# Article about true price of home photo printing.... Interesting



## LovePhotography (Dec 27, 2015)

http://www.redrivercatalog.com/cost-of-inkjet-printing.html


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## Canon Rumors Guy (Dec 27, 2015)

LovePhotography said:


> http://www.redrivercatalog.com/cost-of-inkjet-printing.html



Thank-you, that was a good read. I think I'm going to be buying a P800 in the spring.


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## LovePhotography (Dec 27, 2015)

I wasn't going to buy a printer, 'cause I'm not a pro. BUT.... I loaded up big time on that 87.5% off Canon paper sale 10 days ago just for the hell of it. Sooo.... Then the Canon Pro-1 has a $250 rebate until 1-2-2016. The stars aligned, so I bought a Pro-1. We shall see....


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Dec 28, 2015)

I use Cone inks in huge refillable tanks. The inks are excellent and match Epson Inls so no special profiles are needed. Cost is a small fraction of the price using Epson Inks, but the initial cost of getting setup is pricey. When the time comes to purchase a liter of each color, its painful, but much less painful than buying a set of Epson inks that have tiny tanks.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 28, 2015)

Thanks for sharing!

It's my understanding that ink jet photo printers will clog if not used relatively frequently. If so, that could be a hidden cost for some users. 

For me personally, printing at home is very infrequent. I don't print at 'intermediate' sizes – it's either large/metal or 4x6" glossies. I have large prints and metallics done at AdoramaPix or Mpix. The 4x6" prints are pretty much always kid-related. If it's 30 pics for a scrapbooking project or individual pics of each of 20 birthday party guests going down a zip line to include with thank you cards, those I just have printed at Target. It's cheaper per print than almost every option in the linked report, I upload from home and pick up on a shopping trip. The only at-home 4x6" prints are when I need a pic or two to send with a kid to school, and those I do on a Canon Selphy. The per-print price is relatively high, but the dye sub transfer rolls never clog or dry out, and the printer and supplies are small so they are easy to store in a desk drawer until needed.


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## Zeidora (Dec 28, 2015)

The clogging of inkjets is one of those persistent myths. I have had an Epson 1800 and currently have an Epson 4880. They are used maybe 3x a year for anything from 4x6 to 17x22". I have not run the print-head cleaning routine even once in the about collective 10 years I had those printers, and have not noticed any mis-fires even on fully even backgrounds. I do not even do a cleaning run before I print after 6 months of sitting in my office. I just print. Period.

I do use original inks, but even those last plenty long. I just put a new one in a week ago, expiration data was 2013, so I must have bought it in 2011 or 2012. No problems with that either.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 28, 2015)

Good to know. My old Epson MFPs used to clog every so often, I've never used a dedicated photo inkjet printer.


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## Eldar (Dec 28, 2015)

Zeidora said:


> The clogging of inkjets is one of those persistent myths. I have had an Epson 1800 and currently have an Epson 4880. They are used maybe 3x a year for anything from 4x6 to 17x22". I have not run the print-head cleaning routine even once in the about collective 10 years I had those printers, and have not noticed any mis-fires even on fully even backgrounds. I do not even do a cleaning run before I print after 6 months of sitting in my office. I just print. Period.
> 
> I do use original inks, but even those last plenty long. I just put a new one in a week ago, expiration data was 2013, so I must have bought it in 2011 or 2012. No problems with that either.


+1
I use the Canon Pro-1. In periods, when photo opportunities are low, I spend quite a bit of time with my printer and the cost listed in this review pretty much matches my own observations. In other parts of the year, where I´m out shooting as much as possible, it may go months between each print. I have never had any problems with clogging, but ink levels drop even though the printer is not in use. 

At present I can only do up to A3+ (13x19), but I am waiting for the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000, which will give me A2 (17x22). From a pure economical point of view, I could certainly get prints cheaper elsewhere. However, to me, printing is an essential part of the process and I find the quality I get from the Pro-1 on Canson Baryta paper to be better. With the Pro-1000 it is supposed to go up another step, so I am looking forward to that.


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## axtstern (Dec 28, 2015)

I'm with Neuro here, ink clogging up was the death of many a Canon in my home.
Also using a Selphy now and mail order for anything bigger. For anything where photo Quality is not important a Brother Color Laser is my choice.
Problem with the Selphy is sure the small size and in my case that if you print only 1 or 2 Picture each time the Printer Needs to put Tension on the Transfer foil eating up precious material each time he does so.


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## Maiaibing (Dec 28, 2015)

Not sure how valuable the numbers are given that you need to factor in the price of the printer, misprints, test prints etc.

