PRINTING

[boojum]

I am new to all of this.  And I need a reliable way to print any images I think are worth it.  The first question is to whether I should send the images to a pro shop to print them or cough up the bucks to buy a good printer that can print 3 x 4 prints.  I have an X2D.  And then it is tank or cartridge.  And the super good printers are north of US$1,000. That's a lot of prints sent out to be printed. A minimum of 66 and as vain as I am I do not see my printing of 65 to 70 12 x 16's.

This brings me to the question of what are you guys doing?  And why?  Thnks for your thoughts.

[Dicky]

Hi boojum

These days our humble-studio doesnt even bother attempting to maintain and run any 'in-house-large-format-digital-photo-printing' facilities or services ...
As it works out, so much less-hassle, so much more cost-effective and so less time-consuming, to send our printing out to a specialist digital-printing house!

Absolutely-perfect results, each and every time from an online printing-lab called Whitewall.
https://www.whitewall.com/uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvLfGtIa8-wIVhNDtCh1ZkwTjEAAYASAAEgIeTfD_BwE

They have always done an absolutely amazing (like totally, perfect) job on our printing, bless them
Best wishes 

[boojum]

Ah, lad, this looks like a good one.  Being German on my mother's side the option is even more attractive.  "Es ist immer Deutscher besser."  A not too slight statement of the superiority of German goods.  I am hoping I can do business out of LA or NYC to save the international shipping.  You can be sure that I will have few prints made as while I am vain I am not vain enough to plaster the walls with my pics.

Thanks for the help.  I do think it is better to have just a few good ones, "Better one bite good than two bites bad."

[Dicky]

Pleasure boojum

Just a thought, before you consider applying any post-production editing works (if you have not done so already) ..
As, it may make life so vey much easier, save you vast amounts of time and printing-costs to invest in a 'professional display calibration device' for your monitors, so that you have a correctly calibrated system to start from! ...

Have to say our humble-studios favourite lighting system and favourite lenses are exquisitely made in Germany

Looking forwards to seeing some amazing results!
Best wishes 

[boojum]

I've got a nice BenQ which has good color.  It needs to be re-calibrated.  But do not lose sight of the fact that I am a not so humble hack.  For me this is like horseshoes, close counts.  ;o)  I am just trying for "closer."

[JCM-Photos]

having it's own printer is a matter of quantity prints you have to put out in the year

or

if you have a top level printer skill and you always do it better than a third party printing service

[pdprinter]

Printing is an artistic decision making process and so being able to print oneself is necessary to have control over the final image. A calibrated monitor still has not the same gamut and contrast curve as a print as there are too many technical differences: transmitted vs reflected light which is even dependent on paper choice, several more pigment colors vs 3 in LCD (or OLED) monitors.
I don't have a large printer but being able to print 16" is sufficient for most of my needs and allows me do print a proof that gives a pro shop an idea how to print.
I am also printing digital negatives for contact prints and have not found any shop which does that.

[JCM-Photos]

Interesting the digital negative

Does it work with inkjet prnters ?

Please on what brand of film do you print ?

[Dicky]

Experiences, opinions will vary and always differ regarding digital-calibration/digital-printing
Some of you. I know are like "superstar digital in-house printers" producing exhibition-quality images 

Found that usually if "all is absolutely spot on, in-camera", requiring zero post-production curve or levels adjustments,
Then checked on a calibrated-monitor, the chances are ...

The pro-prints we get mailed, are absolutely spot-on too, so thats what we find that always happens!

That said, when handing-printing an analogie-negative 'photographic art work image' on tradional-fibre based papers,
Then thats something, thats kind of sacred, that needs to be done by the photographer in the darkroom that took the shot

What I did find out when maintaining a lovely HP wide in-house printer, was this ...
It was amazing!

Results on A3+ Rag papers were ace! ...
but only when used with the original HP brand inks ...

As, within days of switching to a "cost-saving" commercial bulk-ink CISS kit ...
(it cost hundreds too) the "ink-problems" started, with blocked print-heads!

And then with random-spats and ink-spots on the prints,
as those OEM inks clearly behaved very differently to what was thought, ended up blocking-up 8 print heads,
worked out cheaper to then put it all in the bin! And go online for printing for our clients portraits and proofs!

Best wishes

[boojum]

In the past I have been able to get good color prints with an Epson tank printer.  But after lying around unused the heads are blocked.  The printer can be reclaimed but then I am limited to letter size prints, not big enough for my ego.  LOL  So I fear you are right: send them out.  Better and cheaper in the long run.  There is just so much to be accounted for with "in-house" quality printing that it has become nearly impossible and quite wearing.  Thanks for the good advice.

[JCM-Photos]

A screen has to be calibrated differently for a final use on web or for prints.

That's why high end screens have different targets (individually calibrated) with a switch between them, you can also make targets for day and night use when the screen environment is different.

[Dicky]

Hi boojum

Can imagine if your doing a regular volume of prints and the printer is effectively getting its heads, service-cleaned very regularly,
then perhaps there is less chance of a 'blocked-up-print-heads' scenario!

Thats some very kind and superb advice from JCM 
Whom is also absolute superstar, in producing high-end, exhibition-quality, prints!

Best wishes 

[pdprinter]

Interesting the digital negative

Does it work with inkjet prnters ?

Please on what brand of film do you print ?

I am using Pictorico OHP, tried cheaper ones with not much success

[Charles2]

How much have you been willing to spend on camera and lenses? If you chose Hasselblad, you probably spent a lot, and you did it for the aesthetic qualities. That journey continues with the aesthetics of a print.

You do it yourself if ...
... you want to find the papers that you like the best, depending on the image..
... and you want to experiment to find the contrast, color, and sharpness that you like on prints. You may call on different combinations depending on the image. A print house tends to work one formula well.

I use a pigment cartridge printer and would not have it otherwise — until I start to close down my pursuit of good photographs.

[boojum]

How much have you been willing to spend on camera and lenses? If you chose Hasselblad, you probably spent a lot, and you did it for the aesthetic qualities. That journey continues with the aesthetics of a print.

You do it yourself if ...
... you want to find the papers that you like the best, depending on the image..
... and you want to experiment to find the contrast, color, and sharpness that you like on prints. You may call on different combinations depending on the image. A print house tends to work one formula well.

I use a pigment cartridge printer and would not have it otherwise — until I start to close down my pursuit of good photographs.

You are right.  It would be silly, perhaps stupid, to get cheap prints done or do cheap prints myself.  "In for a penny, in for a pound."  I do not think it would be wise or productive to buy a printer up to X2D standards for the few photos I would want to print nor do I believe I now have or would learn the stuff I need to know to get "pro quality" prints.  So to save myself the grief of running off large prints that are not good in order to get a good one and to avoid the expense attached to this fumbling, "send it out" sounds like the smart thing for me to do,  And the expressed experience here is that Whitewall is where to get the work done.  Expensive, yes, but worth it.  "If you want clean, fresh oats you must pay a fair price.  If you can be satisfied with the oats that have already been through the horse, those come a lot cheaper."  Clean, fresh oats seem the better course.  ;o)

The good news is that I don't take a helluva a lot of good pictures.  LOL

Thanks, again, for your generous and wise advice.