BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Digital Cameras and Accessories

Printing at home - eliminating the smudge??

The image quality is not the best but an 8x10 on the wall looks good enough until you look at it up close and see the individual lines making up the image. For family members and snapshots, they don't care.

My concern is smudging. I have several images printed 3 days ago. I've found the smallest drop of water, sweat, or oil (from the fingers), causes the ink to smear. Is this inevitable with inkjet home printing?

I was seriously considering upgrading to some "professional" printing equipment at home but I don't want to venture down this path unless I know this will not be an issue.

I greatly appreciate any feedback you can provide.

Thanks
Ron

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January 19, 2009

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January 19, 2009

RE: Smudging. Each paper is a little different. Some are "instant dry," some require a certain amount of time to properly dry. It takes experimentation.

With my Canon S800 and now my Canon i9900, I found that the Epson papers I tried had a drying time requirement. I only used HP paper for Calendar stock; at the time HP made the only paper that I could print on both sides. There was a drying time for the "back side.] With Canon Photo Pro or Ilford, I noted no drying time was needed.

I agree with Gregory, your basic printer is a very likely a partial cause of the problem. However, I know several folks that own new Canon "all-in-one printers" that boast photo quality printing. I don't know the Model Nos., but I have seen the results and they are excellent.

Carlton, fix you printer. I purchased an i9900 for my camera club [and my son bought me one for a Christmas present.] I have confirmed more than once that the cost of a 13X19 print is no more than $5.00. Taking a print to Staples or using Adorama printing services, the cost ranges from $12.00 to $24.00 per print [no on sale or special pricing.]

I don't make a lot of 4X6 prints - only if asked to by family. I do use 4X6's if I want to test a print. My larger prints, typically 8X12 to 13X19, are made for competition or sale. $5.00 is a pretty good deal for such uses.

I have a friend who owns the PIXMA 9000 [or is it 9500.] Ink cartridges for his printer [the 8-series] are much more expensive than those for the i9900 [the 6-series.] Frankly, I can't see a difference print quality.

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January 19, 2009

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January 19, 2009

John, I would love to know what methodology you used to calculate this?

Pete

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January 19, 2009

We were having a problem at my camera club, where we found some members were not contributing to our ink replacement fund. {Obviously, the cost of ink is a very significant portion of the cost of printing.]

As we were discussing options, I was in the process of making prints for our next monthly competition using my i9900. The ink Warning Dialog Box appeared as I was working. Two cartridges were low.

Now, unlike some printers that immediately stop working unless one presses a reset on the cartridge, my Canon allows a number of prints to be made before a cartridge reaches MT. I counted the number of prints I was able to make until those two cartridges went dry. Note, two other cartridges reached the warning stage during this process.

In fact, I made 8 prints.

The i9900 uses eight separate ink cartridges - cost at Adorama is ~$64.00.

$64/8 prints = $8.00 per print. But, I had been making other prints using these current cartridges. If one assumes I made 12 prints, $64.00/12 = $5.30 per print. If I made 16, ink cost is ~$3.10.

So, let's be optimustic and say that, on average, at least 16 prints of varying print size can be made. Note, I make 8X12, 11X14, 11X17 an 13X19 prints.

I also use Ilford Gallerie Smooth Glossy and Flat Matte Paper. Again, using Adorama and B&H pricing, Glossy is available - 25 sheets for $38.95; matte is available for - 50 sheets for $37.95. This works out as about $1.50 and $0.75, respectively.

I can't state that I use the same number of matte sheets as glossy, since I also use Ilford Pearl Paper [it costs about the same as Glossy.] So, let's take a little price credit since I do us the cheaper matte paper - let's say my paper runs $1.25 per sheet.

$3.10 [for ink] + $1.25 for paper - $4.35.

There's $0.65 worth of langyiappe in case the estimated number of prints is a little off. Note, I'm not including the cost of electricity to run my computer and printer, either.

Hope this explains.

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January 20, 2009

I shoot a lot of images with black backgrounds, 40%-60% black...seems to me I would run out of black rapidly.

I suppose someone might be able to come up with what is considered "the average" image with X amount of color ink or pigment deposition.

The only probem I see in your logic is color deposition.

Hope you see what I'm getting at?

How many 13x19 B&W prints?
Landscape shots witha lot of blue sky?
etc...etc.

Pete

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January 20, 2009

Typically, I've found that Cyan, Photo Cyan, Magenta and Photo Magenta are used faster than Black, Yellow, Red and Green with my i9900.

The example I offerred were for general prints: landscapes, seascapes, an occasional portrait of my granddaughter.

While I sometimes "black out" the background on a print or adjust the sky on a B&W image [see my gallery for the Picture of Atlas in front of St. Pat's,] I don't do this too often. So, I can't really factor in the increased cost. But, each individual cartridge costs about $8.00 and Amazon, Staples and others bundle two Black cartridges at a reduced price.

Note, I only print photos using my i9900. I have a laser printer for normal printing of letters, spreadsheets, etc. Inkjet printing cost is just too high for general printing needs. But, that's why all the manufacturers are selling those combination units. It's all in the ink.

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January 20, 2009

I would assume a Pro, like yourself, would be using an Epson desktop printer or, maybe a FUJI Pictographic.

Epson printers and HP's, to my knowledge [and I've never owned one,] tend to use bundled cartridges. Thus, when one color runs dry, the entire bundle-pack must be replaced and other inks may be wasted. Obviously this is costly. Recently, Epson introduced one or more models with separate cartridges, I think. But, Epson printers, as you know, are far more costly that Canon units.

As to the Fuji, I recall it costs a mere $5,000. That's way beyond the reach of most BP'ers.

Then, of course, there are the printers that use rolls of paper and would, I assume, have the capability of using bulk ink supplies.

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January 20, 2009

Joking aside, thank you very much for the feedback. I think I'll leave the printing up to the pros from now on.

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January 23, 2009

thanks for all the great printer info

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January 23, 2009