Thinking about printing my own images

RJL2005

RJL2005

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Rhod
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Hi

I've been using DSCL or Photobox to print my images but am interested in doing it myself. I have the opportunity to buy an Epsom 2400 for £125 with a spare set of inks. Would this be a good place to start?

Your views appreciated:)
 
R2400 is a decent printer

make sure that it works as it should as its a bit old now these days.

if you are local get them to make a print at the lowest print setting and see if there is any banding
 
Why would you want to do that? If you are doing only a few don't bother. More hassle than its worth.

How many are you doing? Few hundred a month? Use DSCL

Few 1000 get one of these puppies Epson Stylus Pro 7890

Or like us we just got Fuji Frontier 400 series mini lab.

But really not worth the hassle buying a cheapo printer. Use a lab.
 
It's just not cost effective to self print. So many quality companies are found great prints for great value nowadays.
 
Yeah agreed Nigel what you must do is cost the price of a 'print' and you will almost always find that bulk prints are miles cheaper from labs :)
 
I gte my prints done through a lab... a regular customer of mine wanted a one off pic so I printed it.. Canon printer.. genuine not refill canon ink on good quality canon paper... he knew straight away i had printed it.. looked perfect to me.. he says the ones from the lab seem to have a film over them.. like a protective layer? I have no idea what he was tlaking about.. but he could tell the difference between a lab and home print..and NOT on picture quality or colour... so my customers get lab all the time now..
 
Daryl said:
Why would you want to do that? If you are doing only a few don't bother. More hassle than its worth.

How many are you doing? Few hundred a month? Use DSCL

Few 1000 get one of these puppies Epson Stylus Pro 7890

Or like us we just got Fuji Frontier 400 series mini lab.

But really not worth the hassle buying a cheapo printer. Use a lab.
Click to expand...


The OP is a chemist and not a professional photographer so your rant is kinda pointless

other than the fact an R2400 makes better print than a lab and will last longer, you get a greater range of surfaces to print on. I don't print using my R2400 to be cost effective.
 
paper is different and lab prints tend to be much more glossy than even dye printers which is what he probably ment by film.

KIPAX said:
I gte my prints done through a lab... a regular customer of mine wanted a one off pic so I printed it.. Canon printer.. genuine not refill canon ink on good quality canon paper... he knew straight away i had printed it.. looked perfect to me.. he says the ones from the lab seem to have a film over them.. like a protective layer? I have no idea what he was tlaking about.. but he could tell the difference between a lab and home print..and NOT on picture quality or colour... so my customers get lab all the time now..
Click to expand...
 
What are you on about POAH (Doc)???????

I just answered the question. Where on EARTH does it say say He is a Chemist??? I dont go reading everyones bio........... I could not care less if the OP was a Frog Machanic!!!!!!

It was not a RANT but a fact . He said print his own . Not run D & P for a Chemist.

It's cheaper and less hassle to use DSCL. Buying a cheapo printer will be hassle and not cheaper.
 
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his profile ;)

I print with an R2400 - its not cheap printer in terms of quality -like I said better than a fuji frontier system.

Daryl said:
What are you on about POAH (Doc)???????

I just answered the question. Where on EARTH does it say say He is a Chemist??? I dont go reading everyones bio........... I could not care less if the OP was a Frog Machanic!!!!!!

It was not a RANT but a fact . He said print his own . Not run D & P for a Chemist.

It's cheaper and less hassle to use DSCL. Buying a cheapo printer will be hassle and not cheaper.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the input.

For info I am not a pro photographer just a keen amateur interested in producing my own prints. I am aware that the lab option is cheaper and like the results that DSCL provide.

My thinking was that something like the R2400 would let me try media such as the art papers and that £125 was a reasonable price?

Frog mechanic :thinking:
 
I have an A3 HP printer which I use for special stuff like my RPS portfolios, competions, exhibitions, etc. The beauty of being able to print yourself is that you can get it as close as you can to what's on your screen, as well as being able to use different types of paper. I also prefer the prints I produce compared to the ones I get from DS Colour Labs. The downsides are that eliminating colour casts on monochrome prints is extremely hard, and the cost can get high. There is a learning curve to go through if you want excellent prints, especially monochrome, and it's not a cheap one in my experience.

Because of this, if I'm doing large volumes of prints, especially if the end result isn't ultra critical, I will send them off to DSCL as they're quick and relatively cheap, and good quality.
 
I'm also an amateur who home prints.

It works out a lot more expensive than using a printers

I continue as I prefer the quality and flexibility. I also get satisfaction from controlling the entire process from taking picture to printing it.

Rationally based on cost, I would say it's not worth it, but personally I enjoy home printing
 
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