photo printer recommendations?

[RichardM]

I tried again using one of the Epson 4x6 photo paper samples and it printed ok. The first two photo tests were printed on some HP Everyday Semi-Gloss 4x6, which always worked well with my old HP printer. If the Epson is going to be that finicky on brand of paper, I'm liable to be somewhat displeased. Attached is a scan of both of the printed photos with the Epson on top (and apparently I forgot to check the "borderless" option when I printed it). At least the scanner seems to be working...

And yes, the photo in question has obvious lighting problems...blame my wife as she took it.

[presidio]

I tried again using one of the Epson 4x6 photo paper samples and it printed ok. The first two photo tests were printed on some HP Everyday Semi-Gloss 4x6, which always worked well with my old HP printer. If the Epson is going to be that finicky on brand of paper, I'm liable to be somewhat displeased. Attached is a scan of both of the printed photos with the Epson on top (and apparently I forgot to check the "borderless" option when I printed it). At least the scanner seems to be working...

Looks like ink or nozzle issues. I presume you've done a (whatever they call it) refurbish/refresh ink pass?

blame my wife as she took it.

Man, that's some dangerous territory you're in.

[badknees]

I tried again using one of the Epson 4x6 photo paper samples and it printed ok. The first two photo tests were printed on some HP Everyday Semi-Gloss 4x6, which always worked well with my old HP printer. If the Epson is going to be that finicky on brand of paper, I'm liable to be somewhat displeased. Attached is a scan of both of the printed photos with the Epson on top (and apparently I forgot to check the "borderless" option when I printed it). At least the scanner seems to be working...

And yes, the photo in question has obvious lighting problems...blame my wife as she took it.

RichardM,

I would suggest the following plan:

1. Run the nozzle cleaning routine first

2. Run head alignment routine next.

If these check out OK.....then

Print on the Epson paper and then on the HP paper.

If you still see the same poor results on the HP paper.......read below!


Be aware that there very well may be some compatability problems with certain inks and papers.

 Many pigment inks work poorly with glossy/semigloss media,
 Swellable polymer paper are not compatible with pigment inks

HP Everyday semi gloss is a swellable polymer paper, but I believe Epson has gone to Claria inks, which are dye-based for your printer. (I think)

Still, some papers just don't do well with some inks. I have horrible banding results (like your post) with Kodak papers and Canon ink. While the Canon paper is good quality and prints well, it is expensive and I do not use it any more. I like and use almost exclusively IIlford Gallerie papers,either Smooth Gloss or Classic Pearl,  but there are many 3rd party papers that are equal to or superior to the printer manufacturer's papers. Usually at a better price too.

Don't be surprised if this isn't your problem.

[tjavery]

...Still, some papers just don't do well with some inks. I have horrible banding results (like your post) with Kodak papers and Canon ink. While the Canon paper is good quality and prints well, it is expensive and I do not use it any more. I like and use almost exclusively IIlford Gallerie papers,either Smooth Gloss or Classic Pearl,  but there are many 3rd party papers that are equal to or superior to the printer manufacturer's papers. Usually at a better price too.

Same here. I have a Canon i9900. It only seems to print well on Canon paper. It's not a big problem, as I'm very satisfied with the prints, but the paper is expensive.

I've been meaning to try the Ilford Pearl. I read somewhere else that it works well in Canon printers.

[Al]

I am certainly no expert, but every paper is different and the only way a printer "knows" a particular paper and can optimally print a photo is on the same brand of paper.  Epson for Epson, HP for HP, Canon for Canon, etc.  When you think about it, it makes sense.  It is the only paper the manufacture controls the properties of and therefore the print quality.

Al

[RichardM]

I'm think badknees is correct on the paper/ink issue. For the HP paper prints the ink didn't absorb well at all. It was almost in 3-D and took a long time to dry. Guess I'll be shipping off my stock of HP paper to my mother-in-law, who has an HP printer that she never uses.

The Epson Artisan 700 is awesome.  I bought it be cause it fit my budget.  I typically have prints done by snap fish.  The Artisan with two paper supplies allows you to prints anything then swith to pictures with a second stock of paper.  The Artisan is all I use.  I'm not certain of the costs since I've only had it since November.  I've printed lots of pictures and I'm still using the original cartridges.

Ted

Ted, what kind of paper are you using? Know of any cheaper alternatives to the Epson paper that work well?

[badknees]

I'm think badknees is correct on the paper/ink issue. For the HP paper prints the ink didn't absorb well at all. It was almost in 3-D and took a long time to dry. Guess I'll be shipping off my stock of HP paper to my mother-in-law, who has an HP printer that she never uses.

The Epson Artisan 700 is awesome. I bought it be cause it fit my budget. I typically have prints done by snap fish. The Artisan with two paper supplies allows you to prints anything then swith to pictures with a second stock of paper. The Artisan is all I use. I'm not certain of the costs since I've only had it since November. I've printed lots of pictures and I'm still using the original cartridges.

