Small Photo Printer - Recommendations?

[Bobfrance]

Hi All,

I've been toying with the idea of getting a photo printer, so I can give people the odd shot and print out my faves and bung them on the wall like a big scrapbook.
I currently just have a colour laser printer at home which I use for work. I gave up on inkjets years ago because they cost so much to run and were always blocked and required cleaning whenever I came to use them.

I'm wondering if things have improved any since then? I only really need something that will print 8x6 at most. I'd much prefer something that takes up less space than an A4 printer and really don't want to spend megabucks as I'll get my proper prints output professionally.

I'll probably produce 70% B&W images, so separate black & colour cartridges would be handy. Also are printers that use multiple blacks the way to go when producing B&W prints. Do dye-sublimation printers still exist?

As ever, all advice greatly appreciated. 🙂

Bob.

 

[venchka]

I feel your pain in the category of printers sitting idle and not working.

I've had an HP for a few years now. It sits for months and then I'll print a few photos. Then it sits for months again. I like the output for both color & B&W. Look for a model that uses 6 inks and has a photo ink cartridge option. Ink is still expensive. At least the HP doesn't waste a whole cartridge trying to clean itself.

The model I have is an All-In-One, 7xxx something. Printer-Scanner-Fax. Too bad the scanner doesn't have a film attachment.

 

[Ronald M]

Epson printers are the worst for jams. My pro photog friends all use HP for that reason and my local shop has a wide format Cannon that does not jam up.

Many come with user replaceable heads in case you get in real trouble. The better ink jets have up to 8 ink cartridges and they all have a shelf life. Some are $100 each and that`s $800 to reink even if you do not use it up and it goes bad.

I got a Kodak 1400 Dye sub several years ago that prints glossy to 8x12 and matt to 8x10. Turn it on and it works. Turn it off and it sleeps until you wake it up. I moved it from a microsoft machine to an Apple some years back. It is great.

If you are cheap, I really suggest FTP the files to MPIX.com and the prints come in the mail in a few days. Quality is right up there unlike the local consumer labs.

 

[majid]

For impulse 4x6 printing I can recommend the Canon Selphy ES30 dye-sub printer. The consumables are fully self-contained and prints cost a constant price of about 30 cents per print. There is no spoilage as with inkjets and the print quality is much better than color lasers. The prints are also laminated with a clear plastic film and are much more resistant to smudging (you can use them as postcards). You can get B&W or sticker media from Canon.

The best option price and quality-wise is printing on a digital minilab (e.g Fuji Frontier or Noritsu). You can upload pictures to the Costco photo center and pick up your prints in the shop less than an hour later.

 

[ampguy]

I have an Epson R280 which makes great prints, but I'm not sure how well it would do in high volumes. (durability, or price per print)

 

[Bobfrance]

Thanks for the info guys.

Now I'm getting into the digital workflow thing I seem to have very little to show for my hours of labour. I don't want to do big runs of prints, but I would like to print out shots for my own reference or to give to others. Also to prove to my OH that I'm not completely wasting my time. 😉

I've had a look at the canon Selphy E series. I like the idea of the print packs as opposed to paper and ink, and if they work dye-sub all the better. Being able to change to a custom B&W pack sounds attractive too.

There seems to be quite a few in the 'Selphy Exx' range and one thing I don't understand is the differences between them.

Do any other manufacturers do an equivalent to the Canon Selphy?