darkroom set up at home. Typically using an LPL 6700 medium format enlarger, using a variety of Schneider and Fuji lenses. In recent years, I've been using Foma FB paper almost exclusively, which I feel is good value. 11x14 is my favourite size. But, as with some others above, I seem to do less printing as time goes by. I haven't printed anything since Christmas.
With digital prints, I've often thought of purchasing a quality printer so that I can do more experimenting. But the costs of buying a good printer, ongoing ink costs and the infrequency with which I'd use it have always discouraged me. Instead, I get digital prints (and C41 film developed) at a local department store - Big W, Capalaba. They do good work there.
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Ok, from this thread, I've gathered that the top places to get prints are (in no particular order):
1. Adorama
2. Costco
3. Bayphoto (I'll have to look that up, first I've heard of them)
4. Smugmug (new to me too).
Are these the top places you send your stuff? Would you add another to the list?
Where out of these are the best to send for just regular prints you'd give grandma?
Where are the best (for price and product) to get something for wall hanging (print, canvas, acrylic) if going bit up to maybe 36x48" ?
Thanks in advance,
cayenne
1. Adorama
2. Costco
3. Bayphoto (I'll have to look that up, first I've heard of them)
4. Smugmug (new to me too).
Are these the top places you send your stuff? Would you add another to the list?
Where out of these are the best to send for just regular prints you'd give grandma?
Where are the best (for price and product) to get something for wall hanging (print, canvas, acrylic) if going bit up to maybe 36x48" ?
Thanks in advance,
cayenne
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sanj said:
Digital Photo frame seems to be better choice(to me of course). Reason, I want to hang it in the living room wall without trying to hide PC, keyboard and mouse etc... Plus, it's little cheaper than getting a hole PC system for this task. It can be on/off with one click. I'll post some pictures later when I'm off from work
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Really depends on your printing needs, I use a pixma pro 100, which is a great printer for a reasonable price. If you do a lot of B&W get the 10 or 1 series though. I mostly print 4x6 and 5x7 of the kids for family members, so it doesn't really make sense for me to go online and order one 5x7 print.
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Limited but when I do
Costco - you can find the various printers each costco location has and pick accordingly
MPix is awesome as well
Costco - you can find the various printers each costco location has and pick accordingly
MPix is awesome as well
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First of all, you GOTTA calibrate your monitor. Absolute Must. I use Spyder4Pro.
For quick prints for clients, I use CostCo. I found one in the Phoenix area which is run by people who maintain their equipment well, and the results are awesome. Find someplace that knows what they're doing.
For lots of prints, I have a membership with Zenfolio which works well for clients to directly order prints out of your albums which you can easily manage for your clients. Paying for the membership is worth it because I can set my price points. They also have lots of products which you can completely customize including downloads (with print releases attached) and unique products (more than even I've considered).
I used to own a printer (Canon), but it was such a pain to keep it printing properly during the stretches of time when I didn't have prints to do - calibration was tough and was constantly changing. I'm a big fan of online print shops who do nothing but print.
Quick jobs...CostCo
Extensive Jobs...White House or any of the myriad of the print shops who are out there. They've gotta be good to stay in business, so I've not yet found one which is bad. I guess there's always a first time, though... uh oh! =)
For quick prints for clients, I use CostCo. I found one in the Phoenix area which is run by people who maintain their equipment well, and the results are awesome. Find someplace that knows what they're doing.
For lots of prints, I have a membership with Zenfolio which works well for clients to directly order prints out of your albums which you can easily manage for your clients. Paying for the membership is worth it because I can set my price points. They also have lots of products which you can completely customize including downloads (with print releases attached) and unique products (more than even I've considered).
I used to own a printer (Canon), but it was such a pain to keep it printing properly during the stretches of time when I didn't have prints to do - calibration was tough and was constantly changing. I'm a big fan of online print shops who do nothing but print.
Quick jobs...CostCo
Extensive Jobs...White House or any of the myriad of the print shops who are out there. They've gotta be good to stay in business, so I've not yet found one which is bad. I guess there's always a first time, though... uh oh! =)
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I never never never print "at a store", BUT, when I print, I press the order button at my photo lab's ROES program and they get it at their end and process it just like I would at home... I have a home printer, but use it for emails and such... The cost of an 8x10 or 11x14 is far cheaper at my lab after shipping than paper, ink, unclogging the freaking heads should they decided to get a hair up their ass and get clogged, reprinting because the color was a tad off due to a new batch of paper, reprinting because the printers ink left faded stripes because an ink is running low or clogging... far less headaches and makes my job so seamless. Plus I can experiment with different papers, canvas's, metal, metallic, etc... stuff I couldn't do otherwise.
