I print all my own work, unless I want something larger than my printer can provide. I use a Epson R3000, an older printer that costs around $400. I work on a mac. Every print turns out perfectly, exactly like the monitor. I use Soft Proofing in LR for any print that has a wide range of difficult colors, yellows, oranges, reds. I always use the correct ICC profile. I hang my work in a gallery and these are always printed by me. Printing your own work does not take a large degree of skill or money, just do the right things and use good equipment made for printing images. And, yes, I agree that the printed work does add something to viewing it. Printing a 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 can be a good way to start out.

After about a year or so of learning this great hobby, I decided to use an online service to print two photographs as a way to examine my work in printed form. What I've learned from this are two very important things.

1. I really need to calibrate my monitor. Or at least know that my monitor has much more contrast and color range than a printed version will. I will not say I'm disappointed in the printed version but there is a drastic difference with what I see on my computer and the service I use. But I do know if I use this service again I will add even more contrast and saturation to the file before I submit it for print. I can invest in a very good printer, but honestly I have other priorities and that may come further down the line when my other more costly hobbies (drumming) start slowing down.

2. Touching a physical print changes your perspective. Having those prints in my hands was an eye opening experience and I was able to see things that I can improve upon and some things that I truly enjoyed about the photograph. Being a drummer of 30+ years, I have developed the mindset that nothing is perfect. And with a critical eye, you always find different ways to improve on every aspect. The physical print shows me things I might not have seen in the capture process, post processing, or even cropping if necessary.


I encourage anyone else who has had similar experiences to chime in and discuss some things they have learned from printing their work.

After about a year or so of learning this great hobby, I decided to use an online service to print two photographs as a way to examine my work in printed form. What I've learned from this are two very important things.

1. I really need to calibrate my monitor. Or at least know that my monitor has much more contrast and color range than a printed version will. I will not say I'm disappointed in the printed version but there is a drastic difference with what I see on my computer and the service I use. But I do know if I use this service again I will add even more contrast and saturation to the file before I submit it for print. I can invest in a very good printer, but honestly I have other priorities and that may come further down the line when my other more costly hobbies (drumming) start slowing down.

2. Touching a physical print changes your perspective. Having those prints in my hands was an eye opening experience and I was able to see things that I can improve upon and some things that I truly enjoyed about the photograph. Being a drummer of 30+ years, I have developed the mindset that nothing is perfect. And with a critical eye, you always find different ways to improve on every aspect. The physical print shows me things I might not have seen in the capture process, post processing, or even cropping if necessary.


I encourage anyone else who has had similar experiences to chime in and discuss some things they have learned from printing their work.

After about a year or so of learning this great hobby, I decided to use an online service to print two photographs as a way to examine my work in printed form. What I've learned from this are two very important things.

1. I really need to calibrate my monitor. Or at least know that my monitor has much more contrast and color range than a printed version will. I will not say I'm disappointed in the printed version but there is a drastic difference with what I see on my computer and the service I use. But I do know if I use this service again I will add even more contrast and saturation to the file before I submit it for print. I can invest in a very good printer, but honestly I have other priorities and that may come further down the line when my other more costly hobbies (drumming) start slowing down.

2. Touching a physical print changes your perspective. Having those prints in my hands was an eye opening experience and I was able to see things that I can improve upon and some things that I truly enjoyed about the photograph. Being a drummer of 30+ years, I have developed the mindset that nothing is perfect. And with a critical eye, you always find different ways to improve on every aspect. The physical print shows me things I might not have seen in the capture process, post processing, or even cropping if necessary.


I encourage anyone else who has had similar experiences to chime in and discuss some things they have learned from printing their work.

I guess I should have been more clear in my initial post

I do have a Canon Pixma printer that we use for kids school stuff and my work. We use third party ink we buy through Amazon to keep costs down as we print documents. I guess I could have taken the leap and given it the old Sailor try, but I'm not 100% confident that the ink would provide a quality print.


I'd encourage you to try printing to your home printer, using quality photo print paper. You may be pleasantly surprised! I use 3rd party inks from LD products and they work well. Maybe more expensive than you pay for at amazon, but much cheaper than from Canon. The quality is good enough that I only send out for processing if I want a larger print than my printer will handle. Printing at home means you can easily make changes, experiment with color management, without having to wait to receive your pints to see what works or doesn't.