need help - b&w printer?

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i'm toying with the idea of printing my own files, not really happy with my lab since they stopped printing tiff files and will only print jpegs.

plus, images that look good on a monitor seem to print poorly at times.

my 'needs', print size most used is 5x7, sometimes 8x10 to 11x14 max, black and white only.

i have never investigated or researched printers so i know nothing, this is my first look at them.

joe
 
Joe, I am planning on doing the same thing. I bought an Epson Stylus 1400, a very cheap refurb from the Epson site, and am now exhausting the stock color inks printing a show I have coming up. When I've done that, out they go, and I will be installing the UT14 black and white inkset from inksupply.com:

http://www.inksupply.com/ut14_black_and_white.cfm

The printer works marvelously and to be honest I can't waiting until the color ink is gone so I can get working on my B&W printing. I highly recommend this printer--I've had no trouble with it save for a bit of banding that was cured by the cleaning cycle, prints are fantastic, it has a small footprint, and prints on up to 13x19 paper. Which I didn't think I'd use, but lo and behold, that's what my show is on.
 
Oh one more thing, I find that I have to increase brightness in lightroom by 20 points to get the black level I'm seeing on the screen. At least with the stock inks, prints are very deep and dark by default. FWIW, this is slightly irritating, but much better than if it were the other way around!
 
Two quick recommendations:
Callibrate your monitor using a device like colormunki.
Don't use 3rd party inks. Every time I've used 3rd party inks (such as QuadBlack and others) or 3rd party bulk-feed ink systems the end result has been hopelessly clogged print heads - two 13" printers in the garbage.
 
not really happy with my lab since they stopped printing tiff files and will only print jpegs.
Click to expand...
Have you tried converting to jpeg before taking it to your lab, and comparing the result with a print from a tiff file? I thought the main problem with jpeg compression comes when you do repeated edits and saves following the compression.
 
Pablito said:
Two quick recommendations:
Callibrate your monitor using a device like colormunki.
Don't use 3rd party inks. Every time I've used 3rd party inks (such as QuadBlack and others) or 3rd party bulk-feed ink systems the end result has been hopelessly clogged print heads - two 13" printers in the garbage.
Click to expand...

I thought about a calibration program, but I have a workflow down now that gets me what I want.

My research on the UT14 set seems to indicate the opposite, BTW--they clog less and work great. I would definitely like more input on this, though, if other people have experiences with them.
 
sevres_babylone said:
Have you tried converting to jpeg before taking it to your lab, and comparing the result with a print from a tiff file? I thought the main problem with jpeg compression comes when you do repeated edits and saves following the compression.
Click to expand...

when i first started scanning my negs/using digital i had several images printed using both tiff and jpeg and i found the tiff prints much better.

my problem now is contrast range. the image on the monitor looks good but the prints are too contrasty.
i figure it would be easier/more convienient to have my own printer to work out the settings i need to get a print i am happy with.
joe
 
...also in the same boat here, Joe.

I was looking at the HP b9180 printer as I've read on the net that it does bw pretty well (I think there's one in Kijiji Edmonton for sale - might want to check that out).
I haven't done too much reading on the MiS inks and all that.... just want the simplest way possible to produce bw images.
 
Joe,

Your monitor needs to be calibrated properly if you buy an inkjet and expect the prints to match your screen. I went through that many yrs ago when I first began scanning film and printing from the computer. There's no way around it.

I had an Epson 2200 with the Imageprint RIP driver for a long time and it did beautiful black and white. The printer died and I bought a used R2400. It doesn't work with the version of Imageprint that I have, which was disspointing because I didn't want to buy the newer version of the software (its expensive!) and I'm stuck with the old 2200 version that I can't use. However, I found that Epson had SUBSTANTIALLY improved their driver for the R2400, which does perfect BW prints without the expensive Imageprint software. If I were you I'd either buy the R2400's replacement, the 2880 (said to be even better for BW), or if you can't afford it (About $800), get a good used R2400 like I did. Mine was $300 on ebay when I bought it.
 
I went down that road a long time ago -- unless you print regularly, be prepared for clogged print heads and streaks. It becomes very expensive after a while.

1) I assume that you are only using one computer to do all the post-processing?

2) Do you have a Costco near you? If so, download the printer's profile from Drycreek (link below). Be sure to read the instructions on the drycreek site.

If you have one computer and download the profile to a single printer at your local Costco, then you basically have a dedicated profile for all your images, as long as you don't change your monitor and Costco does not change printers.

That's what I do, and everything works great. 😀


http://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/Profiles/Canada_profiles.htm#CA

Good luck!
 
