Please help me decide on a printer (Page 3): I have that printer as well and am very pleased with it. I buy the factory ink on Amazon, which is a significant price reduction over local...

Murray Loc: New Westminster

I have that printer as well and am very pleased with it. I buy the factory ink on Amazon, which is a significant price reduction over local stores.

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

Murray wrote:

I have that printer as well and am very pleased with it. I buy the factory ink on Amazon, which is a significant price reduction over local stores.

Which printer? A number have been discussed on this thread. I haven't found a go-to source of ink so far. Amazon's price depends on the source, which changes rather frequently. I check Amazon, Epson, and Staples. Staples frequently has the lowest price.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

B&H is a good source for factory ink because they don't charge sales tax. For me that saves almost 10%.

Murray Loc: New Westminster

Sorry:

Canon Pro 100.

I certainly don't print every shot (maybe 10%), but the ink seems to last quite well, although others on the forum seem less than pleased.

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

neilds37 wrote:

Edit: I've been keeping close records since day one for my Epson XP-960, printing a wide assortment of photos, and after 9,990 sq. in. printed the ink cost is $0.004/sq in.

Edit #2: Apparently Epson has listened to my complaint on the 17" length limitation on 11" paper. I just discovered they must have slipped in a firmware update, as I can now print up to 11.69" x 44".

My rating has gone to an unqualified Five Stars on the Epson Expression Photo XP-960.

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

I have no use for all in one setups, to many things to go wrong. I had a hard time finding just a printer. the ink I still a rip off situation.

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

bull drink water wrote:

I have no use for all in one setups, to many things to go wrong. I had a hard time finding just a printer. the ink I still a rip off situation.

The ink may be a ripoff, but it is quality ripoff. I had a smudge of something unknown on a print, and decided to see if it could be removed without harming the print. I went through water, lighter fluid and paint remover. Finally got the smudge, and the print was not harmed in any way. I am sold on Epson ink.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

neilds37 wrote:

The ink may be a ripoff, but it is quality ripoff. I had a smudge of something unknown on a print, and decided to see if it could be removed without harming the print. I went through water, lighter fluid and paint remover. Finally got the smudge, and the print was not harmed in any way. I am sold on Epson ink.

You must have been using one of the Ultrachrome pigment-based inks.

The less expensive dye-based inks used in office printers and all-in-ones are usually water-soluble.

In general, one does not print on an inkjet printer to save money. Most people print for the control it provides them, and for the longevity of pigmented prints made on archival-grade papers and other substrates.

If you just want cheap prints, any good lab using silver halide paper will beat the cost of inkjet printing on sizes up to around 16x20.

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

burkphoto wrote:

You must have been using one of the Ultrachrome pi... (show quote)

As I've noted, the ink cost is running at $0.024/sq. in. You're correct in my case - control supersedes cost. I have almost as many discarded 8 x 10's as keepers. The large print almost always shows a defect I missed on the monitor screen, although I'm getting better at vetting them.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

neilds37 wrote:

As I've noted, the ink cost is running at $0.024/sq. in. You're correct in my case - control supersedes cost. I have almost as many discarded 8 x 10's as keepers. The large print almost always shows a defect I missed on the monitor screen, although I'm getting better at vetting them.

I often crop a portion of a larger image and print just a 5x7 or an 8x10 of that to make sure I like it, before going any larger. If my print is 40x30, I'll make the image that size in Lightroom or Photoshop at 240 PPI (9600x7200 pixels), then crop a section featuring the key subject matter, and print that. If I don't like it, I adjust the big one and print another test...

That allows me to adjust sharpness, noise reduction, retouching, color, brightness, and other characteristics of image quality before committing a more expensive piece of paper or canvas.

Of course, having a scrupulously calibrated and profiled monitor also helps...

neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA

burkphoto wrote:

I often crop a portion of a larger image and print... (show quote)

On the 11 x 14 I just printed I did what you suggested. I printed two 4 x 6 segments from the full size image to check for brightness and noise. When I get to the 11" panoramas that will be very important.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

This is where monitor calibration and ICC profiles save you more than the cost of the calibration tools. I send my work that I don't print at home to Bay Photo with complete confidence that the 16x20s (or larger) I receive will look exactly like what I expect. Too expensive to make mistakes (except for the time I mistakenly uploaded a 750KB web image for a 16x24 print 😡)