print like a lab ?

KIPAX

KIPAX

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KIPAX Lancashire UK
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OK I make a lot of orders with photoshop.. but the delivery price seems to have gone up.. as a result one 7x5 print will cost me 3.19 from photobox and another 1.70 for me to post to customer as I would never let photobox send direct

so am thinking.. how do I print like they do..

sub dye printer?

I only want 7x5.. thats all I offer then its a4 and a3 **** i sell less of but can order out..

so how do I print my own so they are lab quality.. specific maching and prices anyone?
 
Buy a minilab? but dyesub is probably the closest you will get at somthing that Mrs Kipax won't complain at too much.
They come in 2 sizes 6" and 8" this is the max width you just buy the paper the size you want and it goes in a 7.5 will have 2 hald inch spacers one on each side if its the same as the 9550 but by swapping the paper and film you can print 6x4 or 6x9 as wel so pretty flexable.

Lots of machines out there, I have the use of a mitsubishi 9550 which is an old heavy beast but it works and produces pretty decent prints considering its size and speed and age.
Played with the HiTi p510 lighter and reasonable speed lots of plastic so probably best for home use not moving about too much but the guy I know who has 2 of them they get moved about a lot so can take a bit of punishment.
Then there is the DNP DS40 small compact and reasonable weight was once considered the printer to have but I haven't really looked at anything receintly the mitsubishi D70DW a mate of mine has one of the double ones if you want a test print or somthing?

I could get you demos of the 3 I have access to or you could pop down Im sure I can borrow them.
 
You can get a used 9550 about £500, 7x5 prints work out approx 25p each. All other printers mentioned new are over £1000 with vat added.
Used prices hold well as there is big demand.
 
I'd be looking at labs you could trust to send direct. Less hassle, less time, no large upfront cost.

Photobox seem to use thin paper now. I get nicer prints from my canon selphy.
 
Big orders - internet labs.

Small orders - my local camera shop has a couple of decent dye subs. I can pop into Waitrose for a free coffee while they print stuff for me.
 
We have a Mitsubishi Dye sub printer which is used on a daily basis for smallish stuff, great quality and sharp colourful prints. Wouldn't be without it and it's VERY cost effective.
 
I ahve one notification of a reply from snapalot... sorry guys I didnt know anyone esle had replied :(


mitsubishi seems to be what i am looking for and 9550 would do the trick? that would give me as good a quality pics as for example photobox?
 
If you want some sample prints from a 9550 your welcome to pop round. I have 6x4, 7x5 and 9x9 media. The only thing is they have been replaced by the smaller D70 so who knows how long media is going to be available for.
 
Tony I have the DNP DS40.

I am away this week, but if you want a few samples next week I can print some off for you. Having said that I am sure any of the commercial sellers will do you some samples from your own pics.

They are robust printers, cheap to run and the quality is great - oh and don't take up much space.

See here http://www.photomart.co.uk/catalogue/results.aspx?search=dnp+ds40

You do need the 7x5 guides though.

Up front cost is a lot at £1044 for the printer and £81.72 for the guides.

5x7" 460 Prints Per Box = 230 Per Roll and there are 2 rolls in a box for £98.60

So according to my maths that 21.5p / print, plus time, envelope and postage cost.

The Mitsubishi CP9550DW is now discontinued I believe.
 
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I have two DNP DS40's and one DS80 so can print from 6x4 upto 12x8. I fulfil everything except for larger than 12x8. These will print gloss or matt with only a software change and are half the size of the 9550. The prints are good straight out of the box and I understand DNP have just released a new profile which improves further.

With the Mits 9550 you will need a custom profile as none Mits offer are very good. This will cost £15 and should then offer near perfect colour match. But as mentioned the Mits is now discontinued so at some point (may be years) media will also be discontinued. Best to buy a current model so you'll be ok. Plenty about S/H around the £600-£700 or buy new with warranty but if you do I'd wait until around xmas time to see if any offers about :thumbs:
 
The media for the 9550 is the same for the 9800 and the 9810. I fulfil all orders myself Tony, pretty much the same sizes as Graham(Snappz). All mine are Mitsubishi's and they are pretty reliable. Not the newest models but still very good quality.

Anything larger than 12x8 gets printed on my 24 inch Epson which is a real workhorse and apart from a single user error, I have had no problems with it.
 
Your local boots will give you as good as photobox on 7x5s, and with dye subs at the £1000 mark you need to sell a lot of images to make it worth while for home printing, they really come into the own when on site printing IMHO.
 
I use a Fuji Ask-300 for 6x4's but it also prints 7x5 and 8x6 and it's super!!

It's pretty much a lower spec'd Mitsubishi wwith out the 9x6 and 6x2 ability so it's a bit cheaper! I use it in a PhotoBooth so it only prints 6x4's for me and the print quality is the same as a lab.

If you are only going to be doing home printing instead of printing at events where speed and seconds make a difference when printing then it's a much better option than the more expensive dye subs imo.
 
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