I have a new 4 megapixel camera, and my wife wants prints of some of the photos.
Which is cheaper in the long run, buying a printer or having someone print them? I’ve had bad experiences with printers in the past (using tons of ink, unreliable printing, dying), but Walmart/Target charge ~50 cents a photo which could add up too.
Also, can anyone recommend a good photo (and sometimes text) printer for ~$100-$400 or a photo-printing service they use other than Walmart or Target?
On TechTV the other day (The Show “Fresh Gear”) they took some printouts to a professional photographer to compare some different printers. I thought this was a really good review, only they just reviewed 3 printers.
Still, it’s worth checking out
I highly recommend the Epson Stylus Photo line of printers. The lowest priced model is around $89 now and produces images that will astound you. They consistantly outperform all other brands in the non-professional class, though I understand that HP is closing the gap.
Buy Epson inks and photo paper, a little expensive but much cheaper in the long run than using an outside print house, plus you have much more control of the images. If you need a very large print (bigger than 8x10) than take it to places that can do that easily, otherwise you’ll be way ahead of the game with your own printer.
I’d avoid direct card reader printers, you’ll want to play with the images in Photoshop or other editing program anyways. Dye sub is a technology that doesn’t make much sense these days with the low cost and better quality of the new inkjet prints.
To add another data point, I have an HP 7150 photoprinter and have a print from it in front of me as I type this. I have a 3.3 megapixel camera and have to say that I would be hard pressed to distinguish it from a normal photo. (Perhaps a bit less glossy, but that’s about it.) I’m quite pleased with it.
How big are your prints from your Camera that you like? 5x7? 8x10?
I just bought my father an Epson printer for Xmas. The price to print a 5x7 or 8x10 is very inexpensive. For example, an 8x10 will run you $3 online, but probably a quarter or a half dollar on your own.
OTOH 4x6 is a much closer thing. Walmart will print them for $0.26 each, and I am quite pleased with the results even from a 2 megapixel camera. But when we went looking, we had a hard time even finding 4x6 blank paper that was that cheap! For instance, Staples wants $7 for a 20 pack of 4x6 Epson Photo Paper – $0.35 each. So I’d have to vote for Walmart on those. Especially if you’re printing a lot, since then you have time and labor involved too.
I’d just like to say that I have an Epson Stylus printer that prints at 1440 dpi, and quite frankly, it SUCKS, even when printing with a new cartridge and on the most expensive paper. I’ve done everything imaginable to fix it; aligning and cleaning the cartridges, using different programs to print, changing papers, etc etc etc. Specifically, streaks of color often appear where they absolutely have no reason to be, and in areas of solid color, there is a very noticable chain-link sort of pattern on the paper. In addition, there are always five-six alternating dark and light bands traversing the page.
Maybe I just had some bad luck, but for the money, I’d just assume ship 'em out and let someone else take care of it, unless you plan on printing LOTS of photos (~500+).
Also, assuming you get 20-30 4x6 prints from a cartridge (which IMHO is optimistic), and color cartridges cost $30, the price for ink alone is around a buck per picture. Add another 25-50 cents for each sheet of paper, and suddenly that one little 4x6 costs $1.50 to make, not even taking into account the price of the printer itself! Considering this, I would call a $0.26 Wal-Mart print a STEAL at 10-15% the cost.
hobbes730, do you have a Epson Stylus Photo or an Epson Stylus? Two completely different animals.
I get far more than 20-30 4x6 prints from a single ink cartridge, I don’t keep records of them so I can’t give you an exact number. I think I get more like 20-30 8x10s. I’ve seen none of the problems you mention, except occasionlly when the print heads need cleaning.
Have you talked to Epson or returned the printer to the place you purchased it?
I have an Epson Photo Stylus, and I’d agree with hobbes730 and the OP that inkjects are quite over-hyped.
There’s still nothing to compare to having a professional print using photographic means, both for quality and permanence.
Having a lab do it for you, in turn, is nothing like getting into a darkroom and doing it yourself. That’s the attraction of an inkjet and image processing program in conjunction, of course . . . the idea that it’s a home darkroom. Unfortunately, there’s still a LONG way to go with the consumer level printers.
Also, the inkjet companies conveniently omit to mention that to produce the best prints requires substantial training and experience – the sort that, say, not as many as 1 in 20 people have.
Viewers are astonishingly adept (sometimes) at seeing the difference between a fair print and a good one. Put prints side-by-side, though, and no one will hesitate an instant.
I don’t have a photographer/print shop to recommend, but a way to find one is to get a local professional photographer to say where they go. Talking face-to-face with the printer is still important, unless the world has changed since I did this last.
I use HP printers for photos because I refill my own ink. I got 4oz bottles (4 of them) on ebay for like $20.00 for four. They should produce 50000 pages 
I don’t like Epson because: a) they dont say how much ink they put in their cart, might not even be full b) they have a chip in the cart so, as you can imagine, you can’t refill those type.
The trouble with inkjet printing is that there are so many variables leading to success or failure. Some luck out, and their system (monitor and printer) fall naturally into calibration using the ICC profiles provided by the manufacturer. Others get caught in a maze of hardware or software calibration methods that may or may not ever produce acceptable results. There are few things as satisfying, IME, as having full control over the photographic process from capture through processing and the final print, but there are few things as frustrating as being unable to properly configure your system for WYSIWYG printing.
I use a Canon S900, quite an awsome printer. I’m not sure on cost per page for 4x6’s. I use Canon Matte photo paper, 50 pack 8x10 for $9.00. We like the Matte finish better than the glossy finish, and the matte paper is way cheap compared to the glossy paper. Cartridges are $12 each, with 6 seperate colors. I’m happy with cart life. I like the control of printing at home.
Anybody know what technology is in the Walmart box?