New Printer

[hughden]

My old printer has finally died. I am looking for a printer to print photos only:

-Up to A4 size

-Print from computer (do not need print straight from memory card/camera options)

-Efficient ink usage (including not needing to continually clean the print heads)

-Printer and inks available in Thailand

Any recommendations gratefully received.

Thanks

[Kees5]

IMHO, using deskjet printers to pront photos is a waste of money. The ink costs a fortune when you find out how many (or rather) a4's you get from a set of cartidges. Ink plus photopaper ends up very expensive

On top of that, they fade. no matter what the manufacturer says, dye based prints will fade rapidly when you try and put them on the wall. Only the newer and often very expensive pigment based prints will last. But in Thailand you're probably looking at spending at least US $500 upwards to buy one.

You get superior quality prints if you take them to a Fuji digital Imaging printshop. Those prints last a lot longer then basic photo inkjet prints, and you'll find out it works out a lot cheaper. You can still tweak your file in Photoshop and take the corrected file to the shop on a USB memory gadget.

You may want to shop around, have the same print printed by a number of shops to work out which one has the best quality control.

I found a good fuji shop in BKK, at Prom Phong, next to the stairs coming down from the BTS, same side as Emporium, but up the road a little Past Soi 24.

A4 I think 60 Bt, 6x8 25 Bt, good quality.

Try it, hang a real photo print (Fuji DI) and an inkjet next to each other in the sun for a week, look at the difference.

Inkjet are a mugs game, only serve to make profit for the company that makes them by selling ink. that is why the printers themselves seem so cheap.

My old printer has finally died. I am looking for a printer to print photos only:

-Up to A4 size

-Print from computer (do not need print straight from memory card/camera options)

-Efficient ink usage (including not needing to continually clean the print heads)

-Printer and inks available in Thailand

Any recommendations gratefully received.

Thanks

[Nordlys]

You might want to refer to this thread.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...&hl=printer

I have my mind set for either one of the 3 pirnts I recommended in the above link but will definitely test Canon Pixma Pro9500 at Canon service center when it becomes available in Thailand before making final decision. Pixma Pro9500 sales has been delayed for almost a year but will go on sale in Japan starting today (May 18th) so it should be in about two months before it will hit the market in Thailand. You can test Canon printers sold in Thailand at Canon service center on South Sathorn (I've tested Pixma Pro9000 which I was very happy with the result).

I know you're a serious photographer. Go for the A3, 8 ink cartridges (if not 10) highest consumer-grade photo printer hughden.

Edited May 18, 2007 by Nordlys

[hughden]

Thanks Nordlys, I was thinking about a Pixma; will check them out.

[swain]

Well, I cant tell you which one to buy but I can tell you what not to buy.. Epson and HP were the standard way back when... HP still has some thing to offer.. but stay away from Epson.. its like they road their name into the ground and what they offer now is so bad it has the status that Lexmark used to have.. Now Lexmark printers are looking hot.. and Epson is in the toilet.

[pattyboy]

I think there are some good point people have made.

IMO don't bother with the expensive cartridges and bother of an inkjet printer for doing photos unless you plan to use it on a regular (daily) basis. At that point, one is probably doing a pretty high quantity, so they should think about spending some fairly big baht for a 6-10 cartridge system, probably with a feeder tank setup. I had an Epson Stylus C-65 that I used occasionally, and it was a total pain in the butt. I do need to print things sometimes, so I bought a cheap (2,900 baht) Samsung laser printer that has worked very well, so far (knock on wood). It's very nice to get away from clogged print heads and the other inkjet related hassles and expense. Of course, my laser printer is only monotone, but it's much faster and sharper for docs/websites, etc. than the old Epson. I agree that taking digital photos to a Fuji printshop or some of the other places that print digital photos is well worth considering before buying an inkjet.

Edited May 21, 2007 by pattyboy

[seedoubleyou]

Might be a bit late to chime in on this....

If you have time I would reccomend testing as many printers and output labs as possible, pick one file that you like or create a files with very colourful images, another that is softer and low contrast and a black and white file.

I shoot for a living and use a epson r2400 for my portfolios. I tested it against a agfa machine at the local prolab and found the quality to be superior, the dot matrix was finer and the agfa ended up mottling the fine details, especially eyelashes. The r2400 is an 8 colour module where you have to swap out the black ink for matt or glossy paper (the r800 is the smaller model with 8 inks). It has worked steady for me for 2 years and I would buy another, though I have been reading on PDN that HP and Canon are improving.

I used to live in Bangkok and it was frustrating at times to find ink that I needed, but that was easier than finding good paper, which is key. You need the right paper and a profile for it. I tend to prefer Epson papers and it was very difficult to get the surfaces I wanted in A3, that said there is much more on the market in A4. As pattyboy mentions the other key with all models and most makes is useage, if you use it only occasionaly you end up having to clean the heads and that wastes ink.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/ is a good forum for photography and colour management and you may be able to find a review of the model you are considering.

[jackmuu]

I will just warn you and anyone else, stay away from the Brother printers with the ###### self cleaning heads.

Biggest mistake I made was not doing an internet search for reviews before buying.

[astral]

I will move this to the computer section as you will get a wider audience there.

I agree with Kees.

I go to a good shop on the few occasions that I need photo prints.

[Tywais]

where is the Computer Section ? New Here !

You're in it now, but a direct link is here > http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showforum=17

[mouse]

Consider a full color Laser by Fuji/Xerox Model number C525A for 9,000 baht. An excellent buy and high quality that we print our proofs with. Can be purchased at Pantip Plaza and also at the IT Plaza in Chiang Mai.

[Firefoxx]

Color lasers can't print photos that can be compared to photo inkjet printers. They can print proofs for magazine prints, but not photos that can be mistaken for lab prints.

It really depends on what your intentions are for this printer. If it's pro type printing, where archival life and color are important, you don't have many choices. The real pro printers have VERY VERY long archival life with the right paper, and professionals can confirm this. Thing is that they don't come cheap, IE, not 5,000 baht, but more like 20-30k baht. Epson, Canon, and HP all have extremely good pro-level printers. You can tell which is pro in that they usually have 6-8 ink cartridges and will have two different blacks (matte and glossy).

If you're opening a photo printing store, you might go for the inktank feed system. It's lousy for small runs and the color can be off, but it's cheap in the long run.

If you're just printing your own photos, get a printer that has separate ink cartridges. Canon is probably the best for this, IMHO, as HP still like to combine inks in its photo printers and Epson is still not as good in the head clogging area (but improved from the past by far).

Whatever you do, get a "real" photo printer, which has more than just the basic four CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) colors.

Edited May 25, 2007 by Firefoxx

[brianinbangkok]

Completly agree with Pattyboy,

I have also completly given up on inktjet printers !

Get a laser for 2900 bath and bring your color photo's to a digital printshop.

[baahjun]

I have some great matte bw prints made with an epson 2200 on archival matte paper. For photo's I would def. buy epson.

[Rice_King]

I am surprised nobody here has suggested a Dye Sublimation Photo Printer. The dye subs, in my opinion, give the best photo results of any of the printer technologies.

Dye subs are pricey. Full size (A4) printer models like this Kodak sell for $800 USD. The smaller (4 x 6) models like the Kodak Easy Share and the Canon Selphy sell for well under $150 USD.

A friend here uses the Canon and claims the cost per print (4x6) is about 6 baht.