Still, I recently bought an ink printer for the first time in many years. When laser printers came down in price around 2002 I immediately switched to color laser and never looked back. However, being in the market once again I ran the numbers and read through tons of reviews and the result is clear: Inkjets are today somewhat cheaper to use than lasers (for home user), print better color pictures and graphics but not quite as good text. Text quality is still good enough for anything than the very most demanding papers - the few times I need this I'll still have my old laser printer at hand for B/W printing. And yes - clogging should have improved a lot from earlier days.

The reason is simple; as the price for color laser printing continued to drop inkjets had no future unless they became the cheaper alternative.

I calculated a life-span savings of around 30% and that sealed the deal for me (YMMV). I got a new - excellent - photo printer with ethernet, wifi and airprint, plus an extra set of XL cartridges for the same it would have cost me just to buy new color laser cartridges.

Time will tell if it was the right choice. But surely the time has come to revisit the options.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Dec 28, 2015)

My Epson 3880 indeed likes to clog up if left unused, and it can take a lot of ink to clean the heads. I find that turning it off after printing means that a few weeks later, only a quick head cleaning is required. If I leave it on, heads get clogged in less than a week if it sits unused.


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## jebrady03 (Dec 28, 2015)

Truthfully, I worry about clogging. My solution...? I print one 4x6 every Sunday night or Monday morning of one or both of the kids and drop it in her work bag. It keeps my worries of ink clogs at bay, gives me bonus hubby points, and keeps her desk at work stocked with current photos. 
Anyone who steals this idea... I expect royalties in the form of large denomination US currency.


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## Canon Rumors Guy (Dec 29, 2015)

jebrady03 said:


> Truthfully, I worry about clogging. My solution...? I print one 4x6 every Sunday night or Monday morning of one or both of the kids and drop it in her work bag. It keeps my worries of ink clogs at bay, gives me bonus hubby points, and keeps her desk at work stocked with current photos.
> Anyone who steals this idea... I expect royalties in the form of large denomination US currency.



I'm going to print 5x7 to avoid a lawsuit.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 29, 2015)

Maybe I should print 4x6, but trim off a few millimeters. Or send Monopoly money. ;D


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## Valvebounce (Dec 29, 2015)

Hi Zeidora. 
I wish you had told me (or maybe whispered quietly to my 3 consecutive inkjet printers) that the blocked heads were mythical, it might have saved me wasting money on head cleaning cartridges and multiple head cleaning cycles of ink to get the bloody yellow to work before tossing them away! ;D Epson will never see another penny from me! 
The last replacement was a colour laser, great for colour documents, not so much for photos, but I have a little battery HP printer for standard prints and if I ever want to go big I'll find a place to do it. 

Cheers, Graham. 



Zeidora said:


> The clogging of inkjets is one of those persistent myths. I have had an Epson 1800 and currently have an Epson 4880. They are used maybe 3x a year for anything from 4x6 to 17x22". I have not run the print-head cleaning routine even once in the about collective 10 years I had those printers, and have not noticed any mis-fires even on fully even backgrounds. I do not even do a cleaning run before I print after 6 months of sitting in my office. I just print. Period.
> 
> I do use original inks, but even those last plenty long. I just put a new one in a week ago, expiration data was 2013, so I must have bought it in 2011 or 2012. No problems with that either.


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## jebrady03 (Dec 29, 2015)

Canon Rumors said:


> I'm going to print 5x7 to avoid a lawsuit.





neuroanatomist said:


> Maybe I should print 4x6, but trim off a few millimeters. Or send Monopoly money. ;D



LMAO - well played fellas!


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## Rupp1 (Dec 29, 2015)

With all due respect to those who believe otherwise, the clogging of inkjet is not a myth. I have an Epson 7900 which I don't use enough, and had a 3880. If I let the printer sit for a couple of weeks, well, a couple of power head cleans will be necessary. I just swapped the 3880 for a P-800 and have no experience with that one yet. If you are really trying to be cost efficient, it only works with large printers at high volume (larger cost/oz ink), plus outside prints are expensive. Small printers are so inexpensive, that it is more a question of control than cost, at least to me.

Just remember to have extra ink maintenance tanks on hand because cleaning fills them faster.

Aside: The Epson rebate on the P-800 ended, I think, on 11/30. Canon, however, will pay you to take a printer if you buy a body and printer package from B&H through 1/1. I've got one, minus the UPC code from the box, that I'll be giving away as a holiday gift.


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## privatebydesign (Dec 29, 2015)

I just scrapped an Epson 7900, it is still in my garbage trailer, because of unclearable clogging. It had a print count of 287.

That was a $4,000 printer with a known issue that Epson refuse to acknowledge, indeed the newest version, the P6000-P9000, uses the same head and design, not user replaceable and not for sale!

I also have an Epson 4900 with a 1,500 print count with persistent clog issues, this week it is the VM set. Clogging, cleaning and maintenance is a very expensive and time consuming aspect of Epson printer ownership for many. The real kicker is even for the pro level printers Epson will not sell the parts to repair them outside of their own engineers, the problem with that is their engineers charge outrageous money to not fix stuff, and more often than not even when a $4,000 printer has an issue it is uneconomical to repair.....