Hi Joe,
You will benefit from going through this:
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm
and this:
http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/printers_page.htm
and if you really want to do your homework, before you spend on hardware, read this:
http://www.masteringdigitalbwbook.com/

If you are serious about the quality of your prints, and you should be, else why bothering buying all these great lenses, then you should either go with the latest pigment inks printers - this in case you like printing glossy, or you do not want to exclude glossy or matte', OR go directly to Piezography or similar multi grey ink matte' only solution, including some sort of RIP.
I use Epson R2400 in advanced B&W mode ( the shadow detail is superior to printing in RGB mode), and I have only two complaints to make: the small one is, that at times it is a PITA to switch from glossy to matte' black (especially on a Mac) the big one, is that the cartridges are ridiculously small (read the ink is ridiculously expensive), my estimate is, that you spend about 0.35 EUR per A4 page in ink. I recommend Ilford Smooth Pearl for the cheap glossy stufff and Ilford Gold Fiber Silk for the nice prints, or else the Photo Rag from Hahnemuehle if you want the matte' output.
 
Good luck Joe. You are about to open a can of worms. Could be messy. Could be wonderful.

A few things I've learned lately:

1. Monitor-Printer-Ink-Paper is a complex thing to get right.
2. The printer builders save most of the good stuff for their big bucks high dollar 17" printers. Very few letter size (8 1/2x11) printers use decent inks. A few 13" printers use almost all of the good stuff from the 17' printers.
3. Small ink cartridges for the 13" or smaller printers are EXPENSIVE. You'll drain a cartridge just thinking about printing.
4. You need a 13" printer with straight through paper feed to use the good matt papers like Moab Entrada.
5. Beware mixing papers ans printers. Download profiles from paper companies and pray. Moab stuff worked well with my Epson 1280 before it died.
6. Calibrate your monitor and be prepared to make adjustments. What you see isn't always what you print.
7. If you can use them up there in Canada, try Mpix online. The digital masses love them.
8. Good luck!
 
Last edited:
Yes, I have and do. That's my current workflow when I print. I always do my post-processing from the same desktop PC and always to the SAME PRINTER (3411) in my local Costco (which has multiple printers).

They will print up to 12x18 on-site, and will send out anything bigger. I've ordered 20x30 prints (which they send out) using the same profile, and the colors seem to be just fine as well.

The B&W do come out very nicely as well -- the blacks are black and the whites are white, and the tonality seems fine to me.

Keith







jky said:
Keith,
Thanks for the drycreek info.... have you printed BW using their profile (Costco's)?
Click to expand...
 
mfogiel said:
Hi Joe,
You will benefit from going through this:
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm
and this:
http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/printers_page.htm
and if you really want to do your homework, before you spend on hardware, read this:
http://www.masteringdigitalbwbook.com/

If you are serious about the quality of your prints, and you should be, else why bothering buying all these great lenses, then you should either go with the latest pigment inks printers - this in case you like printing glossy, or you do not want to exclude glossy or matte', OR go directly to Piezography or similar multi grey ink matte' only solution, including some sort of RIP.
I use Epson R2400 in advanced B&W mode ( the shadow detail is superior to printing in RGB mode), and I have only two complaints to make: the small one is, that at times it is a PITA to switch from glossy to matte' black (especially on a Mac) the big one, is that the cartridges are ridiculously small (read the ink is ridiculously expensive), my estimate is, that you spend about 0.35 EUR per A4 page in ink. I recommend Ilford Smooth Pearl for the cheap glossy stufff and Ilford Gold Fiber Silk for the nice prints, or else the Photo Rag from Hahnemuehle if you want the matte' output.
Click to expand...

lots of good reading for a weekend project.
thanks.
 
35mmdelux said:
HP Photosmart 8750 is pretty nice and not expensive. I believe it has been upgraded since I bought mine 2 yrs ago.
Click to expand...

I second this... Have one - well it workED. That said, I went all through this "print your own" business. MIS 3rd party inks, Epson printers... HP printers... Always ends in frustration... broken printers, banding, driver issues... But worth a try - perhaps you'll have better luck. I would stick with the HP variants, the output is terrific (while it works...) Mine is sitting, disconnected, since something went wrong with the driver (I think) and couldn't get it to work even after reinstalling, etc. Prior to this happening, I started getting banding issues... And this is a better track record than with the Epsons....

I hate inkjet technology for printing pictures.
 
I've arrived at something of a baseline passable state of the possible and affordable solution:

HP Officejet 7310, HP Vivera photo inks, HP Premium Plus soft gloss paper. Letter size paper only.

In a perfect world I buy a Canon iPF 5000/5100 and Moab entrada natural rag 300 paper.

Too bad it's not a perfect world.
 
Last edited:
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