Buying Printer, is it worth it?

It's really strange, although the setting is there for the brightness I can't change it. It's not selectable.
I tried to update the drives for the monitor and graphics card but still nothing. I dont know, i cant get it to work.
Thx for the help.
 
Ok i take it back, just went through the manual. I had some modes activated and i could not adjust the brightness....:facepalm: ok im a dumbass, thx for the help @Box Brownie .
 
Marino said:
Ok i take it back, just went through the manual. I had some modes activated and i could not adjust the brightness....:facepalm: ok im a dumbass, thx for the help @Box Brownie .
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Hence my suggestion that you do a factory reset.......as that should 'reset' any user changes ;)
 
I did a factory reset but it was pre set with some automatic more simple settings for the screen.
I just havent read the monitors manual:facepalm:, only because you attached the link for the monitors manual @Box Brownie i had a look...
I'll blame my 2 year old, she needs me every 5 minutes.
.
.
Ok then i'll get a screen calibration device.
I'll come back with more questions if that doesnt work.
 
@Marino

A factory reset is meant to return it to the condition it was "out of the box" so if after such a reset it does not look 'normal' then by implication there is a fault/issue with it.

Another way to look at it (no pun intended) is that subject to it being too bright the actual colours displayed should be ok with it showing a pure(?) white and decent black as well. Unless printing, "out of the box" should and IMO is intended to be AOK for >90% of users.

Re: a calibration device, part of the calibration procedure is to set the brightness (guided by the calibration software) and if printing it IMO should set (in the software as you will not see this numbering on the monitor itself) to between 80 to 90 cd/m2 (Candela) . AFAIK most device and software will instruct you to adjust the monitor brightness to match/reach the above setting during the calibration procedure.
 
Just an update,
the little one finally went to sleep and i had some time to play with the colour calibration on my screen(without a monitor calibrator, again:police:).
The brightness was set too high was the first problem and then i played a bit with the colours on the screen.
So the result with the paper i used got really close to what i can see on my screen.
I have to say I'm really pleased with the result.
I have to test again with the other paper to see if i can get the same result.
the paper i use is a cheap brand called Brilliant.
these two:
the 4x6 size is for family photos and the a4 to be framed

Screenshot_20221009-150924-352.pngScreenshot_20221009-150757.png
IMG_20221009_150126405.jpg
 
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@Marino

As in all things "print", what pleases you is paramount.

Therefore, provided you no longer have a "blue" screen so can actually see on screen as close possible matches the print to your satisfaction then (y)

PS as mentioned you will likely find the lagom website I posted a link to useful to check/fine tune the tweaks you have made :)
 
TBH, this is a question I am trying to weigh up for myself at the moment. I have had an Epson XP-750 for seven years now. I fitted it with a CISS from City Ink Express early on, and also got them to make me a custom print profile, which gives really good results using Kirkland photo paper from Costco.

However, as you have probably worked out, there is a but coming. It is great when it is working, but an absolute pain when it isn't. Clogged nozzles are a frequent occurrences, which I can overcome with head cleans usually - but sometimes I need to flush the heads with cleaning solution. The reset chips in the CISS do work, but they don't seem to work for long before they need to be removed and reset.

I have lost count of how many times I have ended up with my hands indelibly stained with printer ink over the years, and there really is nothing more annoying than a brilliant print that is ruined because the printer spat some blue ink onto it mid print, or the printer decided the cartridge was empty mid print.

Then there is the old waste ink pad nightmare. Epson printers have a waste ink tank where unused ink from head cleaning is pumped. It's a box filled with absorbent pads, a bit like sanitary towels. After so long, the printer will lock up and tell you it needs to go in for service so Epson can charge you a fortune to change the pads. You can reset the counter using the WIC utility, but the creator of this has a nice money spinner as he can charge £5.99 for a reset code. Also, you do eventually have to replace the pads, as eventually the ink waste container will fill up and overflow. You can fit a waste container by drilling a hole in the side of the printer, snipping the waste ink pipe and then connecting a pipe to the waste container. If you do this, don't do what I did and connect it to the wrong end of the pipe - ink will spew out of your printer all over your nice, white Ikea Kallax unit.

I think I am at the point where I am going to go back to using a lab again to get my prints done, and just use the printer for day to day document printing. Does anyone have a lab they can recommend? I used to use DSL in Manchester who were pretty good.
 
Marino said:
It's really strange, although the setting is there for the brightness I can't change it. It's not selectable.
I tried to update the drives for the monitor and graphics card but still nothing. I dont know, i cant get it to work.
Thx for the help.
Click to expand...
Glad you got it to work ok but what is this “manual” thing you mention
 
i was talking about the monitor's user manual, English is not my mother language u see.
 
