mhahn Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 <p>Any advice on selecting a color printer would be appreciated. Want to be able to print up to 11 x 14 regularly and occasionally, perhaps, a little bigger.</p><p>Also, any thoughts on about how long would it take to set it up and become familiar enough with it to begin getting good prints would be appreciated.</p><p>Thanks in advance.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_lee13 Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 <p>Hi Martin, I have used Epson printers for a long time and had great results with them. The pro series printer like P600 or Canon P10 printer will suite your needs. They both print 13" x 19" but here is the kicker, you will spend lot of money on the inks and photo quality papers. It is essential to get a printer and monitor calibrator like colormunki so that you don't waist on bad prints.<br> Setting up is fast and easy. to be proficient with printing takes time and depends on the individual's capability. Take some class or visit your local service bureau for advice.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I use the Canon Pixma Pro-10. I've also used the comparable Epson. While both are excellent I prefer the Pixma Pro-10 as it is more economical to run (consumes less ink and has far fewer problems with clogged nozzles. I agree with Jim Lee about the need for a colorimeter to profile your computer display(s). The Xrite ColorMunki Display is fine but if you have multiple displays the same company's i1 Display Pro is better, faster, and not significantly more expensive. I also agree with Mr. Lee about using high quality paper. Also inks: even though OEM INKS are amazingly expensive per milliliter, they are cheaper in the long run than refilled cartridges or inks of unknown origin as those in my experience cause problems with the print heads and make consistent print color a headache. I used to make my own printer/ink/paper profiles using 1700-2100 patch targets and Xrite's i1 Pro spectrophotometer and i1 Profiler software; over the past few years I have switched almost entirely to Moab papers and comparing the high end individual printer specific profiles I was making to the "generic" profiles Moab makes available. I see no discernible difference either in the prints (viewed in a Graflite viewing booth) or in the profiles themselves as mapped in ColorThink software, and I get a good match to my profiled displays. Jeff Schewe's books "The Digital Negative" and "The Digital Print" are excellent, highly readable guides to digital image processing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill C Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Hi, I'm not going to suggest a printer other than say it ought to be an inkjet from a well-known maker. Regarding set-up time, if you're familiar with the general driver installation methods, etc., AND the printer is loaded with ink, etc., you might be up and running in 30 minutes or so. On the other hand, if there is just one little glitch that you don't understand (or recognize) it may be days, including lots of time with tech support or scouring the internet. Regarding the print quality, the key thing is to have the correct ICC profile for your printer and media, and to use the profile properly. The profile should be for your exact set-up, not for something similar. To use it properly, it should be set up so that it is used ONCE in the print chain. A common error has been to let the profile be used TWICE, once by the print driver and once by the application program. So you want to know where both of these set up items are, and specifically only allow one to work. Once these things are set up, your printer should be able to deliver the same color quality as anyone else's. I specifically said color because there are usually driver settings for sharpening, and the like. When I say the same color quality, I mean that if a good operator has prepared an image file to make excellent prints on their (same) printer, you should get the same result from that same image file. All the other details about monitor setup, etc., have to do with you being able to properly adjust the image, not with the printing, per se. And this is where the real skill is needed; the rest is mostly a physical set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Smith Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 <p>Nowadays you should also consider a dye printer like the Canon Pro100. These tend to be a bit cheaper. These have 100 year color fastness which is long enough for anyone and may have an advantage in less nozzle clogging compared to pigment ink printers (which conventionally have been considered "the professional's choice"). Otherwise, I agree with what the others say. I tend to stick to the OEM papers myself, but that's just me.</p> Robin Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now