Hand on heart I wouldn't recommend any infrequent user buy a 'good' Epson printer, the head design is not user replaceable and it doesn't allow for remapping the nozzles if they become unclearable. Canon printers have user replaceable heads that are available if needed (indeed installing them is part of the initial startup) and they have many more nozzles that can be remapped if they block.


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## Halfrack (Dec 29, 2015)

I'm in love with the Epson Ecotank line. It's the same idea as the Cone setup inks, but with the whole thing baked together. Other than the 20 minutes it takes to prime the system, it's been pretty good. I've put them at clients who print a lot of color due to kids, but didn't like laser printers. I want to try a stack of 8x10's to see how it performs doing a bulk print.

I want a 24" roll printer, but haven't convinced myself it's a good idea. For those with a Costco card, using the http://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/ profiles makes for an amazing image, so it's hard to compete.


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## LDS (Dec 29, 2015)

jebrady03 said:


> Truthfully, I worry about clogging. My solution...? I print one 4x6 every Sunday night or Monday



Clogging may be an issue or not, depending on many factors, including print model, ink type, usage, and even location average temp and humidity. Keith Cooper of Northlight Image suggest that even printing the nozzle check pattern is enough to minimize clogging - but you solution is good if you can make someone smile.

Anyway, the cost of printing is not the cost of ink alone, it's also the cost of the paper you're printing to, and how much does it take to get the image you want. It is true common printers tests does not include paper in the picture, but common printers usually print on cheap plain A4/legal paper, not expensive large photo paper or canvas. And you rarely need to re-print an office document because you don't like the shadows or the colors are not so good...

Then how much cost per copy matters? It depends how much you print, and why (and your income, of course). If you sell prints, keeping the cost down increases margins. If you need to print a lot, and don't have an income from it, you may want to keep it as low as you can as well. If you don't print often, or if the margins on every print are so large, it may make not a big difference, and you'll look usually for the best output, and/or size, paper handling and so on.

Guess most people printing themselves don't do it to save - they do it for total control and/or fun. Just like developing your prints was more expensive (and complex) than having them developed - just without the control and fun.


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## kaswindell (Dec 29, 2015)

I have also experienced the Epson perma-clog problem - about 1 month after the warranty ran out. I called them, sat on hold forever, and then the guy on the phone wanted me to repeat all the troubleshooting I had already done. I gave them a choice: exchange the printer or lose a customer, they chose the latter.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Dec 29, 2015)

I just powered up my 3880 to run a nozzle cleaning. I'll see how many cleanings it takes. Its been off for 3 or 4 weeks due to so many things happening around here that have stopped my usual photography.

First, its doing a very long cleaning cycle on startup, so its detected clogged heads.

Now, I'm running the Nozzle check in the auto setting. 

The first attempt to print the test pattern has missing areas in the black and light light black. It did a head cleaning and they were fine, so the printer then printed the second row of colors and the magenta had a gap in the pattern. Then, the printer stopped to tell me that I had to replace the light black cartridge. I pulled out my chip reset instructions and reset the tank, and then restarted the printer. There was no additional head cleaning done.

A second run of the nozzle check showed the magenta was still skipping, so a second attempt at cleaning the heads was run. That fixed the issue, all nozzles are cleared and working fine.

There were three head cleanings done, and a lot of ink wasted. My maintenance tank is getting full. I empty it and refill it with folded paper towels. that works fine. The same process as resetting as empty tank will reset the maintenance cartridge once it reports as full. I have a backup ready to go when it gets full.


That's pretty typical. I could have used the printer, and probably never detected the clogged nozzles, they have to be pretty badly clogged to be able to spot in a print.


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## privatebydesign (Dec 29, 2015)

LDS said:


> Clogging may be an issue or not, depending on many factors, including print model, ink type, usage, and even location average temp and humidity. Keith Cooper of Northlight Image suggest that even printing the nozzle check pattern is enough to minimize clogging - but you solution is good if you can make someone smile.



It absolutely is not in many cases. Besides, there are several types of 'clog', some get worse with cleaning cycles, I know, I have just thrown away a $4,000 printer and have regular issues with a $2,000 printer. 



Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I could have used the printer, and probably never detected the clogged nozzles, they have to be pretty badly clogged to be able to spot in a print.



I have found that to be entirely dependent on the print the paper and how close you look. Nothing leaves my print room unless it has been inspected for stripes with a magnifying glass. But even without that I have had prints ruined to the naked eye with just one single blocked nozzle, that is why I can't understand the Epson way, make every nozzle important and no remapping or head replacement, whereas every other printer can remap and or replace the printhead.


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