Home Printing Printer

Hello,

I would like to start printing A4 or possibly up to A3 though this is not a deal breaker.
At present I use a local printing store in town for Fine Art A4 prints of my images that I have sold.
They charge apx £8 per print, and I know I can get A4 prints cheaper online, however most of the time I only need just 1 or 2 prints at a time.

The online stores normally want 10 plus prints to trigger a discount on the order, however there is always a reasonable charge for P&P charge as well. So without the discount for 10 plus the cost of online sites is still comparable ( when compared per print cost ) to printing 1 or 2 at my local print store.
So my question is what printer would be good for home printing on a reasonable good paper quality.
I have looked at Canon TR8620 all in one scanner print. Is the Maximum optimized color print resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi good enough for Fine Art Prints.

here are my images which have been printed, and the 3 pinned to the top of the IG page have all been printed in A4, A3 and A2 and sold.
IG https://www.instagram.com/tornadotys/?hl=en
Web Site https://www.viewbug.com/member/tysonator

What other printers should I consider looing at !

Many thanks

T

I wouldn’t go for an all in one if you really want precision.
think long and hard before shelling out. I have a Canon Pro100 A3+ and it prints beautifully about 3 times a year. If I want large prints I more than not use DSCL and have them printed. By the time you’ve got your printer, paper and a good stock of ink you could get quite a few printed for you.
id look at their prices before you dive in.

Print at home if you want to have ultimate control over the print, but not if you want to save money.

My experience of printing from home is it's very rewarding BUT for me worked out more expensive by the time you set the printer up to get the colours you want etc then print a test print ...then print a final print to find it's not correct so you have to print another lol then if your not using the printer regularly you'll have nozzle issues . For me printing is a hobby in its self and I'm so glad I don't do it anymore . I've spent £100 on a printer and I've spent £700 on a printer and both were as frustrating as each other . I now save a fortune in money and time and just use loxley for fine art and dscl for standard prints

Hi All,
some very valid points to consider, and I have thought about the out lay for a printer, ink, decent paper, and of course a nice dry, warm room to print in at home.

In the near future I am going to set up an etsy account to sell A4 prints. My only concern is the cost of A4 print from my local printing store,, Postage, etsy commission which means there is not that much left from the sale.
The apx price from a A4 photo print on etsy is apx £12-14 per print.

I will look into DSCL web site for printing costs and loxley colour see what margins I am working with.

I have even ask on my neighbourhood app if there is a local person with a printer like Canon Pro 200, 300 etc that could print for me if I supply paper and a reasonable charge per print. Which I hope would be a lot less than £8.00 for A4 at my local printing store.

Some good advise, thanks guys
T

You don't mention budget (unless I missed it)

Fine art prints - especially large (A3+) ones - are always going to be cheaper to print at scale at home. By that, I mean high quality cotton baryta papers. Standard prints on RC papers are definitely going to be cheaper online. Buying a printer is a double edged sword. Get a cheap one with tiny tanks and you're forever paying for new carts. Get a more expensive one with larger carts and/or continuous ink flow systems and the outlay is more expensive, but the overall cost is much lower.

I'd direct you to Keith Cooper's fantastic resources on YouTube for more information. The production value isn't great, but the content is gold. https://www.youtube.com/@KeithCooper

Harlequin565 said:

You don't mention budget (unless I missed it)

Fine art prints - especially large (A3+) ones - are always going to be cheaper to print at scale at home. By that, I mean high quality cotton baryta papers. Standard prints on RC papers are definitely going to be cheaper online. Buying a printer is a double edged sword. Get a cheap one with tiny tanks and you're forever paying for new carts. Get a more expensive one with larger carts and/or continuous ink flow systems and the outlay is more expensive, but the overall cost is much lower.

I'd direct you to Keith Cooper's fantastic resources on YouTube for more information. The production value isn't great, but the content is gold. https://www.youtube.com/@KeithCooper

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Thanks for the link.

budget wise apx £150-£200 for the printer.
NB. I have no problem with buying used !

I suspect printing at home is another hobby in itself. When I got my first digital camera I also got my first printer. Just printed to 8 1/2x11 but what did I care. No more developing fees and printing fees. After a time I got tired of the small printer and past 7 or 8 yrs been using a Canon pixma pro 9000 MK II. Have printed up to 12x24. if you don't need a photo that big, I'd recommend, if you could find one, a Canon iP 100. 8 1/2" printer that will do up to 8 1/2 x 16 I'm sure of because I done it. But you are selling photo's and I'd suspect the ones sold most often are over 8 1/2x11! Get a 13" printer and it pretty much cover's your base's. I've had HP printer's, an Epson and several Canon's and all I intend to have from now on is Canon! Why? Because they work and I'm happy with the results! Are HP and Epson as good, depends. If your asking me, no! Will HP and Epson print alright? Sure till they won't anymore!

