Do You Ink Jet Your Photos?
Chris just wrote about his new color laser printer and I wanted to share my thoughts on the ‘ol printer subject.
I can’t really argue with the cost comparison. Yes, inkjets are going to cost you more per print than a color laser. But it really depends on your output use. If you just want to print something to place on the refrigerator, sure use color laser. But if you want high quality, archival prints, you just can’t beat ink jet or photo labs right now. Although, using high quality paper, my Epson even beats my local photo lab on print quality. That’s no knock on color laser. I like it as well and have thought about getting one on many occasions. But not really for photos. And if you’re just doing snapshots, why are you printing at home in the first place? I buy all my snapshot prints from online places like flickr (through Target). Decent quality, cheap, and fast.
And yes, ink jets to offer some headaches. I’ll admit that. I have to print at least once a week on my Epson to keep the print head from clogging. But other than that, It’s worked flawlessly for 2+ years, now. In fact, I’ve liked it so much I just bought another Epson ink jet. I’ll get around to writing up a review shortly.
Responses and Conversations
Here’s what always gets me about the photo-paper thing – it’s only because inkjet technology is so bad that it makes a difference. Why is that? Because photo-paper is designed to bleed evenly to hide the banding and color misalignment that is just inherent in the technology. Photo-paper just hides these problems better than normal stock that soaks ink up faster (so it bleeds less). Of course, the ink soak also creates dullness in color because you see more of the paper – yet another problem.
Because your photo lab is giving you true pixel level color (not dithered, halftoned or blended), I would suggest that maybe the reason you prefer your home printer’s output is because it’s blending the pixels and hiding imperfections that are in the source file. Maybe?
Comment by Christopher Frazier on April 6th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
About color lasers…
I have to agree that they’re not ideal for photos. But here’s what they’re great for: graphics that use photos such as kids projects done using PrintShop or similar software. The quality of the prints makes the final product seem more polished. I love showing kids that they can, with the right tools, make stuff that looks as good as what adults make.
So there’s my schtick on color lasers.
Comment by Christopher Frazier on April 6th, 2006 at 1:21 pm