Lab vs. home printer

[onlooker]

How much does one have to spend to get lab quality on a home printer? In

addition to the printer, I assume one needs a monitor calibrator? Does one

typically need something better than a good 5 year old CRT monitor? Is anything

else needed, other than the obvious (e.g., ink and paper). Do most artists work

with labs, use home printers, or does it vary? Thanks.

 

(I'm in the process of switching to a digital darkroom, and trying to figure out

the best way to go.)

[steve_bingham]

I wouldn't think of sending my stuff to a lab! However, it really depends on your skill level.

 

Generally speaking, better prints are POSSIBLE at home. However, it requires the same hobby dedication as, say, a darkroom.

 

1- Calibrate your monitor (or not)

 

2- Read the manual. Try something simple like an Epson 1280.

 

3- Use auto settings (in the beginning). You might be surprised how good the results are!

 

Learn to use a good software program such as PS CS2, or a simpler PS Elements 5. Or even Paint Shop Pro. Then enjoy. You will get prints that others will envy and which will far surpass the average lab print.

[godfrey]

Having a good printer at home means you have complete control of the print. To me,

that's essential if I want to present my work the way I see it. <br>

<br>

What do you need? Three things:<br>

<br>

- monitor calibration tools ($250)<br>

- high quality printer (for me, that's an Epson R2400 or R4800, $800)<br>

- color managed workflow<br>

- lots of ink and paper (two sets of ink carts in stock @$115 each, a few boxes of paper at

$30-60 each<br>

- enough time to learn how to use the equipment<br>

<br>

You can get away with significantly less but my baseline is about $1300 worth of

equipment on top of my already existing computing equipment. <br>

<br>

Godfrey<br>

[david_henderson]

I'd be interested to hear whether those people that make their own print files but then send to a high end lab for printing on LightJets and Chromiras think that they lose control of the output, and whether their results match those realistically achievable at home.

[larry_kincaid1]

I noticed that my local Ritz camera store had the last version HP 8x10 printer that uses the Vivera ink--the one with the black-grey-light grey cartridge--on sale for less that $ 50.00. This is less money than the full set of in cartridges. Hence, they are basically giving away the printers. Its the 8x10 version of my current HP 8750 printer that goes up to 13 inches. Handled well with photoshop, these printers produce prints as good or better than any local lab in our area. For the price of paper and the ink. The new pigment ink jet HP is even better. So, for me the labs are good for giving me the equivalent of 4x6 contact prints to evaluate the negatives. I've stopped order those now, so the film processing cost is only about $5.00 with an index card. But. . . and a big one. . . I like the whole process of producing prints myself. Some people cannot stand it.

[Uhooru]

If you apply the same dedication to printing yourself that you would for a quality darkroom print, home printing can be very satisfying. If you want to print really large and need a professional lab, then get one where you call the final shots. Meaning you have the proper calibration to match theirs, and you work with the printer to get just what you want through the proofing processes.

[fanta]

With an Epson R800 printer, a monitor calibration kit (200 USD) and a few custom made profiles for my printer/inks/paper of choice (approx 40 USD each), I do stuff that no lab I tried in my city (and I tried several) can match. I am happy printing A4 and Letter, but you may want a larger format printer, up to you. My monitor started malfunctioning when it was 7 years old, and I changed it. With LCD being the norm, a good CRT is now pretty cheap (if you manage to find one). I would recommend also to obtain a 5000 K lamp if possible, which will help in evaluating prints (and color profiles) against what you see on screen.

 

I started to do it myself because disappointed by labs, and found out that, more than a bit of money, it requires time and dedication.

[roger_smith4]

"What do you need? Three things:

 

- monitor calibration tools ($250)

- high quality printer (for me, that's an Epson R2400 or R4800, $800)

- color managed workflow

- lots of ink and paper (two sets of ink carts in stock @$115 each, a few boxes of paper at $30-60 each

- enough time to learn how to use the equipment

 

You can get away with significantly less but my baseline is about $1300 worth of equipment on top of my already existing computing equipment. "

 

Or if you are on a budget. Eye-One Display or equivalent $60

aging but good condition CRT- free or cheap

letter-sized printer like Epson C88/R220- $50- $45 for selling OEM cartridges on Ebay for total of $5

MIS PRO color or MIS UT-R2 B&W refillable ink cartridges and bulk ink (year's worth) $150 for B&W or color, $250 for both

Paper profiles- B&W free from Paul Roark. Color- inkjetart.com for $25 each

[alex_bartonek]

I bought my fiancee a HP D7160 for $150. I wanted something that could do 8x10's.. well last night I hooked it up and printed a pic I took.. (8x10).. and it was beautiful. We printed a few 4x6's and it looked awesome!

 

I compared Kodak's photo paper w/HP but the colors were not as good as the HP.. just a fyi.

 

-Alex

[colm boran]

Having the ability to make good prints at home vs. a lab offers the same advantages as digital capture vs. film. With digital capture, you can see immediately what you shot and determine if the camera is working properly, if lighting is OK or there are strange reflections from strobes that you didn't notice with modeling lights, whether eyes were closed, etc. Making prints at home you can immediately determine how well the final product will look, and you have complete control over the color, brightness, contrast, etc. You don't have to go to the store, or wait a few days for an on-line lab to send you back your prints (only to find that the colors are wrong, etc.).

 

That said, you need to be prepared to spend significant time and money on inks, papers, etc., getting your home system up and running consistently. Someone above mentioned an EPSON 1280 printer, which I also own. I have produced really excellent prints with this printer, but it this printer has a lot of shortcomings:

 

- Color inks are all combined in one cartridge. If you print a lot of images that use one of the colors, you have to replace the whole cartridge.

 

- The print head clogs often when you don't use the printer every day. Cleaning the heads uses approximately 5% of the ink in the cartridges, and it often requires 2-3 cleanings to get all of the nozzles working properly. I estimate that I only get to use 50-60% of the ink in a cartridge in actually making prints.

 

- Lately my 1280 will occasionally print strange colors. It's intermittent and happens with new and older ink cartridges. But it's frustrating to make a tabloid-sized print, and find that the printer shifted color on you half way through the print. If you re-print it again, it might be fine, or it might show up again.

 

I have no experience with Canon printers, but I'm thinking of trying one because I'm tired of all the trial and error with the EPSON 1280 and Canon have separate inks.

[sergio_leal]

How about dye sub printers for 4x6 photos? Are they any good?

Does anyone have any experience with Canon's Selphy models?