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By Gina on Monday, May 14, 2001 - 08:26 am:
Just a question for you who do a lot of restoration work--do you print your photos yourself or do you outsource the printing?
I'm in the market for a nice, dye-sub printer, but in the interim (before I spend several thousand dollars) I might have to outsource. Just wanted to get opinions or stories from others who've done it successfully (or unsuccessfully, and why)
Thanks, all!!
By Doug Nelson (doug) on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 - 05:09 am:
Why go dye-sub when inkjet technology is just coming into its own? I have access to a die-sub printer, and the prints are very pretty, but it's maddening working via remote control. It takes a day just to see the first print, let alone any revisions.
Go to the Epson website and fill out a request to be sent a sample from some of their better machines. I use their 1270, but that's a couple of years old now, and they're even better now.
By Gina on Friday, May 18, 2001 - 12:03 pm:
I'm really holding out for dye-sub (or outsourced through a photography studio or whatever), because no matter how hard I try, I can still see those tiny dots in an inket print. I want true continuous tone, and an ink jet simply cannot provide it.
I will, however, check out Epson's website. Perhaps I can use an Epson for providing proofs to my printer.
Thanks for your response!!
By Mick on Friday, May 18, 2001 - 04:24 pm:
Gina. I just received the latest Digital Imaging
Mag and they have a new dye sub printer ad for under a grand. Check it out at http://P400.olympus.com
Mick
By Wayne Nelson on Saturday, May 19, 2001 - 03:16 pm:
Excellent suggestion, Nick! The Olympus P-400 Dye-Sub printer is an amazing and inexpensive piece of technology. This is absolutely the best deal out there for a continuous-tone printer.
I just returned from a corporate event in Florida where we needed to print 80 8x10 portraits in the evening and deliver them the next morning to the participants in the event. Trouble-free and impressive is how I would describe the "photographs" from the tireless P400. "Fabulous" is how the recipients of the photographs described their framed portraits. These images were printed from a Nikon D1 with an 8MB file size.
As a side-note, I would like to add that in addition, I own the Epson 870 and 1270. These are exceptional printers and I believe that the "new generation" 2880dpi printers have exceeded the limits of diminishing returns. In other words, with the human eye, it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between the 1440 and 2880 resolutions. If you print your images at 225 dpi with at least a 5MB image (8x10 maximum with this file size), you will not be able to see "those tiny dots."
By Gina on Wednesday, May 23, 2001 - 07:06 am:
The Olympus P-400 is a fine quality printer; unfortunately, its printable area is only 7.64 X whatever. It cannot print a full 8" width--this comes straight from the Olynpus' mouth (plus, I tried it just to be sure)
So, back to my original question--do you all outsource at all? If so, how's it working out for you?
By Willie on Friday, June 08, 2001 - 02:17 pm:
Gina...
I understand what you are saying about the "dots"
Fortunatly I have the use of several devices.
A PG 3000" Fuji fujix pictography" a Sienna FP 3000
and an older 1440 epson printer.
Hands down the Pictography is the way you want to
go. It is a thermal dye transfer instead of a Dye sub. The result is better detail. However you need to know about icc profiles.
You might be able to find a used one for @ $2000-$3000.
Very nice to have device in house.
By vhansen on Friday, June 08, 2001 - 05:00 pm:
I send all my work to Printroom.com. I've been extremely happy with their service. Even though I have a printer I like very much (Epson), I want to give my customers "real" prints. There is just something nicer about these prints......
By Gina on Monday, June 11, 2001 - 03:28 pm:
I agree, which is why I'm on the lookout for a printer that prints "real" photographs.
How's the Sienna do? A local print shop has one and they do nice work with press items...I've been contemplating sending them my photographic work as well.
Willie--yes, it's very nice to have a device in-house. If the colors aren't just so, you can tweak and reprint without paying somebody out the nose for it. I've been lucky with my images. So far, they've turned out just like the proofs I give to the printer. But those aren't photographic images, with fleshtones and other do-or-die color matches
Just a question for you who do a lot of restoration work--do you print your photos yourself or do you outsource the printing?
