UKC

I'm considering moving to home printing for photos 12x9 and below, and wondering what sort of results others have got.

Also interested in printer recommendations and experience - especially about how it compares to comercially produced prints, as well as performance of 5+ ink systems, dye vs ink etc.

Many thanks

In general the cost of printing at home is extortionate. Ink cartridges are massively overpriced. I like the look of Epson Ecotanks but never seen the results of photo prints.

Now for everyday printing I use Asda Photo's online store, the qualities really good and super super cheap. 

HPs instant ink subscription deals , eg £1.99 a month for 50 pages, don't care what's on the pages. Makes a great deal for A4 colour printing. If you have a compatible printer it could be worthwhile. I print stuff on an Envy 500 and it's good for non professional use.

You really can't beat seeing your work in print.

I currently do my printing through photo labs for ease and the automation when away on a trip.

I found this Youtube vid useful on first forays in printing:  youtube.com/watch?v=oSmISUQF4Vs& 

For what reason were you moving to printing at home? Also, do you have any examples of your work?

Best of luck with the home printing though! 

Mrs Glyno has one of these subscriptions and it's great for documents, maps etc. Unless I'm doing something wrong, the quality for photo printing is pretty lousy.

Yes I do. I have a A3+ Epson 3800 giclee printer that I print on Hanhnemuehle water colour printer paper with. The results are really good, the same as a commercial printer, it is only larger sizes I cannot do. Yes it can be expensive but I am an artist and sell them so I mark up. You just have to process on a calibrated monitor and convert to a paper specific profile, pretty straightforward and results are very good.

I print at home and do occasionally sell prints and plan to sell more.

its very satisfying to print yourself I use a Canon printer

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/canon-pixma-pro-100s-printer-1567572/?mkwid=s...

Very happy with the results, the one short coming is it won’t print A3+ panoramic from roll paper, Epsom are better suited for this if you shoot panoramic photos.

I'm trying out some generic ink to print some Christmas presents, it’s a third of the price but so far results are promising. 

I spent 18 months battling with an inkjet printer. When it worked, quality was good, but because I didn't print frequently had a lot of problems with clogging nozzles. Cleaning them burnt through huge amounts of time and ink.

In the end I gave up, but a laser printer for home use (rubbish for photos) and send off when I need pictures printed. My life is less stressful

I have an Epson, and am very pleased with it. I have profiled both my screen and the printer, and can produce very good results up to A3+.

I've also got the canon Pro 100. Very happy with the output up to A3.

I'm surprised. Glossy paper in an Envy5640 gives me results as good as the last commercial prints I had made. The only limitation of the ink is the CMYK (3 colour + blacken a separate cartridge) rather than a 4 or 5 colour setup. Maybe your printer to blame?

Like Sam W above I was frustrated by infrequent printing and my inkjet clogging up due to intermittent use so bought a B&W laser and this (then) new inkjet with the Instant Ink deal. The idea was any inkjet ink problems were 'outsourced' and for two years now they have been -and the budget works out about the same as my attempts at refilling carts (with a lot less mess).  The photo printing thing was just a realisation that a page cost the same whether it had two words or a best full colour photo on it. (well -plus the glossy paper).

Reading this thread has prompted me to print off a couple of A4 size holiday snaps (mainly to evaluate the rich colours), and to be honest, I'm quite impressed! Maybe my previously poor opinion might have been down to low ink, incorrect settings, crap photography or something.

I'm off do do some more now!!

Using HP Envy 4524 btw

If you want print longevity and resistance to fading, go for a pigment ink printer.

Commercial printers commonly use machines with 8 or 9 separate colour cartridges to ensure smooth tone and colour gradations. Colour and Black and white photos produced from these machines are superb - as good as old school fibre based wet process prints, in my opinion.

I print my own photos on an A2 Epson SureColour P800, which I also use for giclee art prints. I use Marrutt refillable cartridges (much cheaper and better quality than Epson's own inks) and custom profiles for all the papers they supply. Custom profiling is the closest you will get to matching print to screen:

https://www.marrutt.com/inkjet-inks/about-marrutt-inks

I know the P800 is way bigger than the size you're after; but if you can stretch to an A3 size printer, then the P600 is as good as you'll get. Failing that, the Epson R800 A4 printer is well reviewed, though I've never used one myself.