Printers
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Do any of you do your own printing?
My printer is at the end of its life, and I'd like to invest in a printer I can make smaller prints from. Big ones I'd go through my local art printer, but I'd like to be able to do anything up to say 11x14. There's so much out there, I'd love to hear what people are using and loving.I'm not opposed to eventually sublimation on mugs, so that's something I would also be willing to consider in a printer.
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@AngelinaKizz I think the printers with the seperate inks are the best in terms of cost. You definitely don't want to buy a cheap one with just a seperate black and a seperate colour. I have an Epson and the inks are still working a few years later! I am not sure on the quality of the inks in terms of lightfast. Not sure if they are archival-non fade.
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@AngelinaKizz Hi Angelina!
I have a Canon Pro-100. I've had it for several years now, I think it was around $500 when I got it? I'm not sure. It prints beautifully. My biggest prints are 11x17, but I can print as small as 4x6. (I think technically the range you can print is 3.5x5 up to 17x22, but I haven't tried those sizes). It uses archival ink that are in individual cartridges, so you "save" money that way. I think each cartridge is around $25 but they do last you a long time. I feel that this printer has been a good investment for me since I don't have a large audience and usually end up printing small batches for my patrons or for clients who want a print of their work.
Hope this helps!
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@Daisy thankyou! How many color cartridges does it hold?
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@AngelinaKizz I wish I could find the conversation thread about this from a year or so ago. I know @Melissa-Bailey and @LauraA were part of it. I and several others went for the Epson Workforce-7840. At the time it was about $550 from Staples, and can do the sizes you mention as well as custom sizes. Great quality. I've loved having mine, but it is a BIG guy.
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@Valerie-Light
Thanks! Space is a bit of an issue, but for it to make larger prints I’m anticipating that it will likely need more space. I feel like I will still need a standard cheapo printer for my kid to print school projects, and to print sewing patterns from because I wouldn’t want to use the good ink. -
@AngelinaKizz I have a Canon PRO-10, which uses pigment inks. It is similar to the PRO-100 which uses dye inks. It is rather large but prints up to 13x19 I think. Availability of inks is something to consider too, because you don't want to be scrambling for inks when you have a deadline. The PRO-10 prints are beautiful and produces a very good range of color with its 10 ink tanks, but the inks aren't widely available, for example either at Staples or Best Buy. I have to buy either directly from Canon or Hunt's Photo (photo equipment/supply store) which happens to be in my area.
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@AngelinaKizz It holds 8. I think I misquoted the price, they are $17 per cartridge or $125 for the set:
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cli-42-color-8-ink-value-packThe printer will come with a limited amount of ink initially. So you can make a few prints without purchasing them right away.
I like using either hahnemuhle archival paper (pretty expensive):
https://www.amazon.com/Hahnemuhle-Smooth-Bright-Inkjet-8-5x11/dp/B00573SHGE/ref=sr_1_6?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4PKTBhD8ARIsAHChzRJOyzEW_QFsiU-5213TcdUgvKMix3o1gpFAJ4eeJ4ld-7vUIYG4nJEaAklXEALw_wcB&hvadid=580699382101&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9033322&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=16768332659485287305&hvtargid=kwd-3088641085&hydadcr=28987_14563971&keywords=hahnemuhle+photo+paper&qid=1652416328&sr=8-6or Red River Paper, which is more affordable and comes in many different finishes:
https://www.redrivercatalog.com/art-design-base-kit.html -
@Daisy wonderful thankyou so much!
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@AngelinaKizz I'm glad if it helps a bit! Good luck printer hunting! If you haven't made any prints yet, there is something special about holding something you've made
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@Daisy I have yet to make my own prints but currently go through a specialty printer in my city to have artwork professionally printed. They do absolutely phenomenal print work, but it’s quite pricey. I paid over $70 to have the portrait I’d drawn for my husband printed. There’s just no ability to have any kind of worthwhile profit margin with going through them.
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@Valerie-Light Hi, in answer to your mention, I never got a color printer (I just have a B&W laser printer that I use for documents), but I did get an Epson V-600 scanner, and I like it.
When I do print, I either go to a copy shop associated with the local art school or order from Gango Custom Printing in the US. I don't currently sell prints because of from where I am, it's not worth the trouble. I would kind of like to, though!
