photocat Loc: Atlanta, Ga

Isn't that the truth.

you may find this site helpful

http://www.wilhelm-research.com/

I also smile when I see someone driving around town, with a print in their back window, half covered with a piece of cardboard.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

PhotoCat: your humor is a bit far, if you think for a moment that i am leaving my home provided by Bill Gates caring for
millions of the greatest images of the 20th century stashed under a mountain in Pennsylvania, then you are wrong!

The Wilhelm-research page is quite a hoard of scientific photography information. I will use it as my home page rather than Sciencedaily.com I see that the Epson ink was rated at 92 years, an amazing thing. Sad to see how badly the 3rd party inks did.
www.wilhelm-research.com/pdf/PCWorld_Cheap_Inks_2003_10.pdf
Mr. Cat, You will make a well educated man of me yet, Thank you d/p

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

As as a reward, I present you with a well preserved XXX rated image: one side of a stereo pair.

A French Lady

photocat Loc: Atlanta, Ga

:),

glad you found that site so helpful, however, it is ms. not mr. but how could one know.

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

My only comment would be that print life is determined by the paper and ink being compatible, from the same manufacturer, and tested by independent labs with artificial aging processes. For example, HP paper and HP ink used together have an estimated lifespan of 100+ years. Same with any manufacturer's ink and paper used together. It's usually more than 80 years and sometimes in excess of 120 years. By using an Epson printer, willy-nilly buying any paper that's on sale by any manufacturer, and using whatever ink that is in the continuous ink system, your print life can't possible be anywhere near as long as using a "system" approach to printer, paper, and ink.

I worry about print life, not for me, but for my baby son. I want him to have nice prints of himself and his parents long after my personal print life has expired (translated kicked the bucket).

I was recently scanning old photos from my childhood and some of them are 58 years old. They're all B&W but the prints have lost about half of their blacks and grays and I'm having to restore them with PhotoShop histogram and contrast manipulation to try to recapture detail and sometimes just to recapture faces. Sometimes carpet is wiped out by fading and I clone another part of the carpet and replace the faded part.

We have the advantage now of storing photos on CDs, DVDs, and other media which don't allow degradation of the blacks and grays but even they can be scratched, burned, or disfigured by excess heat. I've also heard CDs and DVDs have a lifespan too. Prints can be kept in a box in the dark in a controlled home environment or a safe box at the bank but you have to give them a fighting chance with the longest print life you can.

Your output colors may also not be true to the original shots because the, let's say, magenta, of your bulk ink may be a different shade than the magenta that Epson sells for that printer. Same of any of the other colors. There are different blacks for printing text or printing photos. Do you know what black is in your bulk system? Probably not.

Yes, ink and paper for photo printers is too expensive but if you get on Epson's mailing list they many times have 50%-off online sales when one can stock up. Six months ago I bought 5 big packages of 8X10, one of 5X7, three of 4X6, and one each of 11X14 and 13X19. I've got enough paper for a couple years but it was 50% off and free shipping over $200 so I took advantage of the deal and it showed up in two days. I haven't bought ink online from them yet because the last two times I needed ink, I needed it immediately and had to buzz down to Office Max to get a set, which was reasonably discounted but not a lot.

I have an Epson Stylus Photo 1400 wide carriage printer than can print up to 13X19. It uses (6) cartridges that cost about $11 each when I buy them locally all at the same time and replace whichever ones are completely dry but not replace the others until they eventually go dry. I like having 6 separate cartridges that don't have to be replaced all at once as one unit.

That seems high cost, and it is, but not as high as some other manufacturers. If I were going to print, let's say, (10) 8X10's, or (50) 4X6's, I'd go to WalMart. The big commercial Kodak or Fuji machines are so accurate and automatic anymore that the result is pretty amazing. But if I want one big print or 5 or 6 4X6's, it isn't worth the gas at $3.75 a gallon to drive 20 miles round trip to the retail photo printing place.

My two cents...

marcomarks Loc: Ft. Myers, FL

Actually, there are true XXX porn pictures from that era. I once saw a little one minute porn movie in B&W from a crank film camera that was shot before "talkies" were invented. It was actually so bad it was funny. But as soon as any form of film was invented, you just knew mankind had to try to use it for some deviant perverted purpose like that.

