Cost of photo printer: I see where some on here are printing their photos on a compact printer. I did a quick check and find the Canon Selphy printer selling for $130.00, a paper pack...

olcoach Loc: Oregon

I see where some on here are printing their photos on a compact printer. I did a quick check and find the Canon Selphy printer selling for $130.00, a paper pack of 108 sheets is $55.00 and a color ink cartridge is $40.00. This is a start up price of about $225.00. I can have a lot of prints made at Costco for that much money. Am I missing some-thing or is money not the object? I'd appreciate somebody
enlightening an old guy. Mike

JudyTee23 Loc: Eastern U. S.

olcoach wrote:

I see where some on here are printing their photos on a compact printer. I did a quick check and find the Canon Selphy printer selling for $130.00, a paper pack of 108 sheets is $55.00 and a color ink cartridge is $40.00. This is a start up price of about $225.00. I can have a lot of prints made at Costco for that much money. Am I missing some-thing or is money not the object? I'd appreciate somebody
enlightening an old guy. Mike

I want total control of my printing process. I would not have that with Costco, Walmart, or even a high-end print firm.

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

I have an Epson XP-400. It was on sale for about $70. Seems to do fine and prits to 8 1/2X11. I figure it costs about 30 cents for a 4X6. I can do Wallgrens for 17 cents (most the time on sale for 10 cents) just send them with my computer and go pick them up in an hour. You do not save money by printing your own but it's nice to be able to take a shot and then print it right away. Some photographers think they can do a better job by printing their own. Hope this helps - Dave

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

olcoach wrote:

I see where some on here are printing their photos on a compact printer. I did a quick check and find the Canon Selphy printer selling for $130.00, a paper pack of 108 sheets is $55.00 and a color ink cartridge is $40.00. This is a start up price of about $225.00. I can have a lot of prints made at Costco for that much money. Am I missing some-thing or is money not the object? I'd appreciate somebody
enlightening an old guy. Mike

Initial price, even for a low cost printer, can include cables (HINT: Go wireless), one or more ink cartridges (the ones that come with the printer are lower capacity test cartridges, and myriads of types, sizes and weights of paper. Yes, Costco prints may cost less, but if you want to be able to print a photo, tune the file and reprint, you'll see the value in having your own printer. Also, having your own printer will give you flexibility; that print might look better on Pearl paper than on glossy or matte. Finally, there is the satisfaction of producing an image, from start to finish, by yourself.

ziggykor Loc: East Texas

Printer ink being more expensive than precious metal, I really don't think anyone prints their own to save money. But they do so, self include, to keep the loop closed. Simply stated, it's my piece of art, and I control every step of the process.

olcoach Loc: Oregon

As always the people here are so helpful. However, as many of the great folks here know I am technologically challenged so my next question is: How difficult is it to print one's own photo's. I have some gear sitting around here now that I can't use, update or? so it needs to be really simple. Thanks for all your help.

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

olcoach wrote:

I see where some on here are printing their photos on a compact printer. I did a quick check and find the Canon Selphy printer selling for $130.00, a paper pack of 108 sheets is $55.00 and a color ink cartridge is $40.00. This is a start up price of about $225.00. I can have a lot of prints made at Costco for that much money. Am I missing some-thing or is money not the object? I'd appreciate somebody
enlightening an old guy. Mike

Yes, you can print what you want when you want edit and re print immediately at home

Zero_Equals_Infinity Loc: Canada

Is printing your own photos difficult?

That depends.

If you are after ultimate quality there is a substantial learning curve. If you are after very good quality there is a moderate learning curve. If you just want good quality not too much?

Severums Loc: London, England

I think it depends on how many prints you will produce over a year, home printers regularly suffer from lack of use and become blocked. The self-cleaning operation involves forcing ink through the cartridges (not just the blocked one, but all) using up/wasting ink in the process.

If you print large amounts then it's probably worth it, particularly if you opt for a Continuous Ink System rather than buying manufacturers cartridges.

The other thing to consider is the one-off cost of a monitor calibration kit to be able to reproduce on print what you see on screen.