Marino said:
i was talking about the monitor's user manual, English is not my mother language u see.
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Keith was joking, I think, as in "I never read the user manual". :naughty:
 
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ah..
ok:facepalm: i take everything literally :pompous:
 
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well..that's exactly what I've done:p.
Good advice in here as usual:beer:
 
G-Slev said:
TBH, this is a question I am trying to weigh up for myself at the moment. I have had an Epson XP-750 for seven years now. I fitted it with a CISS from City Ink Express early on, and also got them to make me a custom print profile, which gives really good results using Kirkland photo paper from Costco.

However, as you have probably worked out, there is a but coming. It is great when it is working, but an absolute pain when it isn't. Clogged nozzles are a frequent occurrences, which I can overcome with head cleans usually - but sometimes I need to flush the heads with cleaning solution. The reset chips in the CISS do work, but they don't seem to work for long before they need to be removed and reset.

I have lost count of how many times I have ended up with my hands indelibly stained with printer ink over the years, and there really is nothing more annoying than a brilliant print that is ruined because the printer spat some blue ink onto it mid print, or the printer decided the cartridge was empty mid print.

Then there is the old waste ink pad nightmare. Epson printers have a waste ink tank where unused ink from head cleaning is pumped. It's a box filled with absorbent pads, a bit like sanitary towels. After so long, the printer will lock up and tell you it needs to go in for service so Epson can charge you a fortune to change the pads. You can reset the counter using the WIC utility, but the creator of this has a nice money spinner as he can charge £5.99 for a reset code. Also, you do eventually have to replace the pads, as eventually the ink waste container will fill up and overflow. You can fit a waste container by drilling a hole in the side of the printer, snipping the waste ink pipe and then connecting a pipe to the waste container. If you do this, don't do what I did and connect it to the wrong end of the pipe - ink will spew out of your printer all over your nice, white Ikea Kallax unit.

I think I am at the point where I am going to go back to using a lab again to get my prints done, and just use the printer for day to day document printing. Does anyone have a lab they can recommend? I used to use DSL in Manchester who were pretty good.
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Similar to my experiences. I used either DSCL for cheap prints, or my local lab One Vision Imaging for larger prints. But for a fraction of the costs of a set of inks, you can send the same file out to many labs and compare the results for yourself.
 
PJH99 said:
I bought a Canon Pixma Pro 200 which does up to A3+. Really nice to be able to print your own at decent quality and size. I’ve printed enough to have got my moneys worth but the Ink sure isn’t cheap.
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I have a Canon Pro100S which I got used for £100 and it came with enough ink to let me get some prints out of it. Replacement Canon ink set was £120 so not too bad.

I enjoy being able to print at home. I use Qimage Ultimate as my printing software.
 
Just out of interest, which labs do people use for cheap prints up to A3 size?
 
I'm very much thinking of having a go at printing but don't at this stage want to spend as much as the Epson ET8550 costs really; looking at alternatives, I'm wondering about the Canon Pixma Pro 200 ,which I think someone has mentioned. I'd welcome any thoughts on this, I want to get one in the next couple of weeks I think so I can play over Christmas, especially if the weather doesn't permit going out togging. I've got a Marrutt selection box to use for testing, and some other types of paper.
 
lindsay said:
I'm very much thinking of having a go at printing but don't at this stage want to spend as much as the Epson ET8550 costs really; looking at alternatives, I'm wondering about the Canon Pixma Pro 200 ,which I think someone has mentioned. I'd welcome any thoughts on this, I want to get one in the next couple of weeks I think so I can play over Christmas, especially if the weather doesn't permit going out togging. I've got a Marrutt selection box to use for testing, and some other types of paper.
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have a watch of this
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BimI7olEmrM


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpw0wXNeamI
 
Thanks T. I'm convinced I'd like to start printing, those videos confirm that. I just need to decide on printer. I might wait till I can increase my budget another couple of hundred then decide between the Canon Pro 300 or the Epson 8550. I guess with the current cashback, I should try to go for it now rather than wait though. Hmmm.
 
lindsay said:
Thanks T. I'm convinced I'd like to start printing, those videos confirm that. I just need to decide on printer. I might wait till I can increase my budget another couple of hundred then decide between the Canon Pro 300 or the Epson 8550. I guess with the current cashback, I should try to go for it now rather than wait though. Hmmm.
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How much on average does it cost per A4/A3 print to run?
 
I'd need to look into that. I'm just narrowing options and that, plus ink costs in general, is the next thing to investigate.
 
lindsay said:
I'd need to look into that. I'm just narrowing options and that, plus ink costs in general, is the next thing to investigate.
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The two that you mention, likely stating the obvious, are not in competition as the Canon is purely a photo printer compared to the Epson that is a general AIO printer with very good photo printing credentials.

