sgpix Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Hi - having now spent loads of time takes some nice shots and adjusting them on PS Elements 4, I am just getting into printing them... I've got an HP Officejet 7130 and it seems to print blues and whites pretty nicely, but warner tones (sunsets etc.) come out as if they've been through the washing machine (ie. they are muted, unsaturated and generally rubbish)! I've played around with printer settings and PS settings a bit but I'm getting a bit lost! Any tips (including "get a better printer") would be appreciated... I need to keep the HP as it's for work, but could accomodate a second printer as long as it's not huge... Thanks BTW, I'm using an EOS 20D set to Adobe RGB, shoot mostly in RAW + large/best qual JPEG, use a couple of Canon L lenses and am using good quality photo papers (teamed up with the best qual and recommended settings on the printer) if that's of any relevance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 You really do need a photo printer. A deskjet (of any kind) really won't give you what you want. If you are willing to spend about $400, the HP 8750 is terrific. If you only want up to legal size, the 8250 is very cpmpetent. If you want no larger than legal and you like to print B&W go toeBay and hunt an HP 7960. They can still be had NIB there. I just had one of my students buy one on eBay because she wanted both color and B&W. The color may be a tad better on the 8250 but it can't match the B&W on either the 8750 or 7960. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Connie knows whereof she speaks. I have some of her prints. I really thought they were standard photo prints on light sensitive paper. They're that good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgpix Posted March 12, 2006 Author Share Posted March 12, 2006 Thanks, Conni - I'm happy to spend $400 (or same in ﾣ as I'm in land of grey and drizzle)! Does it come with software to help a very computer-literate but only a little colour management-literate person ensure what comes out on paper looks like what's on screen? Just so I'm clear... as I DO like printing B&W, are you saying that the 8750 is a good B&W printer, or would that be the other model you mention? Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Simon: The 8750 is an excellent B&W printer and because it's top of the line, you get the professinal drivers. I'm what I call a techno-midget - I can do what I need to and that's about as far as I go so you'll find it a breeze. People often buy the 'little brother' models and they don't realize that what they really lose is the pro version of the driver. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgpix Posted March 12, 2006 Author Share Posted March 12, 2006 Brilliant... thanks, Conni! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_olander1664878205 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Conni: What about the HP 8450? Isn't that the "little brother" to the 8750? How does it compare to the 8750? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_viebey___orlando__ Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 As a thought, interesting enough, on per print basis, you may be better using Ofoto/Kodak or one of those services. I can't print a pic for $.15, but they can... So, I use them for 'generic'. I also use my Canon i9100 for hand-printing specials... Just a thought. pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Hi Alan: I don't have an 8450 but I ran a couple of photos on my own paper at Office Max. It does a creditable job. It's just that the step from 8250 to 8450 is not the same as the leap in opportunities you get in the move from 8450 to 8750. Hindsight being what it is, I would now buy the 8450 rather than the 8250. It is an excellent little printer relative to others in its class. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_olander1664878205 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Thank you, Conni. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_smith4 Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I didn't think the 8250 had the dedicated grey inks of the 7960 and the 8450, so for B&W the other two are a much better bet. http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en/un/WF06a/18972-236251-64340-15100-64340-443048.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickhilker Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Unless you're totally dedicated to HP, take a look at the Epson 2400. It has both gloss and matte black inks as well as two shades of gray. Combined with archival quality pigment inks, it produces B&W prints superior to any other printer on the market. This isn't just my opinion, but that of most who've tried it. It is a bit more expensive, but I'm sure you'll appreciate the difference once you see the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Roger: The 8250 does not have the dedicated grey inks. That's why I said I liked the 7960 better than the 8250 for B&W. The 8750 has a dedicated grey ink cart. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noreen Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Someone will surely correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the HP 8450 is essentially a scaled-down version of the 8750, but it is no longer in production. (This explains why it was on sale last fall!) Its replacement seems to be the 8250. The 8450 uses Vivera inks like the 8750, including the dedicated "photo gray" cartridge. It does an excellent job with b&w. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_scholey Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Simon, Are you using the photo ink cartridges for your printer ? I have a 7130 and know it can take photo cartridges, although I have not tried them. You may also want to consider custom printer profiles before shelling out on a new printer. Ian http://profiles.colourperfect.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zee Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Are you working in AdobeRGB in PS Elements, and if so, are you converting your final images to your destination space's profile before you print? If you're trying to print in the AdobeRGB colorspace on a consumer printer, you will get washed-out looking colors no matter which brand of printer you use. Patrick makes a good point: if you're not interested in getting down and dirty with proper color management, you'll probably find it easier (and cheaper) to save your final files in sRGB and upload them to a photo service. Otherwise, you might want to read up on color management and try again. If you're just hankering for a new printer though, I'd lean towards an Epson over an HP because of the prohibitively expensive cost of HP ink carts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 You can still get a NIB 8450 on eBay. HP cartridges aren't expensive when you calculate that you never waste ink in nozzle flushes and/or wasted paper and time. With the new printers especially, ink use is more miserly. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zee Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 That's a god point, Conni. I haven't sat down and calculated the price per print of one vs. the other, but one of Epson's weaknesses is their tendency to develop clogs. Not all of them do, but still... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 In addition, you don't have to swap out your carts to go from color printing to B&W and go throught the cleaning cycle which saves in and time. The only time I ever swapped carts was when I needed to use the 7960 to print documents on one occasion and installed the black only cart for that work. The cost per print on HP may be a cent or two higher but when you do the offset of nozzle checks and head cleanings, it probably comes out a bit cheaper. The 8250 carts are cheaper ($9.99 full price) and there is no waste because the colors are separate so if you really don't do B&W or bigger than leagl, that is a less expensive choice. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgpix Posted March 14, 2006 Author Share Posted March 14, 2006 Hi Zee The camera is set to Adobe RGB... I tried printing out with PS Elements set to sRGB (default), Apple RGB (Mi8stake, but gave best results!) and Adobe RGB 1998. Like I say, I'm PC literate, but not experinced with this colour management, so would be happy to hear a simple/best use combo! Mainly, I was surprised that the mainly blue/white image came out fine and all the others using warmer reds, oranges and purples looked terrible... Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leon paul Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Sorry to butt in to your thread but a quick question for Conni. Hi Conni can you advise on a decent paper for the HP? I have a 8450 and have been very happy with the results using the HP premium plus.I print mainly B/W but recently i bought some HP premium from ebay and its awful for B/W, colour ok though. I am in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Hi Leon: Try some Ilford Gallerie Pearl or Ilford Galleris Classic. These do a pretty good job with B&W. Just remember to turn the paper upside down when you take it out of the box because of the under-and-over load system of HP printers. If you don't you will get some interesting abstracts that will not dry anytime soon. If you want a matte finish, try some matte paper from Epson. I've printed some nice portraits on it but I wouldn't use it for much else. The new National Geographic paper has the best resolution of any of the papers, even HP. But you have to wwatch for a greenish cast. My best results on this paper have been sepia-toned. While you can print color on many papers after you determine that they will work, with real B&W, you will get your best results with HP papers. With color, I use about 50/50 with HP and other papers. If you do portraits, see if you can get an acrylic pad that has real texture. I have some I made 4 years ago and they haven't faded. If your subject matter has fine detail this isn't good. Remember that you'll get your best B&W 24 hours after it's printed as it cures. I've been slightly disappointed a couple of times and then the next day, the cure is in and it looks great. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leon paul Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Thanks Conni, i see what you mean about waiting 24 hrs. The B/W prints totally change.i think your suggestion of Ilford gallerie looks good, i,ll try some next. Leon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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