Shirley
04-22-2005, 02:10 PM
~ Transferred from previous site...
Epson photo printers -- that's what *all* the photographers use -- in seminars, training sessions, production, etc. HP and others can do a wonderful job, but the professional photographers either send their work out or use the Epson professional photo printers, which also means the Epson consumer printers are excellent, and priced competively with the HP, Canon, etc. I've bought all my Epson printers online at various online stores -- do a search and check the prices and the store ratings, or ask me and I'll tell you who I've used.
I use an HP LASER printer for office work, FAX, etc.
Epson make several models that use *Archival inks* and use *Archival papers* so that your prints last 80+ years and don't fade or yellow over the years. Also, I spray my prints with a UV protectant that is compatible with all Epson products, but not made by Epson. It is called Print Guard. It *does not* change the integrity of the paper -- glossy or matte or luster remains the same. It is at least 3x the price of the sprays sold in the scrapbooking shops that *do* change the papers-- "glossy", "matte", etc. in choices. They also take 5-15 min to dry. During this time, lint and dust WILL land on your print and ruin it. Print Guard dries almost instantly and no lint or dust will ruin your print.
You must use it outdoors -- it's very harmful to birds, etc.
Whoops... off topic...
Printers! Yes, paper you use is just as important as the printer you choose. A good printer with sale of the week paper and you'll be upset with your prints. If you are using an HP printer, then use the best quality HP paper made for that printer.
I use Epson Professional Photo Luster paper and Epson Professional Matte paper. The Matte paper is a "paper texture" paper almost like watercolor, or poster paper, but there is an Epson Watercolor paper for the watercolor prints.
I never use glossy -- I don't like the look of glossy -- personal opinion.
Read the online reviews -- decide what you are using the printer for... All-in-ones are never going to give you the BEST photo quality. My scanner is an Epson photo scanner, separate from my HP FAX/Laser printer.
If you plan to make scrapbooks for frame your prints, then I would advise you choose an photo printer just for photos.
Also, I never use "card slots" and my printers don't have them. I put every file onto my hard drive, make sure it's safely there before deleting my card, then I run them through Photoshop Professional 7.0 or CS 8.0 before sending them to the printer.
BUT.... if you want to let the printer do it "automatically" for you, then I've heard the card slots do fairly well. BUT.... I would ALWAYS put those files on your hard drive FIRST anyway. A Corrupted data card can seldom be restored... and photos are often priceless! and usually irreplaceable!
When we were in Europe, I had all the camera cards transferred to CDs 3/4-way through the trip when we found a place to do so... better safe than sorry, plus we kept them on the camera cards until we got home.
I spend a LOT on paper and inks... I never buy non-Epson inks for an Epson printer (yes, there are after-market brands), but then I don't pay for film or processing, and I do want my prints to look better than the best -- I'll reprint a 12x16 print just because I see something I could have done better in Photoshop that no one else would notice... but I know it's there... I just couldn't see it on my monitor. The end product is worth it after all the work, time, and equipment chosen to achieve it.
~ Shirley <!--emo&:)-->http://9.forumer.com/html/emoticons/bof/smile.gif
Epson photo printers -- that's what *all* the photographers use -- in seminars, training sessions, production, etc. HP and others can do a wonderful job, but the professional photographers either send their work out or use the Epson professional photo printers, which also means the Epson consumer printers are excellent, and priced competively with the HP, Canon, etc. I've bought all my Epson printers online at various online stores -- do a search and check the prices and the store ratings, or ask me and I'll tell you who I've used.
I use an HP LASER printer for office work, FAX, etc.
Epson make several models that use *Archival inks* and use *Archival papers* so that your prints last 80+ years and don't fade or yellow over the years. Also, I spray my prints with a UV protectant that is compatible with all Epson products, but not made by Epson. It is called Print Guard. It *does not* change the integrity of the paper -- glossy or matte or luster remains the same. It is at least 3x the price of the sprays sold in the scrapbooking shops that *do* change the papers-- "glossy", "matte", etc. in choices. They also take 5-15 min to dry. During this time, lint and dust WILL land on your print and ruin it. Print Guard dries almost instantly and no lint or dust will ruin your print.
You must use it outdoors -- it's very harmful to birds, etc.
Whoops... off topic...
Printers! Yes, paper you use is just as important as the printer you choose. A good printer with sale of the week paper and you'll be upset with your prints. If you are using an HP printer, then use the best quality HP paper made for that printer.
I use Epson Professional Photo Luster paper and Epson Professional Matte paper. The Matte paper is a "paper texture" paper almost like watercolor, or poster paper, but there is an Epson Watercolor paper for the watercolor prints.
I never use glossy -- I don't like the look of glossy -- personal opinion.
Read the online reviews -- decide what you are using the printer for... All-in-ones are never going to give you the BEST photo quality. My scanner is an Epson photo scanner, separate from my HP FAX/Laser printer.
If you plan to make scrapbooks for frame your prints, then I would advise you choose an photo printer just for photos.
Also, I never use "card slots" and my printers don't have them. I put every file onto my hard drive, make sure it's safely there before deleting my card, then I run them through Photoshop Professional 7.0 or CS 8.0 before sending them to the printer.
BUT.... if you want to let the printer do it "automatically" for you, then I've heard the card slots do fairly well. BUT.... I would ALWAYS put those files on your hard drive FIRST anyway. A Corrupted data card can seldom be restored... and photos are often priceless! and usually irreplaceable!
When we were in Europe, I had all the camera cards transferred to CDs 3/4-way through the trip when we found a place to do so... better safe than sorry, plus we kept them on the camera cards until we got home.
I spend a LOT on paper and inks... I never buy non-Epson inks for an Epson printer (yes, there are after-market brands), but then I don't pay for film or processing, and I do want my prints to look better than the best -- I'll reprint a 12x16 print just because I see something I could have done better in Photoshop that no one else would notice... but I know it's there... I just couldn't see it on my monitor. The end product is worth it after all the work, time, and equipment chosen to achieve it.
~ Shirley <!--emo&:)-->http://9.forumer.com/html/emoticons/bof/smile.gif