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I love my iPF8100.
Granted, it takes up an entire wall of the office...but, if you also have a spectrophotometer and know what to do with it, you're not going to beat what you can get from an imagePROGRAF.
Cheers,
b&
Granted, it takes up an entire wall of the office...but, if you also have a spectrophotometer and know what to do with it, you're not going to beat what you can get from an imagePROGRAF.
Cheers,
b&
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I print about 250 photos a year ... Around 100 of them are on ordinary A3 paper on our company Konica Minolta bizhub C454 laser printer to display at our office premises, it is an impressive printer with lightning fast output and the colors are also pretty accurate.
For my personal I make 4x6 & A4 size prints at home with HP Photosmart Plus B209b, it's a decent printer for home use (better than some of the lab prints). But when I need higher quality I go to a professional lab (those account for less than 100 a year)
For my personal I make 4x6 & A4 size prints at home with HP Photosmart Plus B209b, it's a decent printer for home use (better than some of the lab prints). But when I need higher quality I go to a professional lab (those account for less than 100 a year)
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Roadtrip said:
I like the one on South Market Street in Gilbert. Near San Tan shopping center area.
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I print all my own "prints" for my sports team & individual business and I own an old time portrait studio... so I'm pushing out thousands of prints per year... I've got a bunch of printers... Don't count out the "consumer" printers...
If you plan on printing larger than 8x10, the go for the next models up... for example, get a 13" wide if you're going to do 11x14/13x19's... otherwise I've been printing a lot with Epson Artisan 730's (8.5x11 max) which are now no longer available... but I also recently picked up an Epson XP-600 (8.5x11 max) to test it against the 730's... I printed two prints, one from each and set them in front of my wife, who sees a good portion of the prints that I send out... she picked the print from the XP-600... "newer" in the ink jet world is better, the companies are smarter and make better products...
I have Epsons, I've heard really good things about the Canons... so don't get hung up on brand from my experience... but the XP-600 uses fewer inks than the XP-800 (and 730...), it is cheaper..., it's available at Staples, Best Buy, etc... ink is available everywhere... if you're looking for a 13"... I have Epsons so I'd get an Epson 1430 (same as 730 just 13"...), it uses more inks but that's the nature of the beast for that size of printer... again, I have a buddy with a Canon, loves what they're getting with that...
I mentioned I have a lot of printers...
1 Epson 7900 (24" wide)
1 Epson 1400 (print envelopes, it used to print beautiful 13x19's... it's abused printing envelopes...)
5 Epson Artisan 730 (8.5x11)
1 Epson XP-600 (8.5x11)
2 DNP DS80 (dye-sub) (max 8x12, mostly 8x10)
2 DNP DS40 (dye-sub) (max 6x9, mostly 5x7 & 4x6)
If you plan on printing larger than 8x10, the go for the next models up... for example, get a 13" wide if you're going to do 11x14/13x19's... otherwise I've been printing a lot with Epson Artisan 730's (8.5x11 max) which are now no longer available... but I also recently picked up an Epson XP-600 (8.5x11 max) to test it against the 730's... I printed two prints, one from each and set them in front of my wife, who sees a good portion of the prints that I send out... she picked the print from the XP-600... "newer" in the ink jet world is better, the companies are smarter and make better products...
I have Epsons, I've heard really good things about the Canons... so don't get hung up on brand from my experience... but the XP-600 uses fewer inks than the XP-800 (and 730...), it is cheaper..., it's available at Staples, Best Buy, etc... ink is available everywhere... if you're looking for a 13"... I have Epsons so I'd get an Epson 1430 (same as 730 just 13"...), it uses more inks but that's the nature of the beast for that size of printer... again, I have a buddy with a Canon, loves what they're getting with that...
I mentioned I have a lot of printers...
1 Epson 7900 (24" wide)
1 Epson 1400 (print envelopes, it used to print beautiful 13x19's... it's abused printing envelopes...)
5 Epson Artisan 730 (8.5x11)
1 Epson XP-600 (8.5x11)
2 DNP DS80 (dye-sub) (max 8x12, mostly 8x10)
2 DNP DS40 (dye-sub) (max 6x9, mostly 5x7 & 4x6)
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