Laser or Inkjet

Really need an advice about this.

 

I have some good digital scan to print (colour) for exhibition

purposes.

 

The "pro" lab I use to go have both laser and inkjet colour printer.

While the laser prints on photo paper (different kinds, matte etc.,

etc.) the inkjet prints on more different kind of paper. I need just

little print (more or less a square of 10x10 cm, sorry don't know the

inches but I'm sure you'll know that better than me), so they told me

that for this kind of size laser is better. To be more accurate, they

told me that there's no need at all to use the inkjet plotter for

that size. They also told me that their "pro" laser printer on photo

paper prints at 250 dpi. Here's come my questions:

 

1. What do you think/suggest me about the laser/inkjet option ? Is

laser always better, if the size is "laser printable" or, on the

contrary, inkjet printers did a better final prints (in this case I

can print all my small square on the plotter and then cut them) ?

 

2. I know what dpi and ppi are. I know since my scanned images are to

be print at 1:1, in theory (photo editing "eat" infos), I don't need

to scan over 300 dpi (my scanned images are from polaroid so ..), but

250dpi laser for a pro lab (they really work with lots of pros) looks

really few to me. The print I saw from them (not my works) are

awesome, anyway. What do you think about that ?

 

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

Matt

I have never been happy with color laser prints of photos. They seems to be more

appropriate for graphs and charts. I have been blown away by inkjets though. But

then again, if the lab is showing you samples and they look good that is probably

what you should go with.

Matt: I think that Al is not understanding your predicament. I think that if your lab has a Lightjet or some other laser driven device that prints on standard photo paper the quality will be quite good. As for the inkjet, that should also make a good print. Don't be confused by the DPI, that won't be relevant in your case. A 4x4 inch print should only cost a few cents, at our Costco that will be about 20 cents U.S. so get one of each.

Bill

Laser is kind of rare actually. I heard many times people calling laser what

was in fact dye sublimation or thermal wax printing. (For instance, Xerox

formerly Tektronix makes amazing machines among which a few are true

laser but most are solid ink... although all of them, even dye sub and solid ink

use a laser beam :-), however it's not toner but solid ink... let's not get into that)

Make sure it's laser-laser by getting the name of the printer and then compare.

Truth is, many pro lab operators will say it's laser when in fact they don't know

what's going on. Anyhow, brings us the make/model of the machines and it'll

be much easier to tell.

 

As a general idea, ink jet is pretty much unbeatable. I'd go for laser or thermal

wax for higher volume printing, but for one or two copies of the shot (and if

you're not in a hurry), you can't really beat a good ink jet.

Of course there's no need to use the plotter for a 10x10cm print. The plotter is

for poster-size prints and they're right not to use it for your print, but it's not

helpful to you in comparing inkjet vs. other techniques. I'm sure they also have

a good ink-jet for under 8x10 sizes.

I find RA-4 printer such as the lighjet give great quality and they are waterproof because it is real photo paper. I also like the inkjets but i tend to only be happy with the epson (but i haven't seen the new ones).

 

I did not like the look of color prints from a laser printer for an office and not RA-4. They have an odd gloss and are not pro looking

 

All IMHO of course

Assuming you mean the kind of home printer that prints on paper (as opposed to a laser-on-photo-paper device like a Fuji Frontier or Lightjet)...

<p>Besides resolution and the other numeric things you will see in the advertisements, there are two things to consider (you can of course break this down further): ink, and paper. We might cover paper first.

<p>Paper can be plain, glossy/coated, come in various weights, come in various sizes, be acid-free or not, and so on. Can the printer handle the kind(s) and size(s) of paper you will use? Acid-free paper will, when matted and framed properly, last for many years. Paper that is not acid-free will turn yellow even when properly framed and matted.

<p>Ink. Inkjets use, well, jets of ink. But these come in two main kinds, water-based and "other". "Laser" printers use toner instead of ink, and a drum (selenium) that gets exposed by laser and then rolled through the toner. The toner sticks to the parts that are electrostatically charged (via laser) and is then rolled onto the paper, then heated to fuse (melt) it into the paper.

<p>Because of the fusing process, laser printers of this sort are actually <i>less</i> flexible than most inkjet printers. The big advantage is speed -- it takes a lot less time to laser-zap the drum and then roll it through the toner than it does to flick or boil ink out of an inkjet's line of sprayers all the way down the page.

<p>Again, as with acid-free (or not) paper, inks may fade. Water-based inks generally fade a lot faster than pigments and dyes. Of course these can all have color shifts over time too.

<p>Finally, consider the number of colors available from the printer (part of "inks"). Standard four-color CMYK is pretty good, but with more ink colors you can often do a better job of color reproduction (if your software is up to it). Of course, a 7-ink-color printer is probably more expensive, both to buy and to get inks for.

<p>My personal take on all this is: if you need lots of speed, go for a laser printer, otherwise go for an inkjet. If you want the best durability (longest lasting inks), get an inkjet that can handle the non-water-based inks.

10cm by 10cm is not a ery big print. Go check the quality of your local printers in your area. With laser printers or color copiers; quality varies by a HUGE amount between printers. Many dont ever calibate their system; have scratches on the drum; and use cheap paper...Photo quality is obtainable; it requires the stores owner to calibrate the printer....This is rarely done often enough; so alot of stuff looks like doggie dung.<BR><BR>Our machine has a calibration that uses standard Kodak printer color patches/swatches; and grey scale patches; to calibrate the affair. Plus we sometimes do few secret things to get it to match alot better. <BR><BR>Critical calibration of inkjet and laser work requires good consistant coverage of toner or ink...When machines see little useage; calibration can drift alot.......Paper whiteness; and humidity effect the color of the prints.....<BR><BR>Have seen total crap in both inkjet and laser; usually inkjet can be abit better in a neglected machine...<BR><BR>Our laser printer is 600 dpi; and appears sharpest with a 300 to 400 pixel/inch file; at actual size to be printed...Many times; 250 to 300 will appear the same; if the image is not tack sharp.

If by "laser" you mean toner technology I'd say no. Every one I've seen has a really crummy color gamut compared to other technologies, and the paper commonly used is flimsy. The only advantages they have are speed, and display life under abusive conditions. (hung outside in full sun, toner beats even ilfochrome and Crystal Archive.)

 

If by "laser" they mean Frontier or Lightjet, these look great. I much prefer them to inkjet. Especially if they're refering to their inkjet as a "plotter"--this usually indicates a device of modest resolution intended for poster-size or greater output.

 

If it's toner technology vs. large-format plotter, I'd say pick neither, go somewhere else. Try one of the online services like Ofoto, Ez-Prints or Shutterfly.

 

250 dpi should look fine for most subjects, however, the smaller you print the closer people are going to look at things, and the more resolution counts. Realistically there aren't that many way to get that much higher. Inkjets generally have a max ppi of 300 or 360. I know Fuji Pictography runs at 400, and Lighjets almost always run at 300, although the older model CAN run at 406, you just have to talk the operator into recalibrating for the higher resolution.