best cost per copy

[alphasha]

I have just started my A level photgraphy and we seem to do a massive amount of full colour printer in a nutshell I have used a full colour cartridge in 3 weeks.
I was thinking of getting a better printer as I only have a canon pixma BUT i will need one that is the most economical to run with out compromising the quality too much.
When I google it it keeps coming back to Kodak does anyone use one as I am on a limited budget as well.
Many thanks

 

[eccles]

I have a Pixma 4500 which has 5 cartridges, one black dye plus four pigments. I Got a JetTec refill kit for about £10. It came with four little bottles of refill ink, a syringe, a little drill to put a hole in the cartridge and some little bungs to plug the hole after refilling. I have to be careful about overfilling and do my refills over several sheets of kitchen towel or things can get a bit messy but it's been fine with no noticeable difference in print quality. The ink with the kit has all been used up, and I bought 4x100ml pots of ink for about £20 which I'm still using. I don't know the unit cost per print but it's only a few pence, far less than any OEM running cost.

 

[cambsno]

Use someone like dscl. Much better quality, and cheap as well.

I really don't see the point in forking out for good cameras, good lenses and then to print on a cheap printer with cheap ink?

 

[alphasha]

Use someone like dscl. Much better quality, and cheap as well.

I really don't see the point in forking out for good cameras, good lenses and then to print on a cheap printer with cheap ink?

It is only for my course work, we have even been advised by lecturers to use plain paper to keep the costs down! so its not for anything special like course work to be submitted as I will get these done professionally.
Just everyday contact sheets etc

 

[eccles]

Use someone like dscl. Much better quality, and cheap as well.

I really don't see the point in forking out for good cameras, good lenses and then to print on a cheap printer with cheap ink?

You can get good photo quality cheaply if you get a decent printer and are prepared to refill your cartridges yourself using good quality ink. You can save money on paper by buying matt instead of gloss, after all, once it's behind glass in a frame you can't tell the difference. Pro-Jet photo matt paper gives very detailed images with good contrast and black depth and is fine for things like calendars. Asda and Tesco both sell their own brand glossy paper. I haven't tried the Tesco, but Asda's produce excellent professional looking prints at about £3 per 30 sheets.

 

[modchild]

If you want decent prints and cheap ink you would be better going with an epson. You can get a very wide range of compatible cartridges very cheaply. I dont know how good the print will look in 20 years time but I've had various epson printers (got a P50 now, very good quality prints) over the years and used countless compatible cartridges. I can honestly say the only time I had a problem with 1 was when I tried to put a continuous ink system in it. Mine takes 6 cartridges and I can get 5 sets for under £20. I'm sure the prices of genuine cartridges are over inflated by the manufacturers. A genuine set for mine costs more than the printer itself. Ridiculous.

 

[steve_lyt]

using plain paper will use more ink. i use hp everyday photopaper , its from staples and is about £7.50 for 100 sheets of 200g paper. this will reduce your ink costs.

or use DSCL

Cheers Steve

 

[eccles]

I'm sure the prices of genuine cartridges are over inflated by the manufacturers. A genuine set for mine costs more than the printer itself. Ridiculous.

I totally agree. Compatibles are available for Canon and Epson if you don't want to take the trouble of refilling your own.
You also have to watch out for printers that have the head incorporated into the cartridge though as compatibles are not usually available for them. I seem to remember Brother, Lexmark and HP come to mind as being of this sort, so check for compatible cartridge availability and their prices before buying a new printer.

 

[Alastair]

+1 for DSCL

Their turnaround is quick, and if a few friends join in for a weekly/fortnightly order (order Weds evening/night and you'll have the prints usually by Friday) you can spread the postage costs across more prints.

With the prices and quality you can get from DSCL I wouldn't even consider buying a colour photo printer at the moment. There's no payback on the ink costs and set-up/calibration, and with c.36hr turnaround there's not much of a convenience advantage.

If quality really isn't an issue (using plain paper for contact sheets makes it sound like it's not), then a full colour laser printer will give a result not far off an inkjet if you're only printing onto copier paper. And at a cheaper cost per page.