photo-printer for a poor college student

[D.J. McNeil]

i need some help.

i have been photographing wildlife for about 3 years now and recently realized that i dont have a single print of my work!

so i am officially in the market for a printer.

the problem is: i have very little money, (college does that to ya), only about 100-150$

i need something that will make photo prints AND black-and-white on computer paper for homework assignments.

i dont need immaculate prints, just something that will look nice, you know?

I just dont want to go out and buy a printer, only to find out that i have to buy a bunch of cords, and software and crap to have it work for me.

I know that it's a lot to ask, but if anybody can help me, it's you guys!

thanks for your help,

DJ

[Chris Hansen]

D.J.

You are in a tough spot. Many of the Epson printers out there would probably fit the bill for you. The primary disadvantage is that the cost of the ink can really drive the cost of those prints up.You might want to look into some of the print services that are out there. That way you can tweak your images in PS and then just send them a disk or online file. Let's see what some of the others suggest.

God bless and good luck,

chris

[William Malacarne]

Your best bet would be to watch for print sales at places like Adorama or B&H that have pretty decent sales on having them do the prints.

Bill

[Arlon Motsch]

I have a decent printer but after messing with the ink for awhile I deceide to try sam's and costco. I have not printed a single shot since I found how well the local costco did my prints. I drive right past them on the way home so it's an easy stop for me. At $1.39 for an 8x10 and $3 for a 16x20, they even do 12x36 for my panoramas (main reason I got the r1800 in the first place).. By the time I buy the paper and ink, I probably loose money trying to print them myself.

[Mark Fuge]

I've used a lab in the past and even the one hour type. However, having a printer to use is worth the money, in my view. You also say you need it for text printing, so that alone would be worth the investment. I have a cheap circa 2000 HP 8550 that is not available anymore, that I use for home printing. However, as noted, look at the price of ink when looking at any printer. My HP gives reasonable prints for personal use, to 8x10 size. I am also ready to move up to a larger printer in the near future and will be looking again. Having had my own home darkroom for many years, I prefer to print my own images, until I need a special size that I cannot make. I would agree that a lab will give good results and maybe better than you can make, for a cheaper price in many cases. However, you loose the control of your image, should you so wish to have it.

I am very satisfied with my HP, as far as reliability and durability, having had it for over 9 years now. I put a fair amount of photo images through it, as well as all text printing that I do for my job and personal needs. Only drawback on it is the cost of ink. They could give the printers away and still make a killing on the ink they sell, as you need a different cartridge for each model of printer.

For a cheap "quality" printer, you may want to consider the Kodak printer line, due to the ink cost. I think they are selling for under $100 and the ink is cheaper than the competion. The photo quality appears to be adequate for personal use, as long as you do not need the large print sizes. Since you are in college, keep it simple for now. 4x6 or 8x10 is adequate for most uses. When you graduate you may be able to afford a much better and/or larger printer.

Good luck!

[D.J. McNeil]

I'll keep browsing in the kodaks, and they seem to have some good all-in-one printers... i dunno... it's just that i've heard so many bad things about these printers, and how they don't work right.....
i'll definitlety keep looking thropugh them, though.

one of the things that i've read about the kodaks is, yeah, the ink is CHEAPER, but it doesn't last as long... anybody heard anything about this?
Maybe i should stick with an HP...?

[Jim Poor]

I think your best bet is a cheap laser or b&w printer for school work an then farm out your prints to a lab.

You can have them printed for far less than your per-print cost even if you don't figure in the initial cost of the printer itself. MyPhotopipe is running 40% off most prints, but it expires today. They do run sales quite often though.

Edit; I'll throw in another vote for Costco. They use the same printers as the pro labs and you can get their ICC profiles online. I had issues with the physical handling of prints in two stores here, but at the consumer level, that shouldn't be an issue. They were always happy to reprint on the spot when they did bend or mis-cut something though.

[Mark Fuge]

I'm not an avocate for Kodak and have never used one of their printers, so mentioned it only on price for you during your school years. I do like the idea however of having a printer handy to make prints when and how I like them.

Regarding the Kodak inks. I do believe they will provide you with reasonable image quality, as Kodak does have a reputation. However, like cost ... longevity is a variable consideration. But do you really need all your prints to last 100 years, when you are doing them for your own use? You still have the option of the lab prints, from whatever source and many of them will not guarentee 100 year or more image quality. If you are after art photos for sale to galleries, etc. go with the lab. If you are after a printer to do occasional images for you of photos you would like to give to friends or relatives for memories, or post in your room consider a printer. But definately get one that also does good text so you only have one bill to pay for the ink and paper.

That's my feeling on printers.

Your images ... your visions ... your money!

Been there and done that. You just have to do what is best for your situation.

[Joe Milmoe]

I will "third" Jim's suggestion for Costco.

I worked at their lab to help pay for college. The printers are high end, up to date Noritsu printers. 12x18" prints are $2.99! I recently saw they are offering in-store 12x36" pano's and 20x30" prints for $9.99. The profiles Jim mentioned are at: www.drycreekphoto.com. There's also resizing information on the site that's essential. When you go to print, just ask them to turn off color correction when running the print. Often times the lab employees there don't know the system, but there's little room for error this way. Like Jim said, they will re-print it for you until you are happy. If you find someone who's "into" photography at the lab, they'll often run various options for you to see as well.

Can't beat it!