mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Wrong you get a larger than a full set so after calibration you start with a full set. This is from Canon

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

It’s Epson that ships starter cartridges...

sathca Loc: Narragansett Rhode Island

I’m curious how you figure that home printing is much more expensive then lab printing. What cost are you using for a 13 x 19 at a lab? At home? Also, having been in the profession I would think you have a more discerning eye than average. I have never color calibrated my monitor and I am very pleased with my prints and others are also since I’ve sold enough at $40 each to put me in the plus column.

josquin1 Loc: Massachusetts

I have the Canon Pro-10 and I have to say that I love it. It has never clogged and when I do run the cleaning it does not use much ink. I really love printing and holding the finale of the photography process. I think Pro-10 is worth the extra cost especially since the ink system used allows for the prints to last longer than Canon 100's system. The one problem with the Epson system is that both of their black inks share one line to the head and that causes a lot of ink waste. Good luck.

TonyBot

While I don't profess to know what burkephoto was thinking behind the "cost" statement, I *do* believe he is correct. My reasoning follows:

1 - The actual cost, as in "cost of goods sold". A lab buys in much larger quantities than you or I (probably), and just the scale of purchasing brings cost down dramatically, probably by more than half of what the general public would pay. Simple economics of scale, here. Just look at the Red River paper site, and they have completed a series of tests on the cost of producing a print. (In ink alone, the price drops significantly from the Pro-10, to the Pro-1000, and then the Pro-2000 printers.)

2 - When I print (with a Pro-10, which I absolutely love), even with my screen calibrated, I will print a 5x7 on a decent paper as a "proof". The cost of that proof is about a dollar, or maybe a little more, depending on the paper. If I am not satisfied, I will usually make another couple of prints with the adjustments I want on 5x7 paper again, until I am satisfied. (Please note, this does not necessarily mean the printed area is a full-out 5x7) *If* I am satisfied, then I will print that on a 13x19 sheet of paper (at about two to sometimes four or five dollars a sheet and two to five dollars for ink). I print most everything over 8x10 on the 13x19 paper since I am not always sure how I am going to present the final print. Right away, the cost of the 11x14 (or my favorite - 11x15) I just printed could already be more than Costco would charge - just the "cost of goods" alone, *not* including my time (which I like to think of as valuable). 8x10s and below could be printed on letter size, but sometimes on 12x12 or 11x17 - or even 13x19. (And then, there are those prints that just don't look as good enlarged as in a smaller size, and that larger print is a waste - increasing the cost) I plan on about a cost of close to $10 to $12 for my first print, on average, and only about a buck or two less for any subsequent prints.

You will usually get a discount, sometimes a significant discount, for orders of more than five or ten prints at a commercial house, but *not* when you are printing yourself. Again, the economics of scale.

And of course, you could order from one of the better custom print houses, and get the border or non-standard size you - or I - prefer, and then will for sure pay much more than printing it myself, with the cost dependent on the paper size/type, etc. I can't get that at Costco or Adorama, and you pretty much have to stick to "standard" formats, and *will* pay less than printing it yourself.

Long story short on scenario #2 - I have become a little bit of a perfectionist with my prints, and want what I want. If I were sending the work off to a lab for a single print, I would almost for sure accept the first print, as "good enough". Not too many people will send back a print, and will live with the compliments of friends, family, or even customers, with the photographer knowing that it i.e. "could be just a little more magenta", or something to that effect. I am sure that not too many people order a "proof" before they order a print from a commercial lab - even a custom lab.

Just my opinion.

Spiney Loc: Reading, PA

If your budget is really $350 I highly suggest you get the Pro-10 over the Pro-100. Pigment inks are the choice for pros because they last much longer than the dye based inks of the Pro-100 and others.

Is your monitor calibrated. Because that’s the next step after you get a printer.

If your in the States or Canada I’d check Craigslist or Let it Go, or Facebook Marketplace for a new in box Pro-10. I was blessed to get mine for $50, but that was a steal. Most go for $2-250 with ink & paper. Then use the extra $100 to get a Color Munki screen calibrator.

That said I do have a Pro-100 also that I refill using Precision Color inks. I like the punchier colors for prints of cars I do. You can spray them with Moab UV inhibitors to make them much more perminent. All covered on the Jose Rodriguez videos & Facebook Forums.

I also bought the kit to refill my Pro-10, but haven’t performed that yet.