Ted

Ted, what kind of paper are you using? Know of any cheaper alternatives to the Epson paper that work well?

RichardM,

I still like Illford paper. Ilford makes various grades of paper in all price ranges.

Check out for compatibility
http://www.ilford.com/en/pdf/prods/galerie/GAL%20Compatibility%20Chart_A4.pdf

TJ, and RichardM

Ilford Galerie Classic Pearl is a really nice paper. It is not high gloss, more like a matte paper, similar to what professional portrait photogs use.

Ilford Galerie Smooth Gloss is a traditional medium gloss paper...also very nice.

Classic Pearl is not cheap,http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/231252-REG/Ilford_1979257_Galerie_Classic_Pearl_Paper.html

but the Smooth Gloss is usually available at Sam's Clubs for about $21 for 100 sheets of 8.5 X11
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=110055

Fry's usually has the Ilford 4" x 6" Pearl Photo Paper 50pk  and Ilford 4" x 6" Glossy Photo Paper 50pk, both for $9.99. Make sure you get the one that says PREMIUM, not the 100 pk for the same price.


Ilford also has ICC profiles available for those who use a full color managed workflow, however I find that a custom profile is much better. I have used the downloaded ICC profiles and never was 100% satisfied until I ordered a custom profile for my Canon printer.

[RichardM]

I picked up two Epson Premium 4x6 100 sheet packs for $16.99 at Office Depot in a 2 for 1 deal. I've only printed a couple of snapshots, but the quality when using Epson paper is as good as from the photo labs. The "fix photo" options when printing helped a bit.

I've got a big pack of Kodak paper (regular glossy as opposed to premium) that'll probably end up at my Mom's for use in her HP. I haven't found any color profiles that are designed for the Epson Claria ink printers.

Bottom Line: pigment inks (like Epson Claria) and swellable polymer paper don't mix at all.

[badknees]

Glad you found something...experimenting with paper/ink combos can get pricey.

[RichardM]

Finally got around to printing the five 8x10 pics for my Mom to give to my brother as a birthday/belated housewarming gift. These were all pics from our Nov. 2006 trip with a maximum resolution of 1280x960 (shot with a Sony DSC-P72).  I must say I'm quite pleased with how well they printed. The "Fix Photo - Digital Camera Correction" seems to help. I used Epson Glossy Photo Paper 8.5x11, bought for about $24 for 50 sheets.

On another note, I've already bought more ink, as the light magenta and light cyan cartridges are at about 10%. Kinda wish I'd kept track of how many pics I've printed, but maybe it's better to remain ignorant....

[tjavery]

On another note, I've already bought more ink, as the light magenta and light cyan cartridges are at about 10%. Kinda wish I'd kept track of how many pics I've printed, but maybe it's better to remain ignorant....

Yeh, don't think too much about what you spend on ink

Just as a point of reference, an 8x10 print costs me around $1.50 in ink only (Canon i9900). When I'm printing a batch of large prints (like 12x18's), the thing just drinks the ink. When I go buy ink tanks, I usually get them two at a time.

[RichardM]

For anyone with an Epson printer using Claria ink, the Office Depot store brand photo paper seems to work fairly well. Or at least their Premium Photo Paper, Gloss 4x6 did ok. The in-store price was $9.09 for 100 sheets, compared to $15.39 (online price which the store honored) for the Epson Premium Glossy photo paper. The print quality is fairly close, although my test picture printed a tiny bit lighter on the OfficeDepot paper.

Note: when shopping at an Office Depot store, always check the online price right before you go. I had checked prices last night and it said $15.39, now it's saying $14.99. In this case it's only 40 cents, but the price listed on the shelf was $17.99. For more expensive items, it could make a big difference. In my case, the online price for the store brand paper was $11.99, so I came out ahead. A couple of weeks ago I picked up a wireless keyboard/mouse combo for $30 when the online price was $40.

[presidio]

On another note, I've already bought more ink, as the light magenta and light cyan cartridges are at about 10%. Kinda wish I'd kept track of how many pics I've printed, but maybe it's better to remain ignorant....

Yeh, don't think too much about what you spend on ink

Just as a point of reference, an 8x10 print costs me around $1.50 in ink only (Canon i9900). When I'm printing a batch of large prints (like 12x18's), the thing just drinks the ink. When I go buy ink tanks, I usually get them two at a time.

This option will help those using HP, Lexmark or Dell printers....

Costco has a cartridge refill service. All about it here...lots of tabs/info
http://costcoinkjetrefill.com/

[homerboy2u]

Aha,....................

I did take a couple of photos so maybe I'll put a few on here in a couple of weeks. However, I will not reveal the locations as that spoils the adventure of finding things on your own.

............

[presidio]

Aha,....................

I did take a couple of photos so maybe I'll put a few on here in a couple of weeks. However, I will not reveal the locations as that spoils the adventure of finding things on your own.

............

Hey! This was about ink!!!! Not photos.

You're persistent, though.