Prlnter Conundrum

[GEORDIE]

Hi everyone.
I have a canon pixma 630 printer which I was/am quite happy with but here is the conundrum.
I recently joined a local camera club where we have a monthly print competition. Some of us myself included print a4 other guys print a3. I like the look of a3 and I feel they seem to have to have an advantage in presentation. Considering about five prints per month do you think buying an a3 printer and the extra costs of ink and paper is worthwhile/sensible.
It is very friendly rivalry and fun.
What would you do.
Thanks guys
Colin

[Mark von Kanel]

Hi Colin,

I too have have a canon pixma which i used to use for my printing and like you i dont really print that much (or didnt) Like yourself i wanted to print larger sizes and as money wasnt much of a concern i bought myself an Epson 3880. I have never regretted the purchase.

Because of the cartridge size the actual print cost has come down and as its a "pro" printer i have access to non OEM inks that are every bit as good as the manufacturers inks, further reducing costs, ive reduced my print costs by a whopping 60% and im still using archival inks, also the range of papers i can use are wider as my canon doesn't like the thicker art papers.

The reason i bought the printer was that i just couldnt get the results i was looking for by sending away for prints, the colour was never right and some of the places i tried if you compared prints to ones done at home they just didnt compare in any way at all.

All hobbies cost money Colin and its your choice you could always get the printer and do prints for your friends in the club as well.... or maybe youll want to keep your edge

Going down the road of calibrated monitors, print profiles and all the other stuff is complicated and frustrating stuff but ive found it worth while im still a novice but i get constant results which match whats on my monitor so im happy and i can print up to A2

For inks and papers take a look at marrut and permajet.

hope that helps and good luck with the new printer!

[John 2]

I have a Pixma and print A4. When a couple of years ago, I assessed the cost of buying an A3 printer and its consumables against the cost of having the number of club competition prints that I need made professionally, there was no contest. I could have about five years worth of monthly club comp prints made for the price of the printer alone. I reasoned that five years down the line, I would probably be buying a new printer again and the cycle would continue. Mark is right, doing it yourself is more flexible particularly in the range of papers you can use and if you need A3 for other purposes and make correspondingly more prints, the balance of cost will change but that's the analysis that I made at the time.. There are some excellent print houses out there who will develop a print profile with you so that you can upload your images to them on line. The results are generally back with you in a couple of days. I don't compete in print comps any more but when I did, I was lucky enough to have one local to me and if necessary I could pop in and ask for adjustments based on an A4 sample but that was rarely needed. All that assumes that cost matters. If not, there is of course also the satisfaction of making your own and Epsom's range of Pro printers with third party inks seems to be the way most people go.

[dan marchant]

When I get back from holiday I will be buying a new Canon A3+ printer. In large part to do prints for the camera club but also for friends to put on the wall. A pal already has one and has offered printing services to the camera club. He charges enough that he will basically get his paper for free.

[davidedric]

I have only recently joined a camera club for the first time, and I occasionally have an image that I think worthy of hanging. I have gone down the route of having them printed commercially (I mount and frame them myself).

Mostly for the same reasons as above, but also because of the space needed to accommodate a pro printer.

[Buzznik]

I went through this dilemma a few month ago, having joined a club and wanted to print to A3.
Having had Canon printers for several years, I opted for a Canon Pro 100, which seemed the most reasonably priced A3 printer.
I have no regrets at all, and the results are stunning, particularly on Canon Pro Platinum paper.
I have read somewhere that results are not quite so good on matt and lustre paper but as I only print on glossy I cannot comment personally on that aspect.

[DanK]

Colin,

It depends on whether you like to print. If you want the cheapest route, printing your own probably isn't the way to go. However, if you like to print your own--I do--then you don't need to spend very much. The bottom of the line Canon dedicated printers (now the Pro 100 that Dave uses, and previously the Pro 9000 II, which I have been using) print A3 are often available at big discounts, either alone or in combination with other equipment. You just have to watch for rebates. I bought my Pro 9000 II for $200 or $250 US years ago, and I got a Pro 100 free with my newest camera. Because they are often sold in bundles, you can often find brand new ones in unopened boxes on the used market for low prices. They use dye-based inks, which don't have the permanence of pigment inks, but they have the advantage that they don't clog even if left unused for months. I've printed on quite a number of different papers (my current default is Moab Exhibition Luster), with excellent results. Re Dave's comment: in theory, dye-based inks are less good for matte papers because the ink may spread more. However, I routinely print cards on matte stock (Red River Polar Matte), and the results are always good and often stunning.

For not that much more, you could buy the pigment equivalent.

Dan

[LocalHero1953]

I bought an Epson 3000 about 6 months ago, together with a third party ink system. If I'd had more space I'd have gone for the 3880, but wasn't an option. I previously had an Epson R285 A4 dye ink printer, and the cartridge costs were crippling. I have spent some time trialling a number of papers from sample packs, and have now settled on a small number, for which I have printer profiles. It is deeply satisfying to see an image on a colour-calibrated screen and know you can produce an A3 print that looks pretty close to the same. Our walls are now filling up, to my wife's consternation.

[GEORDIE]

Hi!
Thanks to everyone. All were very helpful and it looks as though I will go for the Canon Pro 100.
I am a canon shooter, so loyalty seems in order.
Thanks again Colin

[Mark von Kanel]

Dye Vs Pigment, think very seriously about which of these you chose and its running costs my Pigment based print does not clog even when left for months which it often is as i work away for 10 weeks at a time. Ask lots of questions Colin dont just jump in, and have a good look around, i was given a working epson r1400 the other day which is a great a3 printer!