Hope this helps

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

ziggykor wrote:

Printer ink being more expensive than precious metal, I really don't think anyone prints their own to save money. But they do so, self include, to keep the loop closed. Simply stated, it's my piece of art, and I control every step of the process.

Judy echoed this sentiment above but I guess I'm not sure how realistic this expectation of control is...in other words..what are the odds that a high end printer would not give you the results you can acheive on your own printer given that the files are "fixed" at the time of export...does that make sense?

I've had TONS of shots printed at high end places and I've never gotten one back and said to myself "hey! that's not how my shot looked when I sent it to them!" (I don't allow them to "adjust" anything, color, exposure....I check the box marked "don't help me by trying to fix anything..")

However..I have seen many threads where people have frustrating experiences with printing at home....

I mention this because I'm always wondering about the advantages of printing at home and I never can seem to justify it in terms of cost or control...the ONLY thing it seems to have over sending prints out is that you can get a print in seconds...not a few days but then you are limited to certain sizes at home (unless you want to mortgage the house on a printer)

Brenda IS Scottish Loc: GOLDEN Colorado

olcoach wrote:

I see where some on here are printing their photos on a compact printer. I did a quick check and find the Canon Selphy printer selling for $130.00, a paper pack of 108 sheets is $55.00 and a color ink cartridge is $40.00. This is a start up price of about $225.00. I can have a lot of prints made at Costco for that much money. Am I missing some-thing or is money not the object? I'd appreciate somebody
enlightening an old guy. Mike

The Selphy only prints 4x6 and is designed for portability and ease of use (I got one for my 78yo father so he could print pictures from his digital camera) and you don't need a computer to use that printer.

Me on the otherhand, I have an $800 Epson Stylus Photo printer which prints to size 13x19. If you take a picture and want a copy of it immediately to view or send off to someone without waiting for a lab, I suggest the Canon PIXMA MG6320 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer, Copier, Scanner, Black. It's just over $100 the ink isn't outrageous, and the photos are quite good on it. It also has a card reader so you don't need a computer to print from it.

Owning your own printer is twofold. convenience and the ability to have complete control of the artistic process. It is more expensive to print at home compared to a walgreens/walmart, but you get your prints immediately and if the print doesn't come out the way you want, you can change the photo in an editing software and reprint.

Hope this is helpful.

profpb Loc: Venice, Florida

Printing photos is a career. I let the pro do it. They see better, have better equipment, and their volume makes it cost effective. Never calculate the cost of ink per gallon; you'll be shocked. The cost of paper per page is interesting but fails to account for the wasted sheets.

I like Costco, Meridian Pro and APC canvas (down the street for me here in Venice, FL).

Oh yeah my hardly used Epson R1800 with lots of paper and ink is yours for $150 plus freight. I am tired of storing it.

goldentree Loc: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia

I too have a Canon Pixma, same model. Love it! I'm a scrapbooker as well. Like being able to print what I want, when I want, and with varying sizes.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

olcoach wrote:

I see where some on here are printing their photos on a compact printer. I did a quick check and find the Canon Selphy printer selling for $130.00, a paper pack of 108 sheets is $55.00 and a color ink cartridge is $40.00. This is a start up price of about $225.00. I can have a lot of prints made at Costco for that much money. Am I missing some-thing or is money not the object? I'd appreciate somebody
enlightening an old guy. Mike

Most of my "printing" is done on-screen. Then I save the image and go on to another. I don't have enough wall space to print and display everything - same with storage for photo albums. I print an occasional picture for a friend or relative, but that's the extent of it.

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

For me, I like to print large, thus there is no substitute for a big Epson. That said, my 44" printing width 9600 is getting a little long in the tooth, as they say, and so my next printer might just be a 24" later Epson model. I have the Epson 3880, which makes a fine general photo printer.

What we are all talking about is the Digital Darkroom. When setting up for inkjet ( AKA "giclee" ) printing costs far less than a good lens for an enlarger in the olde world of the chemical darkroom... Being a photographer with full Digital Darkroom makes a huge amount of sense.

A 30x40 from my Digital Darkroom