I have been happy with my ET-8550 and one major reason is that it is a tank printer, in use approx 6 months printing mostly general docs with approx 15% of the pages (I will add the total count when I do another nozzle check later) being photographs.....and the ink tanks are only about half empty. Bearing in mind it drank a bit on setup and charging the lines etc plus I still have some ink left in the bottles to use as needed before ordering another full set next @ about £100 for the set :). NB Epson seem to have regular (seasonal?) paper & ink discounts....I have a pack of A3+ semi gloss paper that was 33% off, as yet unopened........so I am hoping/anticipating a Spring 2023 ink discount of 10% as it was this year :)

PS IIRC
Kevin Raber @ PhotoPxl had a very early ET-8550 for his own home office area (one printer amongst his many) and he was using his a lot to print photographs and he did not need to top-up with the original set residue for just over a year.
 
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lindsay said:
I'd need to look into that. I'm just narrowing options and that, plus ink costs in general, is the next thing to investigate.
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That is what put an end to the idea for me.

My HP prints better photos that I ever got from 35mm film for 4.5p per A4.
If I ever needed something "professional" (very unlikely) I would send it out for printing, as I do with very large prints.
I am tempted to upgrade to an A3 though.
 
Box Brownie said:
The two that you mention, likely stating the obvious, are not in competition as the Canon is purely a photo printer compared to the Epson that is a general AIO printer with very good photo printing credentials.

I have been happy with my ET-8550 and one major reason is that it is a tank printer, in use approx 6 months printing mostly general docs with approx 15% of the pages (I will add the total count when I do another nozzle check later) being photographs.....and the ink tanks are only about half empty. Bearing in mind it drank a bit on setup and charging the lines etc plus I still have some ink left in the bottles to use as needed before ordering another full set next @ about £100 for the set :)
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I have the 8550 too, and for anyone starting out with printing (@lindsay) I'd say the low ink costs mean that you can learn a LOT without replacing costly cartridges which always put me off with other printers. I've still got an awful lot to learn but not feeling held back by my mistakes is a big plus.
I hate regular bills but don't mind shelling out more once, but that could be just my skewed logic..
 
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G-Slev said:
Just out of interest, which labs do people use for cheap prints up to A3 size?
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Gary, I have used Klein Imaging in Manchester for small and large printing and found them to be very good. I engage with them to try to get their input on papers for the image that I want to print if I don't have one in mind. I tell them what I want the image to provoke and they have been helpful in making recommendations.

I can't recall what I paid for my last print from them. It isn't that I'm flush with cash it's just that I knew what I wanted and the value of the print to me exceeded whatever it was going to cost.
 
Sangoma said:
That is what put an end to the idea for me.

My HP prints better photos that I ever got from 35mm film for 4.5p per A4.
If I ever needed something "professional" (very unlikely) I would send it out for printing, as I do with very large prints.
I am tempted to upgrade to an A3 though.
Click to expand...
Understood. I guess for me, the printer thing is similar to my latest GAS purchase, an Intrepid 5x4 - I'm not happy unless I am pushing my boundaries and trying new things. I don't have many photos at present that I think are good enough to print, but I'm working slowly on that, and I'm looking to "bottom-drawer" whilst I can afford to. I had set a £400-ish limit, but it looks like it might be worth stretching that to get better quality prints ultimately
Thanks for the insights above and I'm now veering back towards the Epson for the reason given by @stevewestern
 
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lindsay said:
Understood. I guess for me, the printer thing is similar to my latest GAS purchase, an Intrepid 5x4 - I'm not happy unless I am pushing my boundaries and trying new things. I don't have many photos at present that I think are good enough to print, but I'm working slowly on that, and I'm looking to "bottom-drawer" whilst I can afford to. I had set a £400-ish limit, but it looks like it might be worth stretching that to get better quality prints ultimately.
Thanks for the insights above and I'm now veering back towards the Epson for the reason given by @stevewestern
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Re ink costs
The ET-8550 comes with a set of full standard bottles (70ml) and as mentioned even after setup there is still a considerable amount of ink left over. So if you factor in that you are getting £95.94 retail cost of ink in the box the printer cost looks more reasonable :)
 
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lindsay said:
I'd need to look into that. I'm just narrowing options and that, plus ink costs in general, is the next thing to investigate.
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if my print selling does take off I would buy a used canon printer like the 300 as it is so much cheaper than paying a printing shop.
An the moment in the Print Shop A3 in 325g Fine Art paper cost me £19.70 per print
 
Tysonator said:
if my print selling does take off I would buy a used canon printer like the 300 as it is so much cheaper than paying a printing shop.
An the moment in the Print Shop A3 in 325g Fine Art paper cost me £19.70 per print
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Have you looked at @Tradecanvasprint for prints? You will need to register on their site to view prices and don't forget we at TP get 10% discount.

IMO they produce a very good quality of print as well, of course, their canvas prints. Both of which I have sold at exhibition :)
 
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