I want prints. What do you guys do?

[fixbones]

I have shot, developed and scanned.

I want more.

I want prints from my negatives.

I have 3 choices:
1. Darkroom print - will be hard to set up one where I am staying at the moment
2. Buy printer - Is it worth buying a good printer? I am a hobbyist.
3. Oursource - either send negative to be wet printed or digital files.

What do you think? What would you do? What are you doing?

 

[hipsterdufus]

I send my prints (I scan my film) to Costco. They print on Fuji crystal archive paper. This is actually photographic paper (the same that you'd use if you were printing color film prints in a lab), not some cheap inkjet print. Just tell them NOT to autocorrect when you order and you should be fine. Dirt cheap, too ($1.49 for an 8x10).

edit: Just realized you were not in America... My advice is now mostly irrelevant. Anyway, try to find a lab that will print your digital files on photographic, not ink jet paper. Better archival properties and looks nicer, too.

 

[varjag]

I print in a community darkroom. Great facilities and equipment, would be hard to match the setup home.

 

[Ronald M]

Home do B&W prints.

Home do some small color on Kodak 1400 Dye sub printer up to 8x12.

The best color is from AiProlab.com. Use ROES to order. They will mail prints back anywhere or I pick them up as they are in my back yard almost. This is the best lab I have ever used by far. There are othere such as MPIX that do quite well also.

I used to print my own color, but materials have become hard to find.


Leaving images on a web site or in a computer is for the birds.

 

[ChrisN]

Every photographer should, at least once in their lifetime, experience darkroom printing. Perhaps it is not for you, but until you experience it, you can never be certain.

Go forth, and find a darkroom.

 

[drewbarb]

I print in a darkroom or send my files to a local lab. I used to have a small desktop printer, but keeping it clean and calibrated to consistently put out decent prints was a headache and cost far more time than is was worth. Plus, the ink and paper aren't cheap. In the end I found it made much more sense to pay a lab to do it; I get better prints for far less time and money.

 

[fixbones]

I will have a darkroom. Maybe not now but definitely in the foreseeable future.

For now, seems like my best bet is to get a pro lab to print it from digital files.

Fellow Ozzies, any recommendation?

 

[emraphoto]

develop at home.

scan for web.

imacon (rent) for exhibition prints.

dedicated 2400 with fibre based paper for printing.

saving my pennies for a digital enlarger.

 

[Pablito]

Some of the misconceptions in some of the posts above:

"cheap" inkjet prints -
Do it at home small inkjet printers are actually the most expensive way to go.

Kodak dye sub printer has been far surpassed by modern inkjets.

The archival quality of pigment-based inks from an inkjet printer surpasses that of Fuji Crystal paper, though the look is not the same and some may prefer the Fuji Crystal. However, most dye-based inks from inkjet printers have terrible archival quality.

 

[shadowfox]

Every photographer should, at least once in their lifetime, experience darkroom printing. Perhaps it is not for you, but until you experience it, you can never be certain.

Go forth, and find a darkroom.

Best advice.

Secondly, remember that not all printing methods require a darkroom. You can always see if you like alt. processes, start with simple Cyanotype, then if you think you like it, go to the more advanced processes like Kallitype or Pt/Pd, you want more complicated? go with Carbon printing.