Print in ink or copy in lab?

[pablomatsumoto]

<p>Dear all.<br>

Up to now, I was sending my digital pictures to a pro lab for copying on photo paper (Kodak Professional), as I used to with film.<br>

As a matter of fact, I believed that it was the way to achieve the best quality.<br>

However, I've seen prints in inkjet printers that have made me reconsidered.. They were really excellent, colours were much vibrant and the picture was more clean and sharpness was higher I believe.<br>

I will appreciate if you could tell me your thoughts about this. Do to think going to ink printing is the way? If so, what to I need to start with? I have an EPSON R290 but I guess it not suitable for the job. What paper do you use? Do you print yourself for your work, too (let's say for a wedding when you need to copy around 200 pictures? Is not very expensive??<br>

Thank you.</p>

[monika_epsefass]

<p>Printing at home - to me - is fantastic. I am not a pro, though, and don't need to whip up 200 pictures in one afternoon. It IS more expensive than having them sent to a good lab, but you can determine every little bit you like. If I need to print out ±50 pictures, I'm in a range that's still OK. While one image prints, most adjustments can already be made on the next one, so that's a good ratio, I find.<br>

I do not print larger than A4 (8.5x12), and have an Epson R800, which comes with 7 inks and 1 gloss. The quality is very good, the pigment colours are very durable, I find, but sharpness is a factor that is determined exclusively in your post-processing.<br>

I use mostly Epson paper, which has a light cream tint, though. Calibration needs to be carefully adjusted to that factor, because the profiles that come with the printer never really give the desired output, I find. I had printer profiles made professionally, and the picture quality before and after IS different. Then, I use paper from a German manufacturer called Sigel, and their paper is extremely white, which gives highly clear and vibrant results. I love it.<br>

For anything larger than my A4, I have a lab at hand, fortunately even in the street where I live, who have a A0 Epson ink printer and reasonable prices, so I outsource to them. Results are excellent if I do a correct post-processing; they print on either Epson or Tetenal paper.<br>

If you want an inkjet just for your private pleasure, don't even start to calculate... it's always going to me more expensive. ;-) But it's great.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>I don't have a clear picture of what you want. Are you making little 6x4 proof prints from just about everything you shoot, or big prints that you might hang on a wall from a small proportion of what you shoot, or something between? And about what number of prints do you want to make?</p>

<p>The answer is likely to be different for each of these and if the replies you get do not fit with your needs then you might be misled.</p>

[jtk]

<p>Pablo, since you obviously like B&W and since that means (to me) that you need to dodge and burn the way any serious person would in a wet darkroom, you need Photoshop (ultimately Lightroom as well), and an Epson photo printer...specifically 1900, 2880, or maybe even 3800 (most expensive, most economical to operate).<br>

Get the software before the hardware, play with Photoshop first.<br>

There's an infinite variety of papers that work beautifully with Epson printers. Canon and HP aren't as versatile, unlike Epson are oriented toward "house brand" papers. IMO you should start with the brightest matte paper you can find...I'd suggest Moab Kayenta, purchased directly from Moab or from <a href="http://www.inkjetart.com">www.inkjetart.com</a> (very helpful people).</p>

 

[pablomatsumoto]

<p>Thanks all for your replies.<br /> May be I didn't describe myself. I am a "beginner pro", to say is this way, and I do a colour digital photography, shot in RAW processed in PS CS4. Apart from the pictures I do for pleasure, I do mainly event and wedding photography and books.<br /> Most commom size I copy are 7.8 x 11 inches and 11 x 15 in., colour mate. For my personal pictures I do not copy many, around 30 per month. For work, for each event a copy around 200 in the sizes mentioned.</p>

<p>As I said, until now I was sending my digital work to the lab for copying, but I would like opinions about "pro" work printing in-house.</p>

[Charles_Webster]

<p>If you are making 200 prints at a time, you're better off having prints done at a lab. If you're making 20 prints at a time, doing it yourself can have significant benefits in terms of control and quality.<br>

Look into an Epson 3800 as a very economical printer because of its large ink carts.</p>

<p><Chas><br /></p>

[john_reynolds10]

A lot of pro labs also make inkjet prints. You might want to check around before getting involved with home printing.