burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If you are going to print your own work, THE MOST important investment you can make is in color management tools! A $150 calibration and profiling kit will keep your monitor accurate, match it to your other monitor(s), and give you a close match to your printers.

The secret is to use the proper profile for each combination of paper, printer model, and ink. Keep room lighting well subdued during color adjustment of images. Keep monitor brightness low --- 85 to 120 candelas per square meter --- and follow ALL the profiling software's instructions carefully.

Read your camera and post-processing software documentation sections about color management. There are very specific paths to accurate color, and you don't want to venture into the weeds!

wmcy Loc: Charlotte

One other thing to consider: I recently purchased a sit/stand desk. Ergonomically, it's great to have the option to stand sometimes to work on your photos. When you need to sit, simply convert to the regular desk height. These desks are available in pneumatic, crank, or electric configurations. I paid around $300 for a pneumatic model.

bullethole

Do yourself a big favor and get at least a 4K monitor (5K is prefered). I use an iMac with 48G of ram (emphasize RAM over processor speed, all the processor speed in the world won't do you any good if you are paging because you have insufficient RAM). Get a system that you can add RAM to, a mac book pro (which is great to travel with) is limited in how much RAM it can be bought with it (can't upgrade) vs an iMac which you can add memory to (at least currently). Regarding monitor.. the Imac is a 5K monitor, and I used to have a regular (not 4K) as my second display, worlds of difference, I added a 4K for the second and now if i have to go to a non-4/5K monitor i get headaches.

Toment Loc: FL, IL

Too much vermouth 😅

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

The basics:
A computer with lots of memory - I prefer a PC because that is what I am used to, but it also is more flexible in terms of programs, add-ons, and expandability.

One or two large monitors, 27" IPS or larger. Maybe one is enough for now, you can always and another later if you want to.

Printer - probably can use the ones you have for now. The Windows 8 requirement is more than met with Windows 10.

Calibration tool to maintain consistency between your screen view and what comes out of the printer.

Editing programs - Adobe CC Subscription is a photography standard [includes LR and PS], although some will say that others can do the job just as well. And there are plug-ins that can be used with the Adobe programs.

Good quality photo paper, with ICC profiles downloaded to your editing program.

Having the equipment is only part of the process! How you arrange everything in your dedicated space will be very important. A lot of the decisions will be dictated by the size of the room, configuration in terms of shape and placement of windows and doors.

The basics: A desk or table of an adequate [or larger] size to hold the computer and monitors along with backup drives [forgot to mention those in basic equipment...]. Need plenty of room to spread out and not feel crowded.

Then there is storage. Storage for photo paper, storage for printed photos, and if you are going to mat and frame your own you will also need a way to store mat board and frames. You will also need a table large enough for cutting a full-sized piece of mat board [32" x 40"]. Depending on how much of the framing you do yourself, you will need a way to store those supplies, as well. If there is enough wall space, many of the finished works can be hung; but there will still be others for which there is no room!

Your printer should have its own table, possibly with shelves for the paper, and enough space where you can lay out the printed image for inspection.

Not sure if I have covered everything! Like any other set-up process, it will evolve as you go along so it suits your preferences and needs.

Have fun with it!

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

A 27" iMac maxes out at 32 gb, so how did you get one with 48 gb ram?

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

a fast PC (I5 at minimum) with lots of memory and a good video card
external 4 or 5 TB drive to store backup images. or 4 more extra external drives for backup
2 monitors I prefer one being smaller than the other , reason being if Im reading stuff online I use the smaller monitor so you see all of the text and do not have to be constantly moving your head from side to side.

if u have amazon prime sign up for the free cloud storage. excellent off site storage.
a side table for the printer
and a set of drawers to go under the desk for storage.
last a surround sound system so u can listen to music as you edit your photos.

Oh wait I just described my system...

jayd Loc: Central Florida, East coast

Suggestion for storage, my 2 cents...and worth exactly what you pay for it......

I print photos in a book and number the pages, then I rename each file as to the page number, burn a CD or DVD and place it inside the back cover in a CD envelope.

I keep at least 3 copies of my photos on 3 different 4 tb external hard drives.

When someone comes over and looks at your photographs in the book and you decide to give it to him or they decide to buy it is very easy to go to the page number pull that file number and give it to him or sell it to him

Cloud storage is next for me.

pauldh Loc: Melbourne, Australia

Here's a Professional considering moving from Apple to a PC. He is building a PC system from scratch. Watch the first video and then the second to keep it in context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAUZt30mZPU&t=0s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXty2M6ZklE&t=0s

Tet68survivor Loc: Pomfret Center CT

I print my own! But I have to tell you it's cheaper to take your edited photos on a memory stick to Walmart, print at $.12 each, and if you don't like them, you don't have to pay for them! I still print some stuff at home!

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I switched from PC to iMac 2 years ago and also started with Lr CC shortly after. My monitors are profiled with a Spyder 5 and I use an Epson P800 and Red River Paper, exclusively. Very happy with my setup and would not consider returning to my previous methods. I use Synology NAS servers (3 of them) for storage and backup and keep most recent files on a Western Digital Thunderbolt 2 Drive as well. I have an i5, 32GB ram, 1TB hybrid drive. If I had to do it again, I would spring for the i7. Best of luck.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The latest iMac 5K Retina Display handles up to 64GB RAM. OWC sells the sticks...

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iMac/Retina-5K2015/DDR3L

bullethole

That is what as will sell you. Being an it guy I know it can support more so I simply bought the required memory sticks. I'm not 100% sure I think it could o to 128gig, I know 64 is do able