I'm in the market for a nice, dye-sub printer, but in the interim (before I spend several thousand dollars) I might have to outsource. Just wanted to get opinions or stories from others who've done it successfully (or unsuccessfully, and why)
Thanks, all!!
By Doug Nelson (doug) on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 - 05:09 am:
Why go dye-sub when inkjet technology is just coming into its own? I have access to a die-sub printer, and the prints are very pretty, but it's maddening working via remote control. It takes a day just to see the first print, let alone any revisions.
Go to the Epson website and fill out a request to be sent a sample from some of their better machines. I use their 1270, but that's a couple of years old now, and they're even better now.
By Gina on Friday, May 18, 2001 - 12:03 pm:
I'm really holding out for dye-sub (or outsourced through a photography studio or whatever), because no matter how hard I try, I can still see those tiny dots in an inket print. I want true continuous tone, and an ink jet simply cannot provide it.
I will, however, check out Epson's website. Perhaps I can use an Epson for providing proofs to my printer.
Thanks for your response!!
By Mick on Friday, May 18, 2001 - 04:24 pm:
Gina. I just received the latest Digital Imaging
Mag and they have a new dye sub printer ad for under a grand. Check it out at http://P400.olympus.com
Mick
By Wayne Nelson on Saturday, May 19, 2001 - 03:16 pm:
Excellent suggestion, Nick! The Olympus P-400 Dye-Sub printer is an amazing and inexpensive piece of technology. This is absolutely the best deal out there for a continuous-tone printer.
I just returned from a corporate event in Florida where we needed to print 80 8x10 portraits in the evening and deliver them the next morning to the participants in the event. Trouble-free and impressive is how I would describe the "photographs" from the tireless P400. "Fabulous" is how the recipients of the photographs described their framed portraits. These images were printed from a Nikon D1 with an 8MB file size.
As a side-note, I would like to add that in addition, I own the Epson 870 and 1270. These are exceptional printers and I believe that the "new generation" 2880dpi printers have exceeded the limits of diminishing returns. In other words, with the human eye, it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between the 1440 and 2880 resolutions. If you print your images at 225 dpi with at least a 5MB image (8x10 maximum with this file size), you will not be able to see "those tiny dots."
By Gina on Wednesday, May 23, 2001 - 07:06 am:
The Olympus P-400 is a fine quality printer; unfortunately, its printable area is only 7.64 X whatever. It cannot print a full 8" width--this comes straight from the Olynpus' mouth (plus, I tried it just to be sure)
So, back to my original question--do you all outsource at all? If so, how's it working out for you?
By Willie on Friday, June 08, 2001 - 02:17 pm:
Gina...
I understand what you are saying about the "dots"
Fortunatly I have the use of several devices.
A PG 3000" Fuji fujix pictography" a Sienna FP 3000
and an older 1440 epson printer.
Hands down the Pictography is the way you want to
go. It is a thermal dye transfer instead of a Dye sub. The result is better detail. However you need to know about icc profiles.
You might be able to find a used one for @ $2000-$3000.
Very nice to have device in house.
By vhansen on Friday, June 08, 2001 - 05:00 pm:
I send all my work to Printroom.com. I've been extremely happy with their service. Even though I have a printer I like very much (Epson), I want to give my customers "real" prints. There is just something nicer about these prints......
By Gina on Monday, June 11, 2001 - 03:28 pm:
I agree, which is why I'm on the lookout for a printer that prints "real" photographs.
How's the Sienna do? A local print shop has one and they do nice work with press items...I've been contemplating sending them my photographic work as well.
Willie--yes, it's very nice to have a device in-house. If the colors aren't just so, you can tweak and reprint without paying somebody out the nose for it. I've been lucky with my images. So far, they've turned out just like the proofs I give to the printer. But those aren't photographic images, with fleshtones and other do-or-die color matches