I guess that would be another use for a home photo printer if you were of that persuasion and wanted to avoid censorship. Personally I don't have anything I would want framed and hung on the wall. Visitors might think it was a shot of a slaughter house dumpster full of old wrinkled bore hog skins with a Vienna sausage laying on top. :shock:

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

If you are looking for a color viewing solution, simply look for fluorescent tubes with a 91+ CRI rating.

CRI=Color Rendering Index

I found 95 CRI Fluorescents at Lowe's as I recall. Only in 4' lengths, and they are skinny things. Four of those are in the drop ceiling above my Epsons.

I needed to do this because I did not have the space, anymore, for my fancy color correct viewing station for which I paid about $2,500. I'd sell it for half that, with 1,600+ hours left on its lamps (it does have the counter.) It is on its own stand for stand up to it working distance.

This is a professional color viewing station.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Thank you for the heads-up on the 95 CRI tubes. Creating at home and then being judged with having had incorrect lighting at both places is a quandary. In analytical chemistry the old saying was "standardize as you analyze". Applying that to photography: use the same lighting at home and at the judging stand. PhotoArtsLA, you are a great teacher and your sharing of hard won knowledge is appreciated. d/p

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

RE: PAPER check out the free offer for a 5 sheet trial of their premium paper. I recall Ilford from the ol' wet days.
http://www.ilford.com/landing/

scrnmker42

I checked that site and if I read it correctly, you buy the CIS setup and it comes with prefilled cartridges of 3.5oz, if you want additional ink then you have to buy the bottles of each color and refill the carts, am I reading this right.

Dave

photocat Loc: Atlanta, Ga

Which site?

The CIS set up I have seen has a set of ink bottles with tubes from the bottle to the printer. When the bottle runs out it is replaced with another. Size of the bottles may vary .

There are systems that you buy bottles of ink, and fill the carts which are reuseable and have a chip that can be reset.

scrnmker42

I bought the CIS from CISinks, installed it, carts fit so tight I was afraid I was going to break cartridge carriage, finally got them installed. Tried to charge and then print, did nozzle check, no yellow, called tech support, they have me remove carts and wipe down with alcohol, yellow started working, then black quite working, called tech support back and they decided I need a new chip for the black cartridge, received it today, installed it, not recognizing the black cart, called tech support, no one available. My printer is a Epson Workforce 610, which is what they sent me carts for. I will call them again tomorrow. Is there anyone that has had the same experience with the system/printer. Help appreciated

Dave

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

User name: scrnmker42: Sorry you had problems. My printer is an Epson NX-305. When I first installed the CIS, I had to do some carving of plastic printer body for routing and fasioned with plastic tie the routing of the tubing inside so that it would not bind nor get in the way of the moving carts... observation, trial and error and success. Typical stick whittling nothing big.

The other problem was ink flow... when a tank runs low I raise the tanks high.. you can see flow into tanks... count 10 and then lower the tanks. Lift the tank cart slightly to break contacts,,, then reseat. My carts have tabs to thumbnail while squeezing and lifting to reset. The level of the soruce tanks can be problematic.... place too high they will flood the carts,,, too low they will not feed. I found the goldie-lox height using cd plastic boxes under the tanks... 3 is correct now, but that would varie with printer and ink level in tank. Yes, the ink carts are tight. At times I have to un seat and re seat for recognition, but not a serious problem with mine.

My tanks came filled, and are still on the that ink, but I have refill ink ($15 full set of 4) and will refill some time this year. Compared to a standard cart, wow,, these tanks have saved me a mint of money!! What printer do you have? You may have mentioned it but I can not see the messages while writing this.... give info and take photos to show problems areas for specific suggestions... time is tight this AM or I would send photos of my setup...

scrnmker42

I have had the CISink system for two weeks now and have only been able to print 3 pictures, I have been on tech support speaking with tech several times. They have had me clean chips with alcohol, reseat carts, sent me a new chip for the black cart, put a piece of cardboard behind clack chip for better contact, now they say that they are goind to send me a new black cart to see if that works, I have had momentary results showing all carts full, but then goes to empty on the ink monitor scrren on computer. I am using Epson Workforce 610. One of their tech guys tries to be helpful, the other is a smart ass. I really want this thing to work but I am just not sure what else to do. Your help is appreciated. Dave

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

It's even worse with a full sized gallon of 8 x 20-ounce pints.

Cheers,

R.