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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> How wide a printer would you suggest?
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 08/26/2007 11:35:00 AM · #1
I've had a pretty good year so far from a photography perspective and the paid work for senior portraits, aspiring models, and people interested in non-traditional portraits is starting to pick up. I am considering investing in a higher end printer, but I'm not sure how big I need to go for portait work these days. I haven't sold anything over 11x14, probably because I usually try to sell mulitple images with different looks rather than one big print, but I know that the 'big' photograpahers in the area really push big prints ($$$).

So, for those of you with some portrait experience, will a 13" wide printer, up to 13"x19", prints be enough or do I need to make the big jump to 17" ?

I'm shooting with a 30D as my primary camera and a 10D as a backup, just in case that limits my max print size despite the opportunity to sell larger.

Thanks in advance!
Dave

Message edited by author 2007-08-26 17:04:33.
 08/27/2007 12:04:17 AM · #2
I think that's a pretty personal decision, really.. I think I would stick to a 13, because it's cheaper to pay someone else to print the occasional big print than to buy one of the big machines. Then again, the bigger ones accept bigger ink tanks so you'd have less waste in the long run.

As far as I know, the Epson 2400 uses the same ink system and everything as the more expensive large format printers (Ultrachrome K3), so with good paper you should be able to get brilliant prints from it.

The 30D has plenty of resolution for big prints with a good lens and if you don't need to do any PS work to 'fix' the images.
 08/27/2007 12:11:25 AM · #3
I like the Epson 3800... I use it regularly for 16x20" prints. It'll go even larger (limited to 17" width). Some relevant info here:

LIKE GETTING A FREE PRINTER UPGRADE... Although the Epson 3800 is $445 more expensive than the Epson R2400 ($850), the 3800 comes with $450 more ink than the R2400 (and at a lower cost per millimeter) -- so it's almost like getting a free printer upgrade when you're willing to buy the Epson 3800 (17") over the Epson R2400 (13").

Here's a comparison of costs per milliliter of ink, at Manufacturer Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP):

$1.35 / ml with HP B9180 ink cartridges (27 ml carts)
$0.95 / ml with Epson R2400 ink cartridges (15 ml carts)
$0.75 / ml with Epson 3800 ink cartridges (80 ml carts)
$0.65 / ml with Epson 110 ml ink cartridges used in 4800/7800/9800
$0.58 / ml with Canon iPF5000 ink cartridges (130 ml carts)
$0.51 / ml with Epson 220 ml ink cartridges used in 4800/7800/9800


More information here.

Message edited by author 2007-08-27 00:15:00.
 08/27/2007 12:12:00 AM · #4
In my experience with all types of printers, (I'm a graphic designer) you just can't go wrong with an Epson. I currently own the R1800 and it just blows me away when I print on it. When I purchased it, the R2400 came out and I thought about upgrading, but stayed with the 1800. Go check one out and use it before you buy it. You won't be sorry.
 08/27/2007 12:12:12 AM · #5
whoops! Hit that send key twice, sorry!

Message edited by author 2007-08-27 00:13:02.
 08/27/2007 03:57:59 AM · #6
I love my epson 13" printer (I think it is the one mentioned...I can't see it, it's on its way to the US) but am afraid I'm about to lose it to my wife so she can use it for 12x12" scrapbooking pages. But on the bright side, I get my old epson back. I have had nothing but beautiful shots (well expect for the ones I've messed up in post processing) from the printer and will probably be framing a few when I leave here. It is really nice for doing collages cause you can get lots of pictures on the page but still allow them to be a good size.

I might warn you about something. I usually buy my inks from //www.printpal.com and while the inks seem very good and don't have any issues...they sure do stink, and I mean bad enough that you smell it just holding the picture up and looking at it. I use the same company for my other inks and I've never noticed it before, so maybe it has something to do with the amount of ink on the larger page or just the quality of it.
 08/27/2007 11:26:09 AM · #7
Thank you all for your advice on this. There is a large jump from the Epson 1800 to 3800 or Canon PIXMA Pro9000 to imagePROGRAF iPF5000 and I was having a hard time understanding how often prints over 13" x 19" would be needed in the portrait market.
Originally posted by MadMan2k:
I think that's a pretty personal decision, really.

On the personal side, I would be happy with very high quality 13" x 19". That covers a fair amount of wall space when nicely matted and framed. But... if I can sell 16"x20" portraits, then a larger printer might be justified. This is one place where I just don't understand the market well enough yet.
08/27/2007 12:41:24 PM · #8
Originally posted by dwterry:
I like the Epson 3800... I use it regularly for 16x20" prints. It'll go even larger (limited to 17" width). Some relevant info here:

LIKE GETTING A FREE PRINTER UPGRADE... Although the Epson 3800 is $445 more expensive than the Epson R2400 ($850), the 3800 comes with $450 more ink than the R2400 (and at a lower cost per millimeter) -- so it's almost like getting a free printer upgrade when you're willing to buy the Epson 3800 (17") over the Epson R2400 (13").

Here's a comparison of costs per milliliter of ink, at Manufacturer Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP):

$1.35 / ml with HP B9180 ink cartridges (27 ml carts)
$0.95 / ml with Epson R2400 ink cartridges (15 ml carts)
$0.75 / ml with Epson 3800 ink cartridges (80 ml carts)
$0.65 / ml with Epson 110 ml ink cartridges used in 4800/7800/9800
$0.58 / ml with Canon iPF5000 ink cartridges (130 ml carts)
$0.51 / ml with Epson 220 ml ink cartridges used in 4800/7800/9800


More information here.


I'll second this one! We've done 16" x 24" prints on our 3800 and they come out fantastic. The cartridges aren't cheap but we've done an absolute bucket load of printing on ours and are still on the original cartridges. Definitely recommend!
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