BTW, my Canon iP100 has been working a good number of years also! Another thing, I don't get caught up buying the most expensive paper I can thinking having a print that will last a hundred years hanging on my wall is necessary, it's not. I've got some prints around here printer on el cheapo staples paper that have lasted over 20 yrs so far. Yep even have one photo that stuck to the glass, not a big deal, matt the picture and get it off the glass! To stick to the glass the photo has to touch the glass.

As far as time in involved, lot's of time I spend not taking picture's I can spend printing them! Another hobby that popped up soon after going digital is frame making. My first were not things of beauty but they worked! Today I do make my own frames from free wood off scrap piles and other places. Recently started making them from old fence pickets! Lot of my glass is not glare control stuff anymore but then these days most my glass is free, just have to cut it! Few remodel site's I've been to has let me take away their old windows just to get rid of them! OH yea, BTW, Those old wood window frames make pretty nice frames too! Send a photo in to get framed and it'll probably take at least a couple days. I can cut my own materials and build and finish a frame in under an hour! Cost, well yep there is, little bit of glue and some 1 1/4" nails for my nail gun! I put two nails in each corner!

The impression I get listening to people talk about framing is they are shooting photo's 24hrs a day seven days a week! Strangely enough even doing my own printing and frames I still have time to fish pretty much all I want! Money I save printing and framing my own I use for gas to go fishing!

Tysonator said:

Thanks for the link.

budget wise apx £150-£200 for the printer.
NB. I have no problem with buying used !

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Something about ink. I was one that for years believed you should use manufacturer inks, I don't think that anymore. For a year or so I've been buying after market ink $5 a cartridge as opposed to $18 for Canon ink and I don't have to drive to the store to get them; delivered right to the house. Don't know what you might think of how they look but look fine to me and $13 less expensive and eliminates a 280 mi round trip to the closet place to home I can get them!

Don Fischer said:

. I can cut my own materials and build and finish a frame in under an hour!

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What do you use to cut the material? (Apart from a saw!)

Brentor said:

What do you use to cut the material? (Apart from a saw!)

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I was in construction several years and a hobby I had was making thing from wood. have a table saw, power miter, plainer, hand sanders nail gun, and other tools not as expensive that work fine. I cut glass with a glass cutter I got from Ace hardware for about six bucks. The tools I use were made to build houses with but I found you can make picture frames with them also. Few example's of frames:

This made from old fence pickets and glass I had to clean before using! Cost of materials was nothing except glue, 1 1/4" finish nails and finish.


Next is wood off a scrap pile. This before I was getting free glass, had to pay for the stuff! Photo has been in this frame about 25 yrs. Staples el cheapo paper!


Next is a shadow box with the photo suspended in it. Had to buy the glass but everything else except glue and nails were free. BTW, the photo's in this shadow box has been in there since 1995! Wood is off an old deserted barn.


This is the last one. Wood old stuff off the site of this old house, I stole it! Glass free at a re-model site.

Very impressive.

Don Fischer said:

Something about ink. I was one that for years believed you should use manufacturer inks, I don't think that anymore. For a year or so I've been buying after market ink $5 a cartridge as opposed to $18 for Canon ink and I don't have to drive to the store to get them; delivered right to the house. Don't know what you might think of how they look but look fine to me and $13 less expensive and eliminates a 280 mi round trip to the closet place to home I can get them!

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How do the prints look after a couple of years? I've used after market ink and found that it started to fade pretty quickly - OK for a quick showing to family and friends but not much good when selling to the public!

Don Fischer said:

I was in construction several years and a hobby I had was making thing from wood. have a table saw, power miter, plainer, hand sanders nail gun, and other tools not as expensive that work fine. I cut glass with a glass cutter I got from Ace hardware for about six bucks. The tools I use were made to build houses with but I found you can make picture frames with them also. Few example's of frames:

This made from old fence pickets and glass I had to clean before using! Cost of materials was nothing except glue, 1 1/4" finish nails and finish.

Next is wood off a scrap pile. This before I was getting free glass, had to pay for the stuff! Photo has been in this frame about 25 yrs. Staples el cheapo paper!

Next is a shadow box with the photo suspended in it. Had to buy the glass but everything else except glue and nails were free. BTW, the photo's in this shadow box has been in there since 1995! Wood is off an old deserted barn.

This is the last one. Wood old stuff off the site of this old house, I stole it! Glass free at a re-model site.

Click to expand...

Very impressive,.....
I buy my frames from a local market which are hand made. One day I might dabble in making a frame,..lol !

Get an Epson eco tank, the ink lasts absolutely ages

I have an Epson eco-tank for every day stuff which will print up to A3 photos, but of course it's mostly dye ink, so I personally would not sell these prints, nor expect them to last as long. I also would not expect great black and white prints from it.

I also have a Canon Pro-1 which uses 12 pigment inks. This gives superb prints - and gives me great joy, but boy is it expensive to run. I do use Canon inks.

There is a learning curve with printing which can be frustrating, but it is great to be able to run off another print if you want to tweak the colours etc.

You mentioned a nice warm room... I just wanted to say... my printers are in an upstairs bedroom which is mostly fairly cool. I think this has been instrumental in me not having any issues with clogged print heads, despite being quite negligent. My Pro-1 was recently set in action again after having turned off during an electric storm many months ago... so printheads were not 'parked'. I've never had any issues at all, and I can only think it is down to the room being fairly cool, and perhaps using the right inks... (hoping I'm not tempting fate here!).

I have had printed images using a dye ink printer on my walls for more than 10 Years and no signs of fading, it were the photos are being hung, if not in direct sunlight they will last a very long time no matter what ink is used.

Well this is a difficult decision whether to get a printer or just bit the bullet every time I sell an image !

The A4 prints are OK to pay for at £8.00 each from my local printing store, However the A3 & A2 are just under £30 each on Hahnemuhle Baryta fine art paper. I am hoping to have another exhibition at a local museum and I was planning a at least 4 or 4 A3/A2 frame prints.
This puts the cost just these 5 frame prints will just exceed £250, which is a reasonable amount to lay out. One could argue that I am not confident my prints a sellable which is a fair point. I do feel art is very subjective, and timing is important as you want holiday periods when there is going to the most footfall.

Even if you have the printer at home, it isn't cheap to print A2 on Hahnemuhle Baryta.

Nod said:

How do the prints look after a couple of years? I've used after market ink and found that it started to fade pretty quickly - OK for a quick showing to family and friends but not much good when selling to the public!

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Let ya know in a couple years!

Tysonator said:

A3 & A2 are just under £30 each on Hahnemuhle Baryta fine art paper

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Yep. The cost of that paper is around £4 a sheet at A3, (£8 on A2) so the markup is very high.

The sensible option is to bite the wallet bullet and pay through the nose for a 3rd party for a small number of prints (5?) rather than pay a lot of money for paper, inks and a printer, only to discover (possibly also after spending hours calibrating the printer/screen etc) your prints don't sell and you have a very expensive and large paperweight. If they sell like hot cakes, then buying a printer and DIY will recoup your money quite quickly.

There have been folks on here who claim to have sold "fine art" prints on standard DSCL paper. If you go to their description of the standard paper they use "C-Type", "Silver Halide" and other terms could be creatively used to make your paper sound good. Like you say, it's subjective. If it's behind glass, the paper quality, texture & feel can be lost, and in terms of image reproduction, all papers are very good. It very much depends on how you intend to market your images. If you're selling them framed, then I'd definitely test the water with 3rd party prints initially.

Harlequin565 said:

Yep. The cost of that paper is around £4 a sheet at A3, (£8 on A2) so the markup is very high.

The sensible option is to bite the wallet bullet and pay through the nose for a 3rd party for a small number of prints (5?) rather than pay a lot of money for paper, inks and a printer, only to discover (possibly also after spending hours calibrating the printer/screen etc) your prints don't sell and you have a very expensive and large paperweight. If they sell like hot cakes, then buying a printer and DIY will recoup your money quite quickly.

There have been folks on here who claim to have sold "fine art" prints on standard DSCL paper. If you go to their description of the standard paper they use "C-Type", "Silver Halide" and other terms could be creatively used to make your paper sound good. Like you say, it's subjective. If it's behind glass, the paper quality, texture & feel can be lost, and in terms of image reproduction, all papers are very good. It very much depends on how you intend to market your images. If you're selling them framed, then I'd definitely test the water with 3rd party prints initially.

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Sound advice....
I have actually sold prints, A4, A3, A2 all framed and all printed by my local printer store. Most of the staff are pretty good with advice. Only one has been naïve with the printing and nearly messed up the printing. Though I do wonder I would have to go through all the learning curve just like the this newbee at the printing store.
Also I would need to buy a guillotine for cutting up prints / trimming to fit a particular frame. I will pretty much end up having a spare room in the home as a print shop ! ! lol

So it seems I will still use the local printing store for my prints I sell / display at a Art Shop for selling. The most common prints I sell are leopards, and foxes seem to do well with the odd deer / stag ,and Tiger.

As for paper I do believe if people are paying reasonable money for prints then they should get decent paper, inner mounts, and frames accordingly. This is only a hobby and I do not reply